Kanye’s Burgers are P-H-A-T!

Dave Leonard, NBC Chicago Street Team

When rapper Ice Cube says “Two in the morning, got the fat burger” in the hip-hop classic song, “It Was A Good Day”, I can definitely relate to that line. There has been many a time I’ve found myself in Los Angeles, California late at night after the club, craving a juicy Fat Burger. Now thanks to Chi-town’s own Kanye West, I no longer have to fly thousands of miles to get some of my favorite fast food.

This past weekend, my wife and I headed to my old stomping grounds, the South burbs to check out the brand new Fat Burger restaurant in Orland Park, IL (located at 15110 S. Lagrange Rd.). The 2,353 square foot, 74-seat restaurant is the first of several that Kanye West’s KW Foods LLC is slated to open in the Chicago area over the next year. We were curious to see how the new franchise would stack up to the ones out West. Well….it didn’t dissappoint!

The first noticeable difference when we arrived was the seemingly never-ending line that stretched out the door. All 74 seats inside were occupied and it was like playing musical chairs to get a seat. It took us at least 20 minutes to get through the line as there was only one person working the register up until we got a few feet away from the front of the line.

Just as we got to the front and started placing our order, I noticed a seat about to open that a young girl had also been scoping until her mother foolishly sent her around the restaurant to check for another opening. I am not ashamed to say, as soon as the seat did become available, I abrubtly interrupted my wife and sent her to retrieve it. All is fair in war and hunger. Some casualties are even innocent children.

I ordered my usual, a XL Turkeyburger with cheese, no pickles and no relish accompanied by Fat fries and a Maui Banana Shake. My wife settled for a regular Turkeyburger with cheese, fries and a chocolate shake. Because it was so packed inside, everyone was given a number on an small orange construction cone and a server brought your meal out to you. The service was pretty quick considering the large crowd and once we took a bite, it was worth every minute. Ironically, Kanye’s “Flashing Lights” and “I Wonder” from the “Graduation” album played in the background on the jukebox that was located near the back of the line.

Even though we both were extremely hungry, we took our time and savored every bite. By the time we finished, we felt like we had been eating all day. I was pleased, and thankful that Kanye had the vision to bring Fat Burger to Illinois and I look forward to the new location on 95th Street (which will also be closer to me) in January 2009.