Fatburger

History

Fatburger was founded by Lovie Yancey (1912–2008) in the neighborhood of Exposition Park in Los Angeles, California, in 1947. It was originally named "Mr. Fatburger" (on behalf of Yancey's boyfriend), until Yancey removed the "Mr." in 1952. At that time, she bought out her start-up partners and retained sole ownership of the Fatburger brand until 1990, keeping and operating the original store on Western Avenue along with the La Cienega Boulevard store (La Cienega/San Vicente).

Fatburger remained a mostly California-based chain until the late 1990s, when it began an expansion in North America. On August 15, 2003, Fog Cutter Capital Group completed a $7 million investment and financing package for the company. Fatburger operates or franchises over 150 Fatburger restaurants worldwide with over 300 more planned for future development. For several months in 2006, the company was barred from selling additional franchises in California, due to chairperson Wiederhorn's felony convictions.

In 1992, Fatburger gained national attention after being referenced in the hit song "It Was a Good Day" by rapper and actor Ice Cube. It was also referenced by The Notorious B.I.G. in the song "Going Back to Cali".

In 2008, Fatburger opened its first restaurant in a sports stadium, the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field. Fatburger also opened its first location in Dubai, U.A.E., (today there are eight). There are also Fatburger eateries in Beijing, PR China.

In January 2013, Fatburger opened its first branch in Karachi, Pakistan. Owing to the success of the burgers and positive response in Pakistan, Fatburger opened its biggest flagship outlet globally in June 2013 in Lahore. In July 2015, a branch in Lahore was shut down by authorities due to health and food safety reasons.

On January 26, 2026, parent company FAT Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in an effort to shed billions of dollars in debt. The company listed assets and liabilities between $1 billion and $10 billion.

Locations

Fatburger has locations in five western states in the United States and Canada, and new locations in China, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Fiji, Indonesia, Iraq (including Iraqi Kurdistan), India, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Tunisia, Macau, Pakistan, Oman, Panama, Singapore, Philippines, Qatar, and Japan. In some locations, menu changes were made to conform to local customs. It will expand into Texas, in cities like Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. In 2019, it was announced the first Texas location would be created in North Richland Hills.

Partnerships

Former professional basketball player Magic Johnson, through Johnson Development Corporation, was one of the owners of the parent company. Former talk show host Montel Williams co-owns several Fatburger restaurants in Colorado. Bay Area musician E-40 also had a stake in the company as a franchise owner, by opening the first San Francisco Bay Area Fatburger restaurant in Pleasant Hill, which is now closed. Actor and musician Queen Latifah also at one point partnered with Fatburger.

In 2007, rapper Kanye West's restaurant company, KW Foods LLC, struck a deal to open up to 10 Fatburger restaurants in Chicago. Ultimately, in 2009, only two locations actually opened. In February 2011, West shut down the Fatburger located in Orland Park. R&B musician Pharrell, in partnership with Fatburger, opened several Fatburger restaurants in China in 2007 and 2008.

In popular culture

Fatburger has been featured and/or seen in TV series and movies:

• Sanford and Son frequently mentioned Fatburger in conversation.
• In the 2001 film Rat Race, the Pear family were sitting inside a Fatburger. Later, Randy Pear buys sleeping pills and puts them in his family's milkshakes.
• In the 2016 film Get a Job, Hank Diller is at his desk with food from Fatburger.
• On season 1 episode entitled "Tickets for a Queue" of the Apple TV+ series Trying, Jason and Erica are having a meal at Fatburger.

References

References

1. Herron, Bianca. (August 9, 2017). "Fatburger". Food & Drink International.
2. Grant, T.. (2004). "International Directory of Company Histories". St. James Press.
3. Hanbury, Mary. (August 3, 2017). "A burger chain that Kanye West and Nicki Minaj are obsessed with is taking over America".
4. Jargon, Julie. (May 31, 2017). "Diners Are Finding $13 Burgers Hard to Swallow".
5. McClellan, Marisa. (January 26, 2008). "Fatburger founder dies at the age of 96". Slashfood.
6. (June 12, 2013). "Fatburger Opens First Restaurant in New York City".
7. (December 1, 2006). "Has Fatburger Resolved Its Nasty Little Problem?".
8. Elliott, Farley. (April 16, 2015). "A History of Rap's Love For Fatburger". Eater Los Angeles.
9. [http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dining/articles/2008/04/03/20080403baseballfood0403.html Arizona Diamondbacks Score Big on Fatburger Franchise] Retrieved on March 16, 2011
10. [http://eater.com/archives/2011/04/28/the-next-burger-frontier-middle-east.php The Next Frontier: Burger Chains to the Middle East] Retrieved on April 24, 2014
11. (2013-01-05). "Fatburger opens in Karachi". The Express Tribune.
12. (2013-05-26). "For Fatburger, Lahore's 'flagship' outlet will be a trendsetter". The Express Tribune.
13. "Fatburger: Too thin on hygiene! | Pakistan Today".
14. Ronalds-Hannon, Eliza. (2026-01-26). "Fatburger Owner Files Bankruptcy in Latest Casual-Dining Demise".
15. "Find A Fatburger".
16. (October 6, 2017). "LA-born Fatburger says it's coming to North Texas, again".
17. Jimenez, Carla. (September 30, 2019). "Fatburger is finally coming: First Texas location slated to open in early 2020".
18. "Fatbuger facts, Magic Johnson Owner of parent Company". Answers.com.
19. "TV Show Host Montel Williams Buys into Fatburger Franchise". Montelshow.com.
20. [http://www.sixshot.com/news/8505/ Current location of Fatburger Headquarters] {{webarchive. link. (February 21, 2008)
21. [http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.13099/title.kanye-west-buys-rights-to-10-fatburger-restaurants Kanye West Buys Rights To 10 Fatburger Restaurants]. HipHopDx, November 23, 2010.
22. Borrelli, Chris. (2008-08-13). "Kanye bringing Fatburgers to town; In-N-Out fans dream on".
23. (2011-02-01). "Kanye West Shuts Down His Chicago Fatburger Restaurant". Starpulse.com.
24. McLellan, Dennis. (2008-02-02). "Fatburger founder expanded South L.A. eatery into chain".
25. (December 11, 2018). "Fatburger Restaurant in Rat Race (2001)". Product Placement Blog.
26. (April 22, 2016). "Fatburger – Get a Job (2016)". Product Placement Blog.
27. (May 2, 2020). "Fatburger Fast Casual Restaurant and Coca-Cola in Trying S01E03 "Tickets for a Queue" (2020)". Product Placement Blog.