State’s first Fatburger comes to Great Wolf Lodge
Contributed
Fatburger and its sister brands, Buffalo's Express and Hot Dog on a Stick, have opened at Great Wolf Lodge in Mashantucket.
If devouring a 1.5-pound XXXL Triple Kingburger is on your bucket list, you’re in luck.
Fatburger, which describes itself as both the “last great hamburger stand” and the home of “Hollywood’s favorite burger,” has opened a restaurant at the Great Wolf Lodge on the campus of Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantaucket.
Operated by FAT Brands Inc. of Beverly Hills, California, the Fatburger outlet is the first in New England. Overall, there are 90 locations in the U.S. and 175 worldwide.
The location actually is three restaurants in one, also featuring Hot Dog on a Stick and Buffalo’s Express, which offers buffalo-style chicken wings. The location is also the first in New England for those brands.
Jake Berchtold, chief operating officer for FAT Brands, said his company chose Connecticut for its first New England location for the three brands because of Great Wolf Lodge. The two organizations formed a partnership in 2024, he said.
“Families are core customers of our brands and Great Wolf Lodge, so naturally when a family goes to Great Wolf Lodge and visits us for the first time, this provides us with the ability to gain new brand fans,” Berchtold said.
“Great Wolf Lodge is a high-traffic destination, resulting in additional market reach and visibility,” he added, “which is of great value when you don’t have an established presence in a specific market.”
The outlets at Great Wolf Lodge are franchises owned and staffed by Great Wolf Lodge, he said.
“The employees, or Pack Members as Great Wolf Lodge refers to them, at the Mashantucket location are part of the resort’s overall food and beverage team,” Berchtold said. “It takes between 8 and 10 Pack Members to operate the tri-branded restaurant.”
Founded by Lovie Yancey and her husband in 1947 in Exposition Park in California, the brand began as a three-stool hamburger stand called Mr. Fatburger. The couple divorced in 1952, so Yancey dropped the “Mr.” from the name.
In a financial report released in February, FAT Brands said it expanded its footprint “by opening 92 restaurants and signed over 250 new franchise agreements, which increased our development pipeline to 1,000 locations.”
Still, for all of 2024 it reported a net loss of $189.8 million, or $11.60 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $90.1 million, or $5.85 per diluted share, a year earlier.
The brand boasts an A-list of Hollywood customers, including Heidi Klum and hip-hop artist Ice Cube, who mentions Fatburger in his hit song, “It Was A Good Day.”
The Fatburger menu is not for the health conscious nor the faint of heart. It features 100% ground beef burgers served on toasted sponge-dough buns and offers “The Works” — lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, mustard, pickles and relish — “for the full Fat experience.”
The XXXL Triple Kingburger includes three burger patties with a combined weight of 1.5 pounds and, depending on condiments and add-ons, has up to 2,050 calories. Add-ons can also include cheese, bacon, chili, eggs and onion rings.
Fatburger also offers an Impossible burger, a Turkeyburger and a chicken sandwich, as well as gluten-free buns and dairy-free cheese. It also has a kid’s meal that it calls a Small Fatburger or “Baby Fat.”
Buffalo’s Express offers bone-in and boneless wings with a wide choice of sauces, from mild to hot (including one called Death Valley).
Hot Dog on a Stick’s menu includes corn dogs and cheese on a stick (cheese deep fried in cornmeal batter), as well as french fries and funnel cake sticks.
The three-in-one restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Berchtold said FAT Brands does not yet have plans for another New England location, but that could change.
“We hope this helps to kickstart additional growth in Connecticut and New England,” he said.
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