Could a burger be so good it's worth a heart attack? Put another way, if something is incredibly unhealthy, should one just indulge all the more? The Heart Attack Grill in downtown Las Vegas just might be the most famous tongue-in-cheek restaurant in the world. For many people, it is one of the must-do attractions while engaging in a range of decadent vices while living it up in America's most famous Sin City.
For sure for the Homer Simpsons of this world, the Heart Attack Grill is paradise - less so for the Lisa Simpsons of this world. Regardless of one's partiality or otherwise for super unhealthy burgers, one can regard the Heart Attack Grill as just another ridiculous attraction of what makes Vegas, Vegas.
About The Heart Attack Grill
In an age filled with vege-burgers and low-calorie burgers, the Heart Attack Grill makes a point of making its burgers very high in sugar, fat, and cholesterol. If one was to consistently eat food of this caliber it would increase one's risk of a heart attack. There have been heart attacks in the restaurant, but it is also more likely to attract clients that are more prone to heart attacks.
- Founded: In December 2005
- Founder: Dr. Jon (A non-AMA-Recognized Physician)
- Dr. Jon: Personally Works Flipping Hamburgers In His White Doctor's Lab Coat And Stethoscope
- "Nurses": The "Nurses" Are Not Trained To Provide Medical Services, It Is Just A Gag
The whole restaurant is themed on this gag of a hospital and heart attacks. Its burgers range from "Single" to "Double" to "Triple" to "Quadruple" With the highest being "Octuple Bypass" burgers. The burgers range from 8 ounces (or 230 grams) to 32 ounces (or 910 grams) of beef. See here for a fuller list of 10 things that shouldn't be legal on their menu.
- Customers: Dubbed "Patients" At The Restaurant
- Orders: Dubbed "Prescriptions"
- Waitresses: Dubbed "Nurses"
The fries are cooked in pure lard and are called "Flatliner Fries". The cigarettes in the restaurant are without filters and there are even candy cigarettes for the kids.
Promotions And Gimmicks
If the customer weighs over 350 lbs or 160 kg, they eat for free with unlimited food. They must be first weighed by a nurse waitress on an electronic cattle scale in front of all the restaurant customers. Additionally, if a customer can successively finish a Triple or Quadruple Bypass Burger, they are wheeled out of the restaurant in a wheelchair by their "personal nurse". One wonders if Homer Simpson weighing over 350 lbs could finish all the burgers in the restaurant forcing them to close from bankruptcy.
If a "patient" can not finish their "prescribed" they may be subject to public spankings by one of the attractive nursing staff.
- Eat For Free: Customers Over 350 lbs Eat For Free With Unlimited Food
It is worth remembering that the restaurant is a licensed restaurant and everything is tongue in check. It has made its name by embracing and promoting an unhealthy diet of extremely large hamburgers - and like so many other businesses this is a marketing tactic.
Also, it's worth remembering that there have been threats of closures by the Attorney General Office in 2006. While one can view the restaurant as glorifying a very unhealthy diet, one can also view it as using satire and humor to draw attention to a real public health crisis.
If what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, then it can be a fun and enjoyable activity for everyone to enjoy. They can enjoy the feeling of giving in to their culinary weakness. Just be careful not to develop a habit! If one is interested in the more unusual attractions around Vegas, then see here for what we know about Area 51.
Working For The Heart Attack Grill
The grill is hiring "nurses" (presumably young women) who need to fill out a tongue-in-cheek application form. It asks the applicants a range of silly and nonsense questions to gauge their sense of humor. They have no information on the actual job description on their website. Some of the questions are:
"If you were elected President, what would be your first action?"
"Who are YOU in Grease (The Movie)?"
"Who Would You Have A Hot One Night Stand With?"
"Did the government cover up Roswell Alien crash?"
"Attach a photo of your best "Freestyle Silly Face"
"NO ONE gives a d*mn about your Academic Achievements but if you want to bore us with them, go right ahead."
Heart Attack Grill claims to have never spent a single dime on advertising and yet they have been the recipient of endless media frenzies that have catapulted them to international fame (like we are doing here!).