The "Heart Attack Grill"
#1
The "Heart Attack Grill"
Published February 17, 2012
FoxNews.com
The restaurant owner of the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas where a patron recently suffered an apparent heart attack while eating a 6,000 calorie Triple Bypass Burger defended his place as a freedom-loving establishment based on values our nation's "Founding Fathers intended us to live" by.
Speaking on Fox and Friends Friday morning Jon Basso says his restaurant isn't just a place to get artery clogging meals, like the Triple Bypass.
"What it's all about is a place where you can live the way our Founding Fathers intended us to live, and that is by our own accord," he said.
Inside the theme restaurant there are "doctors" and ''nurses" -- staff dressed up in white coats and nurses hats -- and health warnings on the walls. Diners are given surgical gowns to wear while they choose items like "Bypass" burgers, "Flatliner" fries and buttermilk shakes.
On Saturday, a customer was stricken with an apparent heart attack while eating the Triple Bypass Burger. The man was carted away by paramedics and is reportedly now recovering.
But this week a Washington, D.C.-based anti-meat advocacy group asked Basso to shut down after the episode. Officials for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine said Thursday they sent a letter to Basso asking him to "declare moral bankruptcy" and close the restaurant.
Susan Levin, the group's director of nutrition education, says the incident should be a wake-up call that bypass operations aren't funny.
But Basso shot back, saying there are groups and governmental organizations that want to tell us what do to -- and worse, what to eat.
"There are intrusive busy-body groups that want to take away our right to have a simple hamburger, a coke, some fries and enjoy our lives the way we want to," he said.
Basso has no plans to close the restaurant.
When asked, he could not say exactly how many calories are in his Triple Bypass Burger, adding: "It's totally against everything we believe in to count calories."
Read more: Heart Attack Grill owner defends his restaurant | Fox News
FoxNews.com
The restaurant owner of the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas where a patron recently suffered an apparent heart attack while eating a 6,000 calorie Triple Bypass Burger defended his place as a freedom-loving establishment based on values our nation's "Founding Fathers intended us to live" by.
Speaking on Fox and Friends Friday morning Jon Basso says his restaurant isn't just a place to get artery clogging meals, like the Triple Bypass.
"What it's all about is a place where you can live the way our Founding Fathers intended us to live, and that is by our own accord," he said.
Inside the theme restaurant there are "doctors" and ''nurses" -- staff dressed up in white coats and nurses hats -- and health warnings on the walls. Diners are given surgical gowns to wear while they choose items like "Bypass" burgers, "Flatliner" fries and buttermilk shakes.
On Saturday, a customer was stricken with an apparent heart attack while eating the Triple Bypass Burger. The man was carted away by paramedics and is reportedly now recovering.
But this week a Washington, D.C.-based anti-meat advocacy group asked Basso to shut down after the episode. Officials for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine said Thursday they sent a letter to Basso asking him to "declare moral bankruptcy" and close the restaurant.
Susan Levin, the group's director of nutrition education, says the incident should be a wake-up call that bypass operations aren't funny.
But Basso shot back, saying there are groups and governmental organizations that want to tell us what do to -- and worse, what to eat.
"There are intrusive busy-body groups that want to take away our right to have a simple hamburger, a coke, some fries and enjoy our lives the way we want to," he said.
Basso has no plans to close the restaurant.
When asked, he could not say exactly how many calories are in his Triple Bypass Burger, adding: "It's totally against everything we believe in to count calories."
Read more: Heart Attack Grill owner defends his restaurant | Fox News
My take? This is still America, and this is capitalism at work. Although I find the restaurant disgusting and the patrons are practitioners of gluttony, eating at the trough will certainly be an experience they'll never forget. "Heart Attack" will be embossed onto their brains and perhaps, looking back, they'll consider the experience as hitting rock bottom. Then perhaps they'll make the choice to turn away from this madness of overindulgence. Hopefully they'll even decide to make a change for a healthier lifestyle.
Eating at this establishment once cannot do any worse for their health than where it is already at. It would be interesting to see how many regulars this establishment has as opposed to one time guests. My guess is that they don't have many regulars. After all, it is Las Vegas.
I wonder what is next in store for America. A vomitorium?
#3
#4
FitDay Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 443
I'm on the restaurant owner's side on this. The truth is none of those meals will give someone a heart attack if they don't eat like that on a regular basis.
It's just a sarcastic, theme restaurant. "The Pink Taco" has a more offensive name in my opinion, but I don't want to shut them down either.
I don't find it to be offensive in the least. As long as the food is prepared in a sanitary way I don't think there's anything wrong with people eating it on rare occasions either.
I'm sure people have had heart attacks at vegan restaurants too.
It's just a sarcastic, theme restaurant. "The Pink Taco" has a more offensive name in my opinion, but I don't want to shut them down either.
I don't find it to be offensive in the least. As long as the food is prepared in a sanitary way I don't think there's anything wrong with people eating it on rare occasions either.
I'm sure people have had heart attacks at vegan restaurants too.
#7
It's capitalism in action, sure. It's a restaurant that celebrates all things gluttony. I think the only thing that bothers me about the restaurant is this practice (copied from Wikipedia):
"Customers over 350 lb (160 kg) in weight eat for free if they weigh in with a doctor or nurse before each burger. Beverages and to-go orders are excluded and sharing food is also not allowed for the free food deal."
I don't know, that just strikes me wrong. It's like a mixture of public shaming and celebrating an unhealthy lifestyle all at once. I know the marketing strategy is obviously meant to make controversy (and thus interest), and maybe those folks who meet the weigh in are obviously somehow proud of their own weight, but I dunno. It just makes me feel odd.
"Customers over 350 lb (160 kg) in weight eat for free if they weigh in with a doctor or nurse before each burger. Beverages and to-go orders are excluded and sharing food is also not allowed for the free food deal."
I don't know, that just strikes me wrong. It's like a mixture of public shaming and celebrating an unhealthy lifestyle all at once. I know the marketing strategy is obviously meant to make controversy (and thus interest), and maybe those folks who meet the weigh in are obviously somehow proud of their own weight, but I dunno. It just makes me feel odd.
#8
Wow. And if you've got lung cancer, here are some free cigarettes .