"Prominently located on the rounded corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street, the downtown area's busy pedestrian thoroughfare, Heart Attack Grill earned global fame for its unique theme. The restaurant positioned itself as a parody of a medical center, including servers who dressed as nurses and called customers "patients," while leaning into a happily unhealthy menu of burgers, hot dogs and fried food. Diners wearing doctor's office gowns were encouraged to order giant meals, including the Octuple Bypass burger with eight half-pound burger patties (with room for add-ons like 40 bacon slices), and were admonished loudly by staff for not finishing all of their food."
"Customers who weighed over 350 pounds - and were willing to prove it by standing on a scale in the dining room - ate for free. In February 2013, a 52-year-old frequent customer and occasional spokesperson for Heart Attack Grill, John Alleman, died of an apparent heart attack in front of the restaurant, giving the place even more grim global notoriety."
"Now, owner Jon Basso has told SFGATE that Heart Attack Grill's time has come at the current location, which dates to 2011. "Las Vegas has priced the regular middle-class person out of the opportunity of having a good time," Basso responded when reached by email. "Our customer base [is] predominantly regular people. The Heart Attack Grill needs to move to a new location.""
"On its website, Heart Attack Grill said that it "will not be renewing its long-term lease," adding that "the soul of Las Vegas has been replaced by corporate greed." Basso told SFGATE that the restaurant is ""
Heart Attack Grill closed its longtime Downtown Las Vegas home at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street after more than a dozen years. The restaurant became globally known for a parody medical theme, with servers dressed as nurses and customers called “patients.” The menu emphasized large, fried, and stunt-style foods, including the Octuple Bypass burger with eight half-pound patties and optional add-ons. Diners wearing doctor’s gowns were encouraged to order giant meals and were urged to finish them. Customers weighing over 350 pounds could eat for free after proving their weight on a dining-room scale. The closure followed the death of frequent customer John Alleman in 2013. Owner Jon Basso said Las Vegas pricing pushed away middle-class customers and that the restaurant needs to move, while the website cited not renewing its long-term lease and blamed corporate greed.
Read at SFGATE
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