Seeing as how I started my LA trip with the trendy sushi of Katsuya and a shared bottle of champagne at dinner in Malibu, it was only a matter of time before my wallet begged for a better balance.
Cue Fatburger, a California institution with a fast-food culture all its own.
I ordered a medium cheeseburger meal which came with fries and a soda.
The burger was certainly better than your typical McDonald's Quarter Pounder, but the fries were average.
The atmosphere inside the little location we stopped at was quaint. I can't remember the last time I saw a jukebox in a fast-food restaurant.
But I couldn't help but compare my meal to that of the one I had at Five Guys before my DC to LA flight.
I'd had their wonderful, thick-cut fries before, however, it was the first time I'd ordered a burger.
It was just as good as Fatburger, which means in a head-to-head competition, Five Guys wins on the merit of its fries.
And then something has to be said about Fatburger's totally un-PC approach toward marketing.
A sign next to the menu was a call to action - they need BFFs (Big Fat Friends).
Fatburger can say they got their start in the 1950s all they want, but the reality of today is that the United States faces an epidemic of obesity, and their messaging rubbed me the wrong way.
What do you think -- savvy marketing or sending the wrong message?
Stephanie says
5 Guys! They are from NOVA you know...
Jeremy says
I always found the Fatburger advertising to be refreshingly honest. I think consumers generally have an idea of the nutritional values of the food they are consuming, with exceptions of course. To me the ads are generally saying "greasy fast food served here, isn't that why you came to FATburger,lets not pretend we're both here for any other reasons." Maybe I'm unusual for thinking this way but with 90%-95% of ads filled with BS I like the honest pitch...
Dave says
Yes, they got their start in Arlington!
Dave says
Jeremy - you've got a point about Fatburger, but I do appreciate what fast food chains have tried to do more recently by introducing healthy food options. A lot of people go to fast food shops because they're cheap and fast (duh), not because they necessarily love the food.
Dave says
I'd have to go with 5 guys just based on the non-PC BFF comments. The US has a serious problem. People should be eating this stuff as an occasional treat, not as a multi-weekly meal choice... that's why the country is so damn fat :-P That, and corn. It's just too cheap, so we put tons of cheap carbs into every food there is.
But that said, I love me a good Fuddrucker's... their toppings bar is the shiz-nit!
Gloria says
Even though I live in L.A., I haven't been to Fatburger in a long time so I can't really speak on it. I was wondering if you managed to try In-n-Out while you were here? I hope you did. It's so delicious. I find that a lot of people compare In-n-Out with 5 Guys and In-n-Out always comes out on top, though I like 5 Guys too. The burgers and fries at the two places are quite different with the In-n-Out winning and the fries being a toss up...some people love In-n-Out fries and others hate them. They are just fresh cut and fried natural fries. I think the comparisons started because the red and white decor at 5 Guys looks almost exactly like In-n-Out, though In-n-Out has been around since 1948.
Dave says
Hi Gloria - actually, I ran out of time before I could get to In 'n Out Burger, but I'll definitely be trying it next time I'm in LA!
MikeyRTW says
If a place has bad fries it sort of doesn't matter how good the burger is. They have to do both well so kudos to 5 Guys.
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