fat and happy
Fatburger makes Houston debut with sizzling new ghost kitchen
California's Fatburger chain will make its Houston debut next week with a ghost kitchen in Third Ward's Blodgett Food Hall. A representative confirms the restaurant will open on Monday, November 23.
In addition to Fatburger, the ghost kitchen will also serve wings from two of the restaurant's sister concepts, Buffalo's Express and Hurricane Grill & Wings, both of which are known for their wing offerings. Fatburger opened a similar ghost kitchen in Dallas last month.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, Fatburger serves a one-third pound burger that's topped with mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, relish, and mustard; diners may also add bacon, cheese, chili, onion rings, or a fried egg. In addition to beef, the restaurant offers a turkey burger, a veggie patty, a vegan Impossible Burger, and grilled or fried chicken sandwiches.
Both Buffalo's Cafe and Hurricane Grill & Wings offers bone-in and boneless wings in over a dozen sauces that range from all the usual flavors to Red Hot Ranch, Coconut Jerk, and Cajun Dry Rub. All three restaurants offer either skinny fries or thick-cut steak fries as a side.
The company has established a Facebook page for the location, and the restaurant is already listed on the websites for third party delivery services such as DoorDash. Diners will be able to order meals for delivery via third party apps or through the Fatburger website for pickup at 2616 Blodgett St.
Last year, Fatburger parent company Fat Brands announced plans to open 25 locations across the Lone Star State, primarily focused on Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas. When Fatburger opened its ghost kitchen in Dallas, Fat Brands CEO Andy Wiederhorn explained the concepts are an integral part of that growth strategy.
“Ghost kitchens provide us with the opportunity to introduce multiple restaurant concepts with new audiences at a much faster rate than if we opened individual restaurants for each, allowing us to efficiently develop brand loyalty for continued expansion in various formats,” Wiederhorn said. “We have significant growth plans in Texas for our portfolio brands and are eager to open several other ghost kitchens in the state in the coming weeks with partner Croft Ventures.”
The first Fatburger in Texas opened in June 2020 in the Dallas suburb of North Richland Hills, where it's part of a co-branded concept along with sibling Buffalo's Express.
Fat Brands owns nine restaurant brands total, including Johnny Rockets, Buffalo's Cafe, Elevation Burger, and Ponderosa and Bonanza steakhouses.
---
Teresa Gubbins contributed to this article.
