I don't worry about McDonald's, Burger King, or Wendy's.

They may be more popular, but a good hamburger sells itself, and I don't think anybody makes

as good a hamburger as we do.

Those are the confident words of Lovey Yancy, a true trailblazer in the chain restaurant

sector.

In 1947, at the age of 35, Yancy opened a three-seat burger stand in the Los Angeles

neighborhood of Exposition Park, building the eatery with scrap metal provided by your

construction worker then boyfriend.

She gave the restaurant its unusual name, one which would briefly become a millstone

around its neck during the low-fat diet craze of the 1990s, explaining, quote,

I wanted to get across the idea of a big burger with everything on it, a meal in itself.

As the chain grew in popularity over the decades, it attracted celebrity clientele like red

fox and ray charles and a celebrity investor in Los Angeles, Laker legend Irvin Magic Johnson,

who traded his NBA championship rings for onion rings.

With its fat and skinny fries, thick shakes, and loaded burgers, including the pioneering

option of a fried egg as a topping, the restaurant became a staple hip-hop reference,

receiving shout outs on tracks from the notorious B.I.G., Ice Cube, and two-pock.

As hip-hop culture grew more establishment, its connection to the chain grew more direct.

At various points, E-40, Queen Latifa, Kanye West and Farell became business partners,

and or franchise owners.

Now with over 150 locations in 20 countries, Count the place dubbed the last great hamburger

stand as yet another local so-called favorite that became an international sensation.

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