But the Beastie Boys got it half right at least in one of their songs”
“I like White Castle cause it’s the best ..But I go to Fat Burger when Im way out West”

http://www.burgerfiles.com

First of all, the SoCal Fatburger was not as good as the WA one. I went to the one on Wilshire and Highland in LA. The taste and even size appeared slightly smaller than WA!

Most important, the prices are more in SoCal than in LA. This is where I think In-N-Out wins hands down. Walk to Fatburger with a five dollar bill and you’ll most probably walk out hungry. Do the same in In-N-Out and you can get a Hamburger + Fries + Drinks.

Fatburger wins on the options in the menu available. I especially love their onion rings, which In-N-Out does not have. However, I think, price is the one thing that gives the numero uno position to In-N-Out

Not that In ‘n’ Out isn’t embroiled in its own controversy about now. In ‘n’ Out has been going through a nasty family fight over franchising, and I’m not sure how it will turn out. My initial feeling is that they will franchise, because money talks. It sucks that you can’t stop the inevitable, but as second and third generations want to make greater profits to support their lifestyles, selling out ensues. You made a good point, but I’d start stocking up on In ‘n’ Outs now, because it won’t be too long before they are mere clones of the originals.

Okay y’all, I ate my 1st FatBurger as a teen in the middle 60’s at its first and then only location, 23rd & Western L A’s Adams District. That was the real FAT Burger, the sistas would grab a hunk of ground meat out the bucket, form a patty and throw it down on the grill, hence FATBURGER. They were Kings, Double Kings and even Triple Kings, bacon, chili, eggs, whatever, when they knew you as a regular, they make the burgers even bigger, thye also had the best sweet tater pies and thick fat fries cut from fresh potatoes, it was the hang, late at night you’d see so called famous folks from all walks of life, especially the brothas n sistas of the night.

Later on they opened the 2nd shop on La Cienaga/Fairfax and St Vincente, this was late 60’s or 1970. The family still owne it. The 23rd and Western Store had 2 locations, first at the back of the parking lot on 23rd and then to the front of the lot onto Western. The first stand was used as storage and prep kitchen after the 2nd lcoation opened.

before Ice Cube rapped about it, Dolomite made his first movie with many scenes in front of Fat Burgers in the 70’s with the Burger Pimp! Too cold!!

I once saw Clyde-Walt Frazier roll up to FatBurger macked out and he and a fox got out of a limo and stood in line to order a Fat delight just like everyone else, since the Lakers had beat the Knicks earlier that evening, peeps were cool with him. I have seen many bad brothas and sistas af the original Fatburger back in the day. In the later 70’s the other location came to be the place to hang in the wee wee hours as since it was close to Hollywierd and West Hollywierd, The Strip, Westwood Village, you’d never know who you would see there in line or in a limo waiting for their flunky to get they food.

When the original owner died, his children thought of franchising out to make money, the health dept forced them to stop grabbing meat out the buckets and it wasn’t long befrore FatBurgers was a shadow of itself. Then Magic bought it out, cool, but it is now just another chain store with slighty better than average burger. For those of us who know the ral Fatburger it is very difficult to go there nowadays

In N Out still is famliy run and refuses to sell out, the same now as 50 plus years ago, so I give them they props for being number 1!!!!!

Art Davez
Baldwin Hills-LA