"That's right, ever since 1946, the chain has been cooking up chili by the gallons to slop on top of burgers - and it was one of the first of its kind to do so. Word quickly spread, and the operation had to expand in the '60s to handle the influx of chili-loving burger-seekers. Original Tommy's chili burgers are layered with onions, mustard, pickles, cheese, and tomatoes and served on plain buns, a recipe that would spawn several copycats over the years."
"As the restaurant's popularity grew, so, too, did those joints trying to capitalize off the Tommy's name; hence why the brand had to change its name from simply "Tommy's" to "Original Tommy's." Over 60 knockoff restaurants have been countered in Los Angeles alone, and these named restaurants have also peddled chili burgers. Though Original Tommy's founder Tom Koulax once launched legal campaigns to try to get some of these establishments barred, the effort proved to be too time-wasting and energy-sucking."
Original Tommy's opened in Los Angeles in 1946 and popularized chili-smothered burgers, preparing chili by the gallons and pouring it over patties. The signature burgers include onions, mustard, pickles, cheese, tomatoes, and plain buns. Rapid popularity in the 1960s required operational expansion and inspired numerous copycat restaurants. The brand changed its name to Original Tommy's to distinguish itself from imitators, and founder Tom Koulax pursued legal action with limited success. The family-run operation later accepted imitation as flattery, though frequent customers maintain that copycat recipes do not match the original beef chili.
Read at Tasting Table
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]