Burger wars, re-visited

[giacfsp]

That's beyond obsessive. That's scary.

[MrMustang1965]

Any of you burger folks catch the highlight on ESPN of the hamburger in Clearfield, MA? HUGE! It's in the 'Top 10' highlights this morning on SportsCenter.

[giacfsp]

Just how huge are we talking about here?
Obviously I didn't see it....

[MrMustang1965]

Just how huge are we talking about here?
Obviously I didn't see it....

I believe it was 20 lbs. complete with mayo, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, pickles and buns.

[MrMustang1965]

By KATIE MENZER / The Dallas Morning News


For Kramer, heaven was found in a Nissan Pathfinder on a Lemmon Avenue blacktop.

The Prince of Hamburgers is quiet this week. Its owner owes $27,097 in sales taxes, the state says. "A ride in the car and a hamburger. They're two of Kramer's favorite things," said Pat Moore, patting his dog as they sat together Monday night in the deserted parking lot of The Prince of Hamburgers. "He's going to be so disappointed."

Kramer's disappointment will be shared by multitudes of cheeseburger and milkshake aficionados across the area. The Prince of Hamburgers, one of Dallas' oldest drive-in burger joints, famous for its bubbling carhops and frosty mugs of root beer, was shut down by the state last week for nonpayment of taxes.

The property owner doesn't know when – or if – it will open again.

"I don't know what happened," said Connie Pace, whose family has owned the property since the 1930s. "I'm still waiting to hear the news."

The restaurant's owner – Ron Patrick – owes $27,097 in sales taxes, according to officials with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Neighbors said officials closed the business during working hours April 27 and ordered customers and employees out. Mr. Patrick could not be reached for comment.

Doug Prince opened his first drive-in hamburger stand on Lemmon Avenue in 1929. Charles Rachal bought the restaurant around 1930. The restaurant was shut down in February for a short time for kitchen repairs, but it reopened. Ms. Pace said Mr. Patrick still owes her rent for April and May.

She said she is now considering selling the property, which her father, Charles Rachal, bought from the restaurant's founder around 1930. Doug Prince opened the carhop drive-in on Lemmon Avenue in 1929 but soon moved on to reign over Prince's hamburger stands in Houston.

"Everyone tells me, 'You've got to let it go someday,' " the 80-year-old Ms. Pace said. "It can't go on forever."

The restaurant has had a half-dozen or so owners in its 76-year history. Mary Louise Compton, who died in 1999, erected the restaurant's unmistakable red-and-green neon sign – complete with an image of a golden-haired boy in medieval garb holding a plate of burgers.

Ms. Compton sold the restaurant to Tom Patrick in 1979, and he passed it to his son, Ron, a few years ago, Ms. Pace said.

Although prices have changed – a burger that cost a nickel when Prince's opened now sets customers back $2.45 – the menu has pretty much stayed the same over the years. Chili dogs, fries and lemonades could all be had carside under the restaurants' red and white awnings.

"They had the greatest root beer in there," said Fidencio Melendrez, 52, who has lived near Prince's for about 20 years. "You can't find that kind of root beer anywhere else anymore."

Mr. Melendrez said he remembers flirting with one of Prince's longtime carhops. If you asked her nicely, she'd key up your favorite tune in the jukebox so you could listen to the music without having to get out of your car.

"It was a Fonzie-type thing," he said.

Florentino Zuniga's love affair with the drive-in began only three months ago, when the 23-year-old started working at a neighboring carwash. Still, he's going to miss the Prince.

"Now I have to bring my lunch," he said.

Hungry customers have spent the last week driving into Prince's parking lot, flashing their lights and waiting a few minutes for service before realizing the restaurant – which still has collections of plastic forks in Styrofoam cups on the countertops – is closed.

"I see people all day pull in and pull out," said Mr. Melendrez, who has a view of the restaurant from his apartment complex.

"It's going to take awhile for people to realize it's gone."

[Longtime]

When are some of you big-bucks SMU alums (as opposed to this no-bucks alum) going to convince the California owners of In-N-Out Burger to put a store in Dallas?

You talk about printing money? Open an In-N-Out on Greenville Ave. and it will make Krispy Kreme's arrival in North Texas seem like a yard sale. You think people went nuts over Krystal's opening? How about a place that actually serves GOOD burgers, not those sliders.

Every time I go to California on business, I hit an In-N-Out every day. Sometimes twice a day. Great burger, fresh ingredients, unique fries. It's just a great, fast-food burger with a taste you can't get anywhere else.

And it's all high-quality. In-N-Out Burgers are super-clean and staffed with good, clean cut employees. I don't know how they afford to pay them, but you don't have to worry that the guy taking your money just got out of Lew Sterrett.

Historically, In-N-Out has been resistant to expansion (probably a smart move considering what happened to Krispy Kreme). I hear it's a family owned operation. They put little bible verses (i.e. "John 3:16") on their cups and french fry wrappers. If you didn't know it was there, you'd never notice it.

I have heard, however, that there are now In-N-Out stores in Las Vegas and Arizona. So they are expanding, but every slowly.

I'm telling you, In-N-Out is Whataburger's greatest fear. If someone could convince the In-N-Out owners to sell them a Dallas franchise, it would be a goldmine. When you do, just let me invest in a small piece of it.

[Bergermeister]

In-N-Out got a website/franchise info?

[Dooby]

No doubt. In and Out Burgers would make a fortune here. But it would cost a fortune to start it up. Thing to remember about In and Out is that nothing is frozen; meat and potatoes are shipped from one or two location refrigerated to every restaurant. They would have to start a complete distribution chain here. Oh, and they are not a public company and there are no franchises. So, unless you know the company's owner can convince him to open a store here, we are all SOL.

BTW, when I am in Calif. on business I eat at one every day, too. Same thing with Vegas. I made the cab stop on the way back to the airport.

[Corso]

One of my big regrets from my last California trip was that I didn't try a I/O burger. I've heard about the place for years, and still haven't gotten around to trying it.
One of these days ....

Speaking locally, what's next on the Burger Review list? Y'all need to do a new place, or someone's going to submit a review of the burgers at the Ballpark or something (and they're terrible).

[Dooby]

In-N-Out got a website/franchise info?

http://www.in-n-out.com/

[MeanGreenGem]

Kincaid's Grocery on Camp Bowie, Fort Worth, Texas.....I've not had a better hamburger unless it was the Panther Den, Danbury, Texas, a few years ago.

[MrMustang1965]

Went to Fuddrucker's today at Old Town Village Shopping Center. Nothing fantastic but a reasonable burger (I believe this has been mentioned before). But what I really liked was the restaurant's support of SMU with big block letters "SMU" and photos of SMU greats like Payne Stewart, Doak Walker, Eric Dickerson, Craig James, Kyle Rote, etc. underneath it. ANY business that shows its support of SMU has my patronage. Needless to say, Texadelphia next door will NEVER see me in its doorway! All those burnt orange and white banners with longhorns on 'em out front just makes me want to puke!

[HorsePower]

Same deal with the wing joint across the parking lot -- Cluckers or Pluckers or whatever it is. I think they claim to be a sponsor of SMU, but all I see when I drive by over there is the orange cow flag.
No thanks.
Anyone on here ever try this Fat Daddy's place?

[MrMustang1965]

Same deal with the wing joint across the parking lot -- Cluckers or Pluckers or whatever it is. I think they claim to be a sponsor of SMU, but all I see when I drive by over there is the orange cow flag.
No thanks.
Anyone on here ever try this Fat Daddy's place?

Actually, Plucker's DOES have some SMU memorabilia and photos inside their establishment. They also hand out those cards during the SMU basketball games for free wings. But, yeah...I don't like those orange cow flags, either.

[Buddha]

The SMU flag, etc., should be front and center.
Period.