"Heart Attack Grill": Serving Death Sentences on a Platter, Since 2005

[one...two...tree 2,762]

by Jasmin Ramsey, PULSE

In the late 90s while writing a paper about fitness training studios in a marketing class Jon Basso came up with an idea for a new theme based restaurant which he would call The Heart Attack Grill. Years later this American's dream would become a reality in Chandler, Arizona where The Heart Attack Grill has literally been serving up death sentences on a plate since 2005. Menu choices include Quadruple Bypass Burgers (8,000 calories per a serving) and Flatliner Fries deep fried in loads of good old-fashioned pure lard, served by scantily clad women in nurse outfits. Basso himself (known as Dr. Basso though he holds no medical certifications) will even examine you with a stethoscope and have you exit the restaurant in a wheel chair should you feel too weak from resulting blood clots to walk out by yourself. There's also no chance of having your kids eat for free at this restaurant -- only the customers who agree to prove they weigh 350 pounds or more can enjoy that privilege!

While the health craze movement has been increasingly penetrating various aspects of North American society for decades, everywhere from the workplace to the home and of course the food and drink industry (even Fat Burger which has been around since 1952 offers healthy menu alternatives now), The Heart Attack Grill has been promoting an anti-health rebellion. Basso even goes so far as to prohibit the existence of any calorie-conscious choices on the menu. Those who would have normally opt for a Diet Coke can choose a drink like Mexican Cola instead which is made with real sugar.

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen -- in America one man's dream can and will be the cause of another man's death and while some will hail Basso as genius for his ability to produce profit from controversy, and others will defame him as an immoral murderer, chances are he will continue living this dream comfortably until the day he dies.

After 9/11 happened America's defense spending ballooned to more than half of the federal government's discretionary budget and measures were taken everywhere to remind Americans about the 'threats from out there' in the form of demonized, irrational Middle Eastern men who were determined to take away Americans' right to pursue life, liberty and happiness. But what about domestic threats to American lives which claim many more lives consistently each and every single year? How much is being spent to counter obesity in America which is up since last year and leads to fatal illnesses and the general degradation of society as a whole?

In <a href="http://pulsemedia.org/2009/07/27/taste-worth-dying-for/">a short 2008 CBS news clip, Bill Geist interviews a devoted customer who says "you only live once, you've got to enjoy it" after agreeing that he may indeed need to see "real nurses" after his meal is done. In 2008 the UN food agency reported that 963 million people went hungry because they were unable to consume enough calories to live a normal, healthy life. Clearly definitions of living vary depending on where you had the good (or bad) fortune of being born.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/141591/...%2C_since_2005/

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Well at least they're honest...

[lucyrich 20]

Somehow I don't think those waitresses/nurses have been eating very many of those 8,000 calorie quadruple bypass burgers. Imagine what they'll look like after 10 or 20 years of eating the menus they're serving...

[amberdima 6]

Somehow I don't think those waitresses/nurses have been eating very many of those 8,000 calorie quadruple bypass burgers. Imagine what they'll look like after 10 or 20 years of eating the menus they're serving...

people usually end up disliking whatever food they serve. i couldn't eat crabcakes for a year after i prepped and cooked them for 3 years. i still hate coleslaw...

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Somehow I don't think those waitresses/nurses have been eating very many of those 8,000 calorie quadruple bypass burgers. Imagine what they'll look like after 10 or 20 years of eating the menus they're serving...

[웃 910]

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...rt+attack+grill

[Nagishkaw 510]

After 9/11 happened America's defense spending ballooned to more than half of the federal government's discretionary budget and measures were taken everywhere to remind Americans about the 'threats from out there' in the form of demonized, irrational Middle Eastern men who were determined to take away Americans' right to pursue life, liberty and happiness. But what about domestic threats to American lives which claim many more lives consistently each and every single year? How much is being spent to counter obesity in America which is up since last year and leads to fatal illnesses and the general degradation of society as a whole?

As if there is a comparison.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

What a sweet death.

[Ban Hammer 13,366]

What a sweet death.

the only thing missing is a bitburger

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

What a sweet death.

the only thing missing is a bitburger

You know it!

[SuperDuper! 230]

What a sweet death.

Food and Sex, what a combination.

They featured the "Heart Attack Grill" on the food channel this weekend. Very cool and fun.

I don't understand why the owner lets the 350+ pounders eat for free, unless the strategy is that they bring their fatty friends with them, and that they are trying to gain weight to eat free, too.

The article fails to mention that the "Flatliner Fries" cooked in pure lard, are also all-you-can-eat for the price.

You have to sign a waver to eat the Quadruple Bypass burger. Hopefully the sexy nurse waitress will be there to take your pulse after you go into carbo overload. SHe will wheel you out to your car, after you eat the x3 and x4 burgers.

[luckytxn 2,264]

I would like to go eat there.

[HAL 9000 96]

I would like to go eat there.

You can't. They reserve the right to serve only Socialists.

[SuperDuper! 230]

I would like to go eat there.

You can't. They reserve the right to serve only Socialists.

Nope. The owner was on the Food Channel. He is a 100% red-meat Capitalist.

[Nagishkaw 510]

I would like to go eat there.