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Fatburger company history timeline

1952

By 1952, Lovie parted ways with her partner and so did the “Mr.” from the stand’s name.

1973

In 1973, Yancey opened its first Beverly Hills branch.

1980

Although Fatburger--"The Last Great Hamburger Stand"--has been around for over 50 years, and maintains something of a cult following in Los Angeles among celebrities and everyday people, attempts since 1980 to grow the chain have been met with limited success.

1985

By the end of 1985, the chain had 32 units, four of which were company owned, and was named the number five fastest growing burger franchise chain by Entrepreneur magazine in its annual Franchise 500 list, trailing only McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and Jack in the Box.

1990

In 1990, Yancey sold out to a group of investors led by Island Trading Co., a New York investment firm connected to Island Records founder Chris Blackwell.

At that time, she bought out her start-up partners and retained sole ownership of the Fatburger brand until 1990, keeping and operating the original store on Western Avenue along with the La Cienega Boulevard store (La Cienega/San Vicente).

1992

A second unit opened in Las Vegas in 1992, a move that caused some disagreement within management.

In 1992, Fatburger gained national attention after being referenced in the hit song "It Was a Good Day" by rapper and actor Ice Cube.

1995

He would return to Fatburger in 1995 and a year later emerged as the president, serving under chief executive officer Glen Hutloff.

1997

By the end of 1997, Fatburger had 29 units, of which 12 were corporate units, but management held ambitious dreams of much greater growth.

1999

In 1999, Texas-based Restaurant Teams International, Inc. announced that it had an agreement to buy Fatburger Corporation for $8 million.

2001

2001: Magic Johnson group acquires a controlling interest.

2002

In December 2002, he opened his first Fatburger restaurant in Aurora City Place.

2003

On August 15, 2003, Fog Cutter Capital Group completed a $7 million investment and financing package for the company.

2005

In 2005, the first Fatburger Canada opened in the popular English Bay area of Vancouver, BC. And while our roots are from California, Fatburger in Canada is Canadian owned and operated – and proud of it!

2006

For several months in 2006, the company was barred from selling additional franchises in California, due to chairperson Wiederhorn's felony convictions.

2008

In 2008, Fatburger opened its first restaurant in a sports stadium, the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field.

2013

Owing to the success of the burgers and positive response in Pakistan, Fatburger opened its biggest flagship outlet globally in June 2013 in Lahore.

2021

© 2021 FATBURGER NORTH AMERICA INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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Founded
1947
Company founded
Headquarters
Beverly Hills, CA
Company headquarter
Founders
Lovie Yancey
Company founders
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Fatburger competitors

Company nameFounded dateRevenueEmployee sizeJob openings
Pizza Hut1958$7.5B350,0009,498
Jack in the Box1951$1.6B22,0002,127
Panera Bread1981$2.8B140,0004,525
Wendy's1969$2.2B12,5005,748
Buffalo Wild Wings1982$2.0B44,0001,762
Subway1965$16.1B5,000731
Sonic Drive-In1953$423.6M5,0007,507
In-N-Out Burger1948$575.0M27,00042
Applebee's Canada1980$2.5B28,0001,445
Chipotle Mexican Grill1993$11.3B64,5705,342

Fatburger history FAQs

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Fatburger, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Fatburger. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Fatburger. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Fatburger. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Fatburger and its employees or that of Zippia.

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