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?
