I’m a big fan of food history and pop culture. Some people discuss the Avengers or Spider-Man in real terms, me? I discuss fictional eating establishments and with that being said, here are my favorite burger joints from film & television.
Favorite Burger Joints from TV Table of Contents
Barth’s Burgery from You Can’t Do That On Television
As a kid of the 80s, I would watch Nickelodeon religiously, and I loved Barth’s Burgery skits. “Who/What do you think is in the burgers?” punchline, which was used quite often, should give you a good idea of what direction these segments were taking.
Yet, for some reason, I was dying to be seated at that booth.
The Real Barth’s Burgery
Barth’s Burgery skit was filmed on a set at CJOH-TV studios in Ottawa, Canada.
BusterBurger from Hamburger the Motion Picture
Here’s another gem from the ’80s, Hamburger The Motion Picture, which shows the trials and tribulations of a bunch of folks who want to be BusterBurger managers. All I wanted to be was a BusterBurger customer. Do you know why? Cause it’s full of bull!
The Real Buster Burger
Hamburger The Motion Picture was filmed all over Los Angeles, California. The actual building used for the BusterBurger restaurant is unknown. Considering it gets blown up, I’m gonna assume it wasn’t really a restaurant, to begin with.
College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California doubled as BusterBurger University.
Dante’s Inferno from Dumb & Dumber
Dumb & Dumber ranks up there with my favorite comedies of all time, like Animal House & the Blues Brothers. Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) are absolutely ridiculous, and when they stop at Dante’s Inferno, the hottest food east of the Mississippi, things get deadly.
The Real Dante’s Inferno
I’ve scoured the internet, but no one knows the restaurant’s name at the time of the filming. The Dante’s Inferno building is now the American Legion Post (845 West 24th Street) in Ogden, Utah.
Jack Rabbit Slim’s from Pulp Fiction
The obvious choice from the Quentin Tarantino masterpiece is Big Kahuna Burger because everyone knows it’s a Hawaiian Burger Joint with a tasty burger. Something about the whole Jack Rabbit Slim’s decor intrigued/intrigues me. I love a really well-thought-out themed restaurant. Plus, the Durward Kirby Burger cooked bloody as hell with a $5 shake would hit the spot.
The Real Jack Rabbit Slims
The exterior of Jack Rabbit Slims was shot at the recently shuttered (at the time of filming) Grand Central Bowl (1435 Flower Street) in Glendale, California. The actual Jack Rabbit Slim restaurant set was was the most expensive part of the budget, $150,000.
WhammyBurger from Falling Down
Double Whaymmyburger w/Cheese, Whammy Fries, and a Choco Wham Shake are what Michael Douglas’ character in Falling Down ends up ordering after causing a scene when they’ve stopped serving breakfast.
WhammyBurger reminded me of the burger joints I frequented when visiting my grandmother in Glendale, California. Unfortunately, the truth is that the burger did not look appetizing at all.
The Real WhammyBurger
The famous WhammyBurger scene was filmed at Angelo’s Burgers (10990 Atlantic Avenue) in Lynwood, California, which means I can still eat there.
I wanna visit Jack Rabbit Slim’s!