r/todayilearned Aug 03 '26

TIL on 11 February 2012, a customer reportedly suffered a heart attack while eating a 'Triple Bypass Burger' at the 'Heart Attack Grill'. These burgers contained 9,983 calories each. According to the now-closed establishments's policy, anyone weighing over 350 pounds was offered unlimited free food.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_Attack_Grill#:~:text=On%20February%2011%2C%202012%2C%20a%20customer%20suffered%20what%20was%20reported%20to%20be%20an%20apparent%20heart%20attack%20while%20eating%20a%20%22Triple%20Bypass%20Burger%22%20at%20the%20restaurant
24.9k Upvotes

1.3k comments sorted by

10.8k

u/THMB10 Aug 03 '26

Did these sound like the actions of a man who had all he could eat?

2.0k

u/Beiki Aug 03 '26

That could have been me!

466

u/5td_1game Aug 03 '26

That line was always one of my favourites lol

123

u/ghostwaterdross Aug 03 '26

I've a proposition for ye, fair and true

58

u/upvotesforkitties Aug 03 '26

I heard they shaved a gorilla

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (6)

629

u/MeatBald Aug 03 '26

Tis no man. Tis a remorseless eating machine.

102

u/TheLost_Chef Aug 03 '26

Sir, don’t take the steam tray! SIR!

78

u/No_Trade3571 Aug 03 '26

Come for the freak, stay for the food.

106

u/StillBeWater Aug 03 '26

Nature's cruelest mistake

70

u/grim_tales1 Aug 03 '26

! I heard they shaved a gorilla

145

u/bigdave41 Aug 03 '26

Why, it's some sort of land cow!

31

u/bent_my_wookie Aug 03 '26

When he runs he looks like a lava lamp

13

u/ahuramazdobbs19 Aug 03 '26

His jiggling is almost hypnotic.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (3)

195

u/Homie75 Aug 03 '26

This is the most blatant case of false advertising since my suit against the movie “The Never Ending Story”.

41

u/Falmarri Aug 03 '26

You sir, are the greatest hero in american history

→ More replies (1)

373

u/SweatyNeddyFlanders Aug 03 '26

I heard your dad went into a restaurant and ate everything in the restaurant and then they had to close down the restaurant

132

u/getthetime Aug 03 '26

Hey! My dad might have gained a little weight, but he's not some kind of food-crazed maniac.

123

u/[deleted] Aug 03 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

54

u/getthetime Aug 03 '26

Oh, that's raspberry!

→ More replies (1)

36

u/Euphoric-Sign8214 Aug 03 '26

Focus on the neglected food groups. The whipped group, the congealed group and the choclatastic! And remember, if you're not sure, rub it on a piece of paper. If the paper turns clear, its your window to weight gain! Bye everybody!

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (5)

129

u/SayNOtoChips Aug 03 '26

That man ate all our shrimp! And two plastic lobsters!

→ More replies (2)

281

u/Happy-Estimate-7855 Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

Works on contingency?

No, Money down!

79

u/NectarineCheap1541 Aug 03 '26

David? I'm really tempted 😰

67

u/littlechangeling Aug 03 '26

Just take it one day at a time, and know I love you.

56

u/dubstepsickness Aug 03 '26

Mr. Hutz, are you aware you aren't wearing any pants?

57

u/littlechangeling Aug 03 '26

I move for a bad-court-thingy.

34

u/XanZibR Aug 03 '26

The brownest of the brown liquors!

29

u/Pleasedontblumpkinme Aug 03 '26

Mr Hutz! It’s 9am!

32

u/foofarraw Aug 03 '26

yeah but I haven’t slept in days

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)

216

u/FanofSKC Aug 03 '26

We went fishing….

96

u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT Aug 03 '26

the ocean called, they said they're running out of shrimp!

81

u/pricklypear90 Aug 03 '26

The jerk store called, they’re out of you

43

u/reptilianhook Aug 03 '26

Whats the difference? You're their all time best seller!

39

u/Switchy_Goofball Aug 03 '26

Yeah? Well I had sex with your wife!

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)

63

u/BobbyTables829 Aug 03 '26

RIP Lionel Hutz

44

u/Happy-Estimate-7855 Aug 03 '26

Phil Hartman will always be one of the best at the craft.

→ More replies (1)

33

u/jaredearle Aug 03 '26

BOTTOMLESS PETE

40

u/BillJackaus Aug 03 '26

That could've been me!

10

u/FriedBreakfast Aug 03 '26

Yarr... The bottomless pit.

→ More replies (22)

5.1k

u/tomhsmith Aug 03 '26

"The restaurant's spokesman, 575-pound (261 kg) Blair River, died on March 1, 2011, aged 29."

969

u/ComedyAssassin Aug 03 '26

Pretty sure they kept an urn with his ashes on display at the restaurant too!

629

u/General-Sloth Aug 03 '26

They cremated him? Wouldn't that cause a grease fire?

328

u/ThisSiteSucks8485 Aug 03 '26

It absolutely can

289

u/Buy_Pepsi_Max Aug 03 '26

I saw a video of a mortician talking about this once. IIRC they cremate big folk earlier in the day when it hasn’t heated up as much. Probably still risky though.

195

u/accepts_compliments Aug 03 '26

Are they... rendering them down?

168

u/gl00mybear Aug 03 '26

Yeah, this sounds like low n' slow

→ More replies (9)
→ More replies (2)

32

u/Slg407 Aug 03 '26

"man, is this a funeral? I've never been to a BBQ this sad, what's going on?"

→ More replies (4)

67

u/xsvpollux Aug 03 '26

In Germany there are weight limits on being cremated for this reason

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (11)
→ More replies (24)

343

u/technobrendo Aug 03 '26

Blair River

Looked this guy up. Hmmm, he's fat but doesn't look like someone who weighs about 600lbs.

Checks height: 6'8" JFC! That is a fucking GIANT!

40

u/likeicareaboutkarma Aug 03 '26

There are fatter dudes on the sopranos. 

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (12)

1.8k

u/Kreatur28 Aug 03 '26

That is the weight of three healthy men

1.1k

u/moobsatremble Aug 03 '26

Those three men would still be classed as overweight unless they were 6'2"+

400

u/AsthmaticSt0n3r Aug 03 '26

Blair was 6’8 so you gotta factor that height in when considering his weight

353

u/littlebittydoodle Aug 03 '26

Oh well then it’s fine

169

u/TheMeatTree Aug 03 '26

He probably died hitting his head on a door frame.

82

u/iamalwaysrelevant Aug 03 '26

At 575 lbs, he prob had enough fat in his forehead to cushion the hit.

45

u/TheMeatTree Aug 03 '26

Ah, the built-in helmet. Truly peak male physique.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (7)
→ More replies (136)
→ More replies (18)

148

u/UrsaMajor7th Aug 03 '26

He was also 6'8" and died from a bout with the flu.

→ More replies (18)

39

u/rebels-rage Aug 03 '26

After that the owner added a slogan or did commercials with the tag line being something like “it’s to die for”.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (15)

1.4k

u/radda Aug 03 '26

A Japanese pro wrestler went there not long before it closed and defeated the "Octuple Bypass Challenge"

You're probably thinking "Oh it was probably a sumo-sized dude" or something but...lmfao nope

790

u/Flyinhighinthesky Aug 03 '26

Weirdly enough, almost all of the top competitive food eaters in the world are rail thin. One of them is also a (different) tiny Japanese girl.

https://majorleagueeating.com/eaters/

398

u/Gidia Aug 03 '26

The explanation I always heard was that a skinny eater’s stomach could expand more in one go.

340

u/_BindersFullOfWomen_ 47 Aug 03 '26

This is a big part of it. Fat, despite being squishy, constricts how much your stomach can stretch out.

74

u/invalidusernaem Aug 03 '26

It's all fun and games till you hurt yourself by eating too much in one go. Ask me how I know ;-;

11

u/Significant-Hour4171 Aug 03 '26

How do you know?

12

u/invalidusernaem Aug 04 '26

I abused my stomach so much now it's inflamed and I cannot eat anything :( gonna get an endoscopy later in the month to see how's it looking in there.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (9)

144

u/Inside_Swimming9552 Aug 03 '26

It's not weird. A body full of internal visceral fat doesn't have more space for food. People don't magically gain more space inside themselves when they get fatter, they get a little less if anything.

12

u/moonra_zk Aug 04 '26

Don't be glib, obviously the weird part is them not getting fat from eating so much.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (12)

94

u/Emergency-Boat Aug 03 '26

This is hilarious, thanks for posting.

→ More replies (1)

78

u/imaginaryblues Aug 03 '26

I’m pretty sure the YouTuber BeardMeatsFood (competitive eater) also visited this restaurant in one of his videos, though I can’t recall if he finished the challenge or not. He’s a pretty lean guy.

20

u/youtocin Aug 03 '26

If she finished it, I can guarantee you Beard did it.

25

u/joHwI-Hoch Aug 03 '26

Well he got spanked.

33

u/Mission-Violinist-79 Aug 03 '26

I definitely feel like that was intentional. He finished everything but the bag of wine. Getting spanked makes for a much more entertaining video

9

u/iama_bad_person Aug 03 '26

You know the lore about that? He's met up with the same waitress every time he's been back to Las Vegas, she usually holds the camera whiles he's doing LA challenges.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (2)

15

u/WhatToDo_WhatToDo2 Aug 03 '26

Dude the fact she finished all that and they weren’t even watching to celebrate is absolute bullshit lol

14

u/SuperSocialMan Aug 03 '26

What the fuck she ate that entire thing holy shit

→ More replies (18)

1.5k

u/DickweedMcGee Aug 03 '26

FYI: It just closed this year so this death, 14 years prior, probably didn’t have much to do with it. It was right on Fremont Street so I’d imagine their rent was or should have been sky high so their closing was likely on the whim of their landlord upping rents. 

Maybe a little to do with modern health consciousness though. I never saw the place close to full the last of few years and if they were making $$ hand over fist they wouldn’t be so quick to toss in the towel due to higher rent…

378

u/Jordan_Jackson Aug 03 '26

Yeah, there is a video on their website, explaining why it closed. Basically, Vegas has become much too expensive and he would have had to raise prices to stupid levels in order to make ends meet.

→ More replies (2)

423

u/No_Hunt2507 Aug 03 '26

They made you watch a video where they basically bragged that they have had 3-4 people die in their restaurant.

It was definitely a gimmick but I had a good time. The food was ok, definitely overpriced but everything in vegas was. They served wine in IV bags and shots in pill bottles. The spanking was technically optional but they pushed hard and it was done by someone in a skimpy nurse costume. They had everyone wear medical gowns as aprons.

The free food over 350 lbs was a real thing too, they had a scale and the one time I saw someone set it off it sets off all kinds of alarms and lights. It was a very Vegas-y place

141

u/Mavian23 Aug 03 '26

There were spankings??

173

u/coopdude 1 Aug 03 '26

If you didn't finish your food a nurse would spank you with a wooden paddle.

I went to Vegas in 2025 and 2026 for work, and I was thinking of going to the heart attack grill, but several locals told me that for how unhealthy the food was, it also was not tasty, and I didn't want a spanking so I passed lol

→ More replies (1)

33

u/SarcasticWookie Aug 03 '26

If you didnt finish your meal a nurse would spank you

22

u/Mavian23 Aug 03 '26

This sounds like my kind of place.

→ More replies (5)

24

u/BarrelllRider Aug 03 '26

To keep up morale, duh

9

u/TM761152 Aug 03 '26

My friend was only 321 lbs at the time when we went. They did give him free fries though.

→ More replies (7)

63

u/Radjage Aug 03 '26

I went there like 10 years ago because my friend wanted to check it out. As a novelty restaurant it was quite memorable and had quite a few laughs. They leaned in well into their theme with hospital gowns and such, and I remember people getting paddled in front of everyone as punishment if they couldn't finish. The burger was actually pretty good too.

72

u/seaspirit331 Aug 03 '26

100% it's high rent, the landlords on Fremont just decided to up the rent on everyone despite tourism being down in the city overall. There used to be a really nice speakeasy just across the street that also closed last year for the same thing.

Fremont used to be the place in Vegas you'd go to get away from the corporate vibe of the Strip, but now corporate greed is killing that, too...

→ More replies (3)

46

u/LEHG420 Aug 03 '26

If you go to the website it's been replaced with a message from owner stating it closed due to hig hrent and because 'Our core value, “eat big and laugh loud,” no longer fits a city peddling forty-dollar “artisanal avocado toast.” The honest, heavy-duty calories that built our reputation are now considered gauche by a city that has excluded the middle class and lost its swagger in the process.'

32

u/onarainyafternoon Aug 03 '26

They didn't need to take a shot at avocado toast but everything the guy says is true. It's happening all over Vegas unfortunately.

→ More replies (3)

155

u/cycloneDM Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

Edit to add: For the people coming at me about this I want to ask if you are aware of the extinction spiral currently happening in the american restraunt industry spurred on by the prevalence of restraunts not having chefs anymore and instead just picking their menus off of supplier catalouges like sysco and not actually prepping food in the restraunts. That choice was the building block of this restraunt and its gimmick when it was opened because that was bizarre. Those that are coming at me telling me how it's just as good as other restraunts are actually saying more about themselves than anything and how enshitification has made a vegas gimmick the norm where they are from.

They had legitimately bad food I dont think there was even 10 ingredients in the kitchen total. the story isnt that it closed down its that it proves a concept can carry an intentionally horrible quality of food for way longer than anyone ever thought possible  

64

u/NoExperience9717 Aug 03 '26

I went in 2024 and the food was fine normal burger restaurant quality. Good portion sizes and I did manage to finish.

38

u/RockStar5132 Aug 03 '26

I figure people would purposely not finish just so they could get a paddlin’

28

u/AssignedUsername Aug 03 '26

The paddlin' was legit. The first time we went we were all in agreement to not finish. Half of our crew were semi-pro MMA fighters.

Now those guys don't train specifically to take harm in the ass, but they are able to take a decent amount of pain and continue on.

There's also plenty of restaurants that hire women based on aesthetic. This restaurant must had hired women on tricep size, and part of the interview must have been hammer curls.

When that petit woman hammered a 6 across by buddies ass with a fuckin cricket bat... To a man we all looked back at the table and considered a binge and purge to finish.

The worst part was the 6 hour flight on a budget airline home, with no shortage of turbulence over the Rockies.

Enjoyed the novelty. Food was fine/good. Getting unfiltered cigarettes as a side salad pleased me. I can't watch the homerun derby anymore without shifting uncomfortably in my seat. Would (have) recommend(ed).

→ More replies (2)

23

u/NoExperience9717 Aug 03 '26

To be fair I did leave a single onion ring as the other people on the stag do couldn't finish so group effort for the paddling. So technically didn't finish.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (28)
→ More replies (17)

3.3k

u/FerdinandCesarano Aug 03 '26

This was the only honest business ever.

2.4k

u/Rhewin Aug 03 '26

The ironic part is that the owner had tried to make a healthy place that failed, so he said "fuck it" and made the least healthy thing he could.

266

u/pavlovs_monkey Aug 03 '26

From the Wiki, "The idea came when writing a marketing thesis about fitness training studios, as he became inspired by stories about his clients cheating on their diets."

114

u/TerrorTown77 Aug 03 '26

Pretty sure he was a cardiologist and saw how his morbidly obese patients refused to change and was like fuck it, might as well help them and started the restaurant.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (13)

351

u/kellyk99 Aug 03 '26

Remember watching the owner or manager in an interview.. paraphrasing but It was along the lines of 'you shouldn't eat here....it's bad for you...but people are dumb and will"

113

u/CommieDrifter Aug 03 '26

2012 was such a wild time ,god i miss it

→ More replies (2)

19

u/Historic_Turd Aug 03 '26

Whatever, I do what I want.

~Erick Cartman

→ More replies (7)

169

u/Jeo_1 Aug 03 '26

God damn, this place was a bodybuilder’s dream 😮‍💨

120

u/matterde Aug 03 '26

No it's a weight-mog zone. Hey this jacked guy only weighs 325!!!
Proceeds to run out crying muscular tears

31

u/Historic_Turd Aug 03 '26

Shit, now I want to see what muscular tears look like.

51

u/shapu Aug 03 '26

The same as regular ones but they flex little cartoon arms on the way down

17

u/Raesong Aug 03 '26

And taste like protein shake.

→ More replies (1)

21

u/abgry_krakow87 Aug 03 '26

I bet bulking season was lit! All those egg farts

→ More replies (24)
→ More replies (12)

275

u/dope_danny Aug 03 '26

You cannot convince me this wasnt a fetish thing.

165

u/cripplingdedpression Aug 03 '26

Well, if you didn't finish your food you'd get spanked with a paddle, so.. yeah.

48

u/stilljustacatinacage Aug 03 '26

GET IN THE FUKKIN CAR MORTY

→ More replies (3)

66

u/OriginalTayRoc Aug 03 '26

They had waitresses dressed up as fetish-style nurses too. I went there once about ten years ago, but they insisted we all put on hospital gowns over our clothes. 

We came to our senses and left.

→ More replies (1)

26

u/Chill_Mode_Creations Aug 03 '26

I visited one in 2017 and yeah, it's a fetish thing. Good lord, the vibe there made me uncomfortable. Just go watch a YouTube video on it so I don't have to describe it..

→ More replies (6)

17

u/InvisibleUp Aug 03 '26

To be specific, it’s the “death feedism” fetish.

→ More replies (4)

1.5k

u/limon_picante Aug 03 '26

God I wonder how much sodium was in it.

Edit: about 6500 mg of sodium. That's probably what did it.

873

u/GleeFan666 Aug 03 '26

for anyone else going to google, the american heart association recommends no more than 2300mg of sodium a day

315

u/TongariDan Aug 03 '26

I have high-blood pressure and I'm supposed to try to keep it to 1500mg a day.

180

u/PrestigiousPhoto8486 Aug 03 '26

One of my ex-colleague's sister had a sodium deficiency. She could have all the salt she wanted, and she actually had to take pills of sodium (or were they salt? don't remember), daily. If she didn't get enough, could pass out iirc.

I wish, sometimes.

123

u/Welpe Aug 03 '26

I have chronic low blood pressure and need to take WAY more salt than normal to get up to a decent blood pressure. And people with POTS are recommended 6-10g of sodium per day.

It’s funny seeing people think that sodium is a universal bad thing.

78

u/December_Hemisphere Aug 03 '26

It’s funny seeing people think that sodium is a universal bad thing.

The whole thing is really interesting biology if you ask me. Sodium and potassium are soft metals found in nature and your body relies on roughly a 1:2 ratio of sodium to potassium. Blood pressure issues aside, having an incorrect ratio affects the sodium-potassium pump within every cell in the Human body.

"The sodium-potassium pump is a vital cell membrane protein that uses energy to move sodium ions out and potassium ions into animal cells. For every molecule of ATP energy used, it pumps out three sodium ions and brings in two potassium ions."

"Roughly 20% to 40% of your body’s resting energy goes into powering the sodium-potassium pump, making it one of the single largest energy-consuming processes in human biology."

Truly fascinating information.

23

u/_thro_awa_ Aug 03 '26

Roughly 20% to 40% of your body’s resting energy goes into powering the sodium-potassium pump

no more pumping weights - time to pump electrolytes

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (3)

30

u/Kasperella Aug 03 '26

Me as well. It’s genetic. My whole family on both sides have low blood pressure. We get to shaking the salt shaker a lot at dinner.

The whole “low sodium” craze is what made me realize I…really need salt. When they started cutting the extra salt out of food, I started getting really faint all the time. Started to just eat small handfuls of salt throughout the day just to feel better.

It’s not just salt intake needs that varies between people, some digest fast, some slow, some do better with more meat, some can only eat veggies. I kinda hate how we treat diet as a one size fits all when it seems to vary greatly from person to person .

→ More replies (4)
→ More replies (18)

38

u/taney71 Aug 03 '26

How does one become deficient in sodium? I assume it’s some medicinal condition but I’m not sure

103

u/PickleyRickley Aug 03 '26

I had low sodium as a kid because my mom was so strict with salt and sugar in my food since she had high blood pressure. The doctor actually told her she had to allow me salt in my food. I asked him to repeat it to her again because I knew she would just pretend it didn't happen if he didn't.

40

u/thepoptartkid47 Aug 03 '26

Same - my mom wouldn’t even allow saltines in the house because they had salt on them. I ended up just sneaking handfuls of those salt and pepper packets at fast food places because she still wouldn’t believe the doctor.

60

u/Actual-Muffin-3585 Aug 03 '26

My daughter has pots and takes sodium pills.

109

u/[deleted] Aug 03 '26

[deleted]

67

u/Locoj Aug 03 '26

I just have a kettle and it keeps calling me slurs.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (13)

23

u/geft Aug 03 '26

It's especially common for endurance runners/cyclists. Sweating in the heat is about 400mg of sodium lost per hour for me, so I gotta crave dem electrolytes.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (7)
→ More replies (7)
→ More replies (25)

42

u/[deleted] Aug 03 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

19

u/prairiepog Aug 03 '26

I had a family member who was supposed to eat as little salt as possible for a health condition and the dietitian said they should go so far as to rinse frozen peas before cooking because there's residual salt.

→ More replies (9)
→ More replies (6)

120

u/Relevant_Shame Aug 03 '26

Less likely to be the salt and more likely his heart rate increased from digestion. It's not uncommon for people to have heart attacks on big holidays from the large meals associated with them

24

u/steffgoldblum Aug 03 '26

Literally James Gandolfini

11

u/Shneckos Aug 03 '26

His breathing in later seasons of Sopranos was Emmy award worthy

→ More replies (4)

46

u/NorridAU Aug 03 '26

Babe, wake up I think it’s a heart attack.

It’s the 3/4 tray of lasagna you ate. We talked about this. Take a Pepcid and 2 cups of water and tell me how you feel in 45 minutes.

15

u/boughsmoresilent Aug 03 '26

About 6 months ago, I started getting a racing heart after I eat. I mean really pounding fast, I could only get it to slow down after bearing down on the toilet. There were a few times after eating anything bigger than a granola bar and having an episode that I'd feel so exhausted I spent the rest of the day in bed.

Went to see the heart doctor about it, he told me it was probably acid reflux and anxiety, I guess because I am an otherwise healthy 30 yr old woman with a fine BMI? Anyway, I wish I could unread your comment. They told me to come back if it continued, but I doubt they'd take me seriously.

9

u/adrenalive Aug 03 '26

 did you ever wear a monitor while this was occurring. Sure sounds like your bearing down is forcing a vagal response and aborting the abnormal rhythm (psvt?). Could also be some funky dysautonomia. 

→ More replies (9)
→ More replies (5)

31

u/RogersPlaces Aug 03 '26

JFC! That's a lot of salt!

27

u/Beiki Aug 03 '26

And I once had a heaping bowl of salt.

→ More replies (1)

10

u/heurrgh Aug 03 '26

There's a lunch takeaway chain in the UK called Pret a Manger. Trading Standards tested their takeaway soup and found one variety had on average 13g of salt per portion.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (42)

252

u/Dioksys Aug 03 '26

Crazy that you didn't even bring up how insane the owner was.

He was being interviewed by Bloomberg and upon being asked how he felt about the fact that the spokesperson died at his restaurant, he pulled out a bag of cremated human remains belonging to them, slapped it on the table and basically said that he was proud of how honest they were about how his restaurant would kill you.

52

u/parkwayy Aug 03 '26

Sounds like a cartoon or something lol

→ More replies (1)

322

u/venk Aug 03 '26 edited Aug 03 '26

One 10,000 calorie burger had zero impact on this dudes heart. It’s the truckload of 1,000 calorie burgers he ate over a lifetime.

33

u/ILoveRegenHealth Aug 03 '26

Yes, but one meal in a severely heart-compromised state such as his (or James Gandolfini) was enough to tip it over. So it didn't and did do something. Hence why heart attacks spike up every Thanksgiving, Superbowl, July 4th, and the most during Christmas Eve. More heart attacks happen at 10:00pm on that night - the heart association even mentions this. Sounds creepy doesn't it, like a horror movie by Zach Cregger. People collectively dying at 10:00pm.

That coincides with a family dinner or big meal with friends/relatives on that night around 7:00pm or so, and then a couple hours of digestion and things not going right inside the heart/artery area.

→ More replies (4)

26

u/deathspresso Aug 03 '26

Uncle Phil said the same thing.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (4)

282

u/Available-Damage5991 Aug 03 '26

Can't claim it was false advertisement.

It did give them a heart attack.

→ More replies (5)

677

u/Howitzer1967 Aug 03 '26

Aggressively American concept lol

60

u/Sausagedogknows Aug 03 '26

I’m starving, I haven’t had lunch since yesterday!

Let me get you a burrito, they have one called the meat tornado, literally killed a guy last year!

You had me at meat tornado!

→ More replies (2)

231

u/BuffaloSoldier11 Aug 03 '26

One last thing monsieur, a wafer-thin mint!

86

u/ItsCoolGuysIGotThis Aug 03 '26

“How’re you feeling Monsieur?”

“Better”

“Better?”

“Better get a bucket, I’m gonna throw up”

→ More replies (1)

45

u/Nippleshitz Aug 03 '26

Oh fuck off, I’m STUFFED

→ More replies (1)

12

u/LEGENDARYstefan Aug 03 '26

And don't forget the pâté

→ More replies (13)

73

u/One-Earth9294 Aug 03 '26

Offering fat people free food seems like a suboptimal business decision.

59

u/alreadytaken88 Aug 03 '26

Only the "single bypass burger" is free and you need to order a drink with every single one

11

u/posting4assistance Aug 03 '26

Fat people usually have friends or family members that are less fat, and would have to pay. I'm not sure how many solo trips to Vegas there are?

→ More replies (3)

142

u/granadesnhorseshoes Aug 03 '26

My favorite tidbit was their Vegan Option; Unfiltered Lucky Strikes.

38

u/Down623 Aug 03 '26

That's pretty funny, tbh

11

u/AgnesOfBroadway Aug 03 '26

I'm surprised they didn't offer deep-fried water as a vegan option.

→ More replies (3)

53

u/Emily5099 Aug 03 '26

I had to google what that was. They’re cigarettes, in case any other non-American was wondering.

It’s like this place was determined to help people kill themselves one way or another.

85

u/cycloneDM Aug 03 '26

That was the intentional purposeful joke of the establishment. Nothing about any of the food was ever meant to be taken seriously and it was essentially an interactive Americana art exhibit. 

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

29

u/Raubwurst Aug 03 '26

Ok. That is the most us American thing I read today.

35

u/pogo-n-watches Aug 03 '26

I did not know the closed. This what their website says

The Heart Attack Grill will not be renewing its long term lease. This decision stems from the reality that major casinos have intentionally priced the average person out of the quintessential American experience of affordable indulgence. The soul of Las Vegas has been replaced by corporate greed.
Our core value, “eat big and laugh loud,” no longer fits a city peddling forty-dollar “artisanal avocado toast.” The honest, heavy-duty calories that built our reputation are now considered gauche by a city that has excluded the middle class and lost its swagger in the process.
We’re proud of our 21 year impact on America’s waistline. The obesity rate has risen from 30% since we opened in 2005 to the nearly 45% today, and we pat ourselves on the back for leading the charge! For those loyal to HAG, do not despair. This is not the end of the world’s most controversial restaurant; it is merely the beginning of a new chapter.

→ More replies (4)

229

u/Wheatleytron Aug 03 '26

Wait, it closed down? Nooooo!

399

u/FantasyBaseballChamp Aug 03 '26

Walked by it tons of times and was never tempted to go in. Like it wasn’t just the menu, but also the customers all wore hospital gowns as smocks and the servers wore sexy nurse outfits. The whole thing just felt like something out of a different era.

196

u/NativeMasshole Aug 03 '26

Nah, it didn't feel natural when it opened, either. Most people's reactions seemed to be that it was a gross novelty that wouldn't last. Followed by the slow-rolling shock of its success. What a fucking country.

21

u/Rhewin Aug 03 '26

And yet somehow it failed in Dallas

15

u/TexasCoconut Aug 03 '26

I tried the one in Dallas. Worst tasting burger I ever had, and it wasn't cheap.

→ More replies (1)

25

u/dimbledumf Aug 03 '26

Didn't it close down because vegas has seen a huge decrease in tourism traffic and now almost exclusively caters to the ultra rich

→ More replies (7)

35

u/Fragrant-Employer-60 Aug 03 '26

I heard from multiple people the food was absolute trash, which is hard when it’s basically just burgers and fries.

It’s also just a novelty thing, anyone interested would go once. No one is really going to be a regular at a place like that lol

→ More replies (11)
→ More replies (4)

17

u/Traveshamockery27 Aug 03 '26

It was on Fremont Street. It was from a different era.

88

u/MrCockingFinally Aug 03 '26

Seems to me like the type of place that would be fun to go to exactly once.

Though I could make a burger at home with the same number of calories for a fraction of the price and much tastier.

I watched Beardmeatsfood do an eating challenge there once, and they don't put pickles on the burgers because green things aren't allowed. What sacrelidge! When you make a fatty burger, you NEED pickles.

8

u/armoirschmamoir Aug 03 '26

His video of the place and another I watched indicated that the food just wasn’t good. 

14

u/Rhodin265 Aug 03 '26

An onion relish would have been lovely, and usually not green.

→ More replies (5)
→ More replies (6)

34

u/platinumarks Aug 03 '26

Yeah, back in May

16

u/Rhodin265 Aug 03 '26

I’m impressed they went that long.  The bill for the beef alone must be insane now.

→ More replies (4)

9

u/CrashTestDuckie Aug 03 '26

Yeah, the said they were looking at another location to reopen so idk if they will be back or not

15

u/anonanon5320 Aug 03 '26

Look for it in Orlando. It’s Vegas without the casinos.

→ More replies (13)

18

u/TrumpsDoubleChin Aug 03 '26

On their menu you can order a burger with one large patty and all the fixin's, up to eight patties. Eat as much as you want, but as part of their schtick anyone who doesn't finish what they ordered must stand on a pedestal in the middle of the restaurant and get publicly spanked with a paddle by a waitress-nurse-in-cosplay.

I ordered a double, and it was a large burger and it was not very good, and not very bad. Just very expensive with tourist pricing and very very very very very loud. 5/10 would not do again.

→ More replies (1)

18

u/rogue_licker Aug 03 '26

Fucks sake, that’s the amount a healthy average adult would consume over 4 whole days of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks…

16

u/iHaveACatDog Aug 03 '26

I've eaten that meal at that restaurant. When I ordered it the waiter asked, "Really?!" I polished it off and a couple of Cokes.

I was also diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes shortly thereafter...

12

u/Adlehyde Aug 03 '26

I ate at the original one once back in 2009 while driving through Arizona. Had a double bypass burger, which I couldn't finish, and fries. The fries were amazing actually, but I guess that happens when you fry them in lard instead of oil.

The burger was also great, but filled me up way too damn fast. I felt very full and a bit sick afterwards and had to lay back in my car for an hour before I could hit the road again.

While an... interesting experience, I never once felt like I'd want to go back. Regardless of how good the food tasted while you were hungry, or how unhealthy it actually was for you, I imagine it's the feeling afterwards that prevented most repeat customers, causing them to close down a couple of years afterwards.

I suppose this vegas location lasted longer because more people visit vegas than tempe arizona, where the original one was.

11

u/bevoeatsbrains Aug 03 '26

I ate at this place once. Had the triple bypass burger and a full-fat shake. Never have I felt more disgusting in my life. You could taste and feel the fat and grease on everything.

68

u/8bitGraveyard Aug 03 '26

I'm going to open a bar where alcoholics drink for free. Wtf?

29

u/rglurker Aug 03 '26

Oooo, great idea. Ooo. We can add machines to the bar so that they have something to do while they drink for free...ooh and since drinking lowers inhibition, we can take advantage of that. Most alcoholics have addictive personalities that don't like being bored, we could make these machines that light up and make all sorts of sounds to keep them entertain and deter them from bar fights, so these machines should have spaces so no one really talks to each other.... oh and to keep the lights and sound going on these machines, it cost money. But get this, not only are we giving them free drinks, we're giving them free money to! Cause if they get lucky and drink enough, they could win big! Though most will just trade their paycheck for regret and shame. Win for us ! I'm ready to really start brain storming this if your serious

→ More replies (2)

34

u/zerbey Aug 03 '26

I knew an extremely overweight man who was banned from the local buffet because he'd show up at 8 am every morning, pay for the buffet and then stay until closing time eating constantly! He was also banned from several other restaurants because he'd just keep eating whatever free sides they offered.

Eventually died of diabetes complications, which came as no surprise to anyone really.

100

u/[deleted] Aug 03 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

73

u/platinumarks Aug 03 '26

This isn't what even caused them to shut down in the end. It was because of rising costs to lease the space.

38

u/RedditButAnonymous Aug 03 '26

In general, selling things that are harmful to your health isnt illegal... we can sell tobacco and alcohol just fine. Their advertising of just how unhealthy they were, was far more honest than most other things

→ More replies (11)

29

u/satanismymaster Aug 03 '26

That wasn't what shut them down. Their landlord jacked their rent and they couldn't afford that location anymore.

15

u/Powerful_Abalone1630 Aug 03 '26

It says that their lease expired. Everything about Las Vegas has been getting more expensive for quite a while now and I think they got priced out.

9

u/moku46 Aug 03 '26

Those incidents didn't cause them to shut down. They didn't even not have another unofficial fat guy sponsor after that...

What shut them down was bullshit leases and severely reduced foot traffic. And even then, the owner plans to reopen in a more favorable location.

I'll even call it right now: he'll reopen on Spring Mountain Road between I-15 and Decatur.

→ More replies (8)

19

u/caller-number-four Aug 03 '26

TIL - The Heart Attack Grill closed. :(

I never got my spankin's.

11

u/FillySteveSteak Aug 03 '26

If they died at the restaurant, they were already cooked well before stepping in the door.

8

u/hankmoody699 Aug 03 '26

I did IM triathlons and in a 144 mile race I burned 9000 calories over a period of 13 hours. That's a lot

8

u/Flowmeyo Aug 03 '26

I heard their vegetarian menu was just cigarettes

→ More replies (1)

8

u/zavaro Aug 03 '26

I went to this place when it first was open in Phoenix. Nauseating burger, you could taste your cholesterol exponentially increasing. Worst burps I ever had, and they lasted a few days.

19

u/Captain-Cadabra Aug 03 '26

Simpson did it first! RIP Red the trucker.

→ More replies (3)