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First Impression Food Kuwait Personal

First Impression: Fatburger

Tonight I was invited to a tasting at the soon to open Fatburger. I hadn’t had a Fatburger before and I honestly only heard about it around a year ago after watching the great documentary Hamburger America. In the documentary they spoke about various popular burger places in America and Fatburger was one of them.

I had the double burger tonight and thought it was great. It was juicy and meaty and I loved that. The senior vice president of Fatburger was there and he turned out to be a great guy in an incredibly colorful and flashy Hawaiian shirt. I meet a lot of burger lovers all the time but I’ve never met anyone into burgers more than me until today. The guy is just incredibly passionate about burgers and he’s been having burgers a lot longer than I’ve been alive. He knows it all and he’s seen it all. I mean he used to have Fatburger back in the 50s when they first opened so he was really there from the start.

Just a few interesting details I picked up from him. Since they want the local experience to be exactly like the US experience they’re importing all their ingredients from the US. That includes the beef, fries and even ketchup. The Heinz ketchup that’s regionally produced is different from the US version. The color is bright red while in the US its a dark red but most importantly the regionally produced Heinz is sweeter. Since they prefer the flavor of the US Heinz ketchup they’re importing it directly to Kuwait. Imagine that, they could have gone with the local Heinz but they’re instead getting it imported from the US. To me that shows how much they care. You’re going to have the exact same burger experience as if you walked into a Fatburger in LA.

If you’re interested in trying out their burgers they’re opening next week in Fintas at Spoons. It’s easy to find since its on the main Fintas sea side road opposite Pizza Express. Good stuff.

76 replies on “First Impression: Fatburger”

wow a review without rating or score !
its very sweet of you to be gentle with the owner .
reminded me of the iphone 4 review when you ignored all comments who are asking about the reception !

y u didnt put ur star rating ???
wla 3shan 36ok invitation bs ga3d tmda7 wa bs
a63m al7lj tst7ey al3een 😛
tra just kidding 🙂

if u cant understand let a kuwaiti citizine translate 🙂

There is no rating because this wasn’t a burger review. It’s the same reason I didn’t review the OFK burger. The place hasn’t opened and the staff are still training. They don’t even have all the supplies in yet, their coke machine wasn’t active… It was a trial run. Have some courtesy people.

i don’t think it’s requierd: I tried explaining but you wouldn’t listen. How was I going to review the iPhone reception without a sim card? I made it very clear in that post that I did NOT have a sim card and I reviewed what I could yet you kept asking how the reception was. Take time to read before you write.

how do they import the beef? doesn’t it have to be halal for use in kuwait. do they use a halal slaughterhouse in the states?

Sorry FYI don’t know the answer to that but I am sure they would have to use a Halal slaughterhouse since I don’t think it’s legal to import or sell non Halal meat in Kuwait.

“they could have gone with the local Heinz but they’re instead getting it imported from the US. To me that shows how much they care.”

To me it shows how over priced EVERYTHING is in Kuwait that people starting to order even KETCHUP from the United States!

LOL.

*is waiting for his iPhone* ;/

Tried one in dubai a couple of months ago. It had to be the best and lightest double cheeseburger I have ever had. Reminded me of how Johnny Rockets *used to* taste 10 years ago

Been passing by almost daily to check if they opened and I’m sure to be their customer no.1 when they do but how the HELL did YOU get an ‘invite’ to ‘try out and taste’ and I didn’t?!?!

*^&#%$@!

:~(

I think it’s atrocious that people will fall for a hamburger just because it’s 100% American made and will be willing to pay an arm and a leg for “American” ketchup. Not just Heinz ketchup, Heinz AMERICAN ketchup. That’s the part of the marketing which bothers me. I’d like to hear more from the company about the beef, how lean is it, how they prepare it etc. BK has been able to tempt me with “flame broiled” advertisements and not “I’m American, so I must be good!” Do they still take us for fools??? Or are they among us? Either way, I will definitely be checking out this place as 1) the hamburger looks mighty good and 2) It probably will be moderately priced (under 2.5 kd) so I’m game.

I think the point of mentioning the Heinz ketchup (American version) is because all the ketchup here is extremely sweet. It’s just an added value for Americans. It’s something from home that we can’t get out here.

The meat has to be halal or it wouldn’t have entered kuwait. For meet to enter Kuwait it needs to be backed up with halal certificates stamped by the Muslim Society in the states then stamped by an Arab embassy for authentication. Unless u likes conspiracy and corruption theories, the meet is surly halal

@Sat99:

look around … a good portion of establishments in Kuwait are AMERICAN!! why muddy the waters by not going balls out? i applaud Fatburger for their decision to make the experience as authentic as possible.

many Western chains wash ashore in Kuwait only to provide “dumbed down” versions of the real deal.

if you are looking for local yokals then visit one of the many local concepts such as Slider Station, Burger Boutique, OFK @ 360, Burger Hub, and so on.

@Randy

But everyone must know what American ketchup tastes like to know the difference between the Asian Maggi ketchup vs. the American Heinz. Marketing everything as American goes under the assumption people know what they’re talking about. But gimmicks do work here.

Sat99: If it wasn’t for my post no one here or anyone visiting Fatburger would know that they’re getting their ketchup from the States. This isn’t a gimmick, it’s not a way to sell more burgers. It’s the way they’re running their business. You get the ketchup squirted into little cups, so you won’t even see a Made in USA label on a bottle or anything of the sort.

Their french fries for example. They got their first batch from the regional supplier but noticed their fries although tastes the the same as the American counterpart was much shorter, so now they are going to start importing the US fries because they want people to experience the same long fries diners in the US have.

If I didn’t just tell you this little bit of information you wouldn’t have known about it and neither would anyone else. People visiting Fatburger might not notice the difference between the local ketchup and US ketchup or the difference in fries length but they (Fatburger) can tell the difference and they don’t want this difference.

I think Shake Shack is going to also work like this when they open up. The first thing everyone was asking was how could Shake Shack make sure the quality of the food in Kuwait would be the same as the US? Fatburger has answered that for us.

Again, thanks Mark for all your market research. I for one appreciate your diverse interests, eating opportunities and comments. In my younger days I was considered a gadget man, but you are far in front!
I have been watching developments across the road at Fatburger (and all the Spoons Eateries) over the past year. Hard not to as my bedroom window directly looks out over the food court and the sea. There is just one unit to go after Chocolate. Whether Fatburger can make an impact we shall see, but the US web page shows the possible menu and I think we will need to work up to the largest version of their burger. The eating competitions look gross, but maybe fun? Must admit, I know your addiction? to burgers, but despite my burger physique, I have been turned off by some of the reviews, and now prefer to BBQ up my own now and again using the only 1/4 pounders I can find – Khazzan’s. Ah well, locally, Johnny Rocket minis are not bad, generally the Smokehouse ones are great – as for the rest? In some ways I hope the Fatburger delights are good, but not that good as that will be a waistline disaster. We shall see!

Is the meat chilled or frozen ? Importing chilled ground meat is dangerous and if they are grinding it here then it would lose that authentic feel. What about the buns ? Are they imported too ? Will they Jack up the price just because of that ?

I didn’t ask about the bun but I would be 99.9999% sure they’re baked locally. They might be using US ingredients but not sure.

Regarding price I wish I could answer but there were no prices yesterday. Everything was free and their digital menu showed everything as 0.000KD so I can’t answer any price related questions.

N :

check sultan center sharq on sallmiya , and tell me if friday’s products are halal or not .

Axed-gamer

Apparently u r into conspiracy theories and that the whole world around u is corrupted, that’s sad.

Anyways, If u r so worried about if it is halal meat or not go ask them or simply don’t go and buy sheep and cows and slaughter them in ur balcony or garage so u r always 100% sure, that is if u know what makes halal meat halal

@Mark You tried Fuel Burger it’s a New Zealand based co. tasted it today at Dubai Residence, not bad at all….

Mark,

There are many restaurants in Kuwait using Ketchup imported form the US for many years. US produced Heinz Ketchup is available with suppliers in Kuwait. Heinz is produced in Egypt as well, unfortunately not comparable to the one from US.

Same goes for the fries as well. There is no separate version of fries for the middle east market. It depends on which cut you choose from Lamb Weston or McCain.

There is nothing new about Fatburger using specially imported ingredients. Many restaurants in Kuwait have been doing it for years!! Just that you never knew earlier.

N:

i don’t think i’ll be buying that contains any animal ingredients or swine in that matter , that goes for drinks and food that are made from abroad , uness it states it’s halal, now that’s a diffrent story dude .
brought directly from us .
secondly this is not theory or whatever you wanna call it , this the world we’re living in and it’s a FACT. and i do feel sorry for you and the “coco london ” banwagon too..
you see , it doesn’t need a fat private eye to know that it’s not made for isalamic conutries , heck . you could check on mark’s posts about chocolate cereal .
and besides i’m a customer there , i do buy grocery there . and one lil’ fact before you go buying your self a choclet bar , check the expiry date , you’l find it 3/4 remained to expire . yes that the market from the states you buy it cheap before it expires .
alsalm 3lykm

I see a lot of people complaining about Kuwait’s ketchup… well, I dont really know.. but just to clarify the GCC has more strict regulations regarding what gets into food. Many dyes and genetically modified components are allowed in the US but banned across Europe and GCC countries.

Okay just had me a Fatburger tonight….. reminds me of JRockets, but the mix of ingredients makes the taste better, the meat patty is juicy…

Mark, this was my query:

Kuwait says:
July 24, 2010 at 6:47 am

Been passing by almost daily to check if they opened and I’m sure to be their customer no.1 when they do but how the HELL did YOU get an ‘invite’ to ‘try out and taste’ and I didn’t?!?!

*^&#%$@!

:~(

Mark,

I appreciate your preliminary review of Fat Burger, but I have to humbly disagree on your comment about if it wasn’t for your review we wouldn’t even know the ketchup came from America.

Any American who has eaten at a burger joint here in Kuwait knows the ketchup is not from US (but again, should it be? This isn’t America). It’s way too sweet (and in my opinion uneatable). I know that I for one would have noticed the difference right away.

I also agree with Sat99: “many Western chains wash ashore in Kuwait only to provide “dumbed down” versions of the real deal.”

-No milkshakes at BurgerKing
-Hamburger buns at KFC instead of real biscuits (WTH is up w/ that?)
-No mashed potatoes & gravy (amongst other missing sides) at KFC

I too will eat at FB for their commitment to keeping the experience the same as in the US. This isn’t to say that I don’t try other kinds of ethnic foods, I just respect what FB is doing. It nice to have some familiarity from home.

@Billie:

I believe I’m the one who said:

“many Western chains wash ashore in Kuwait only to provide “dumbed down” versions of the real deal.”

🙂

The answer to your question, “ketchup is not from US (but again, should it be? This isn’t America)” is, YES, it should be. Why? Because the global Kuwaiti loves foods, shops, etc. they have experienced overseas. Hence, the reason behind the frachise movement in the region. Again, if you want the real deal then man-up and make the food/experience as authentic as possible. If not, then why bother??

Just for the record : Sultan has always sold american Heinz ketchup (the large squeezable bottles) right next to the ketchup made in Egypt and lots of restaurants in Kuwait have always used the American ketchup. Its not a really big deal…and has been the case for over 7 years.

The important thing is for Fat Burger to keep the quality good after all the amercian trainers and upper management go home. Thats the main problem…

Futburger in Dubai charges AED 29 for a double fatburger, adding bacon is AED 4, and AED 15 to “make it a meal” for fries and a refill coke as they call it. The nice thing about them is that the patties taste of good tasting beef with no tricky spices, just salt and light black pepper, and you don’t feel like a lump of fat has landed in your stomach, even after a double patty burger unlike many other places.

Kuwait, not sure if you’ll ever read this. But I think the reason why you didn’t get an invite, might have to do with the website you posted as yours.

Cheers.

Billie, do you REALLY want the same fast food experience here as in the US? You can’t honestly tell me McDonald’s tastes better back home (and KFC is even more laughable).

Then again KFC sucks here too, but at least the beef in MickyD’s is edible and “seems” fresh.

I think Fatburger is great and just one note I would like to bring your attention to, that most of the US chains in Kuwait including Chilis, Ruby Tuesdays, Johnny etc including some local chains, They all BUY AMERICAN KETCHUP FROM A DISTRIBUTER and its nothing new. Americana restaurants buy Egyptian Heinz the only licensed factory that their company owns in the region.

Since everything is going to be imported from the US (beef, fries, ketchup,etc..), does that mean the beef won’t be HALAL? and will the ministry of health or any other ministries that’s responsible about food in kuwait will allow non-Halal food to be imported to kuwait? and what about the veggies, aren’t US veggies are injected with hormones to make it grow faster? did anyone watch the movie Food inc. ?

Basic Info
From : Fatburger Facebook page
Founded:1952

Detailed Info

Website:
https://www.fatburger.com/home/
https://twitter.com/Fatburger
https://www.myspace.com/Fatburger

Company Overview:
In 1952, Lovie Yancey created something unique. A culture. A phenomenon, if you will. She created the biggest, juiciest hamburgers anyone had ever seen. So obviously, there was only one name for them – Fatburger.

Half a century later, while other places are just discovering taste, we’re still making hamburgers the way she did. Fresh lean beef, not frozen patties. Cooked-to-order, just the way you want it, every time.

The only thing Lovie loved as much as hamburgers was music. So you’ll hear some of the best music ever blasting from kickin’ new jukeboxes: Rock’n’Roll, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Classic Soul that’ll keep you groovin’ in your chair long enough to finish that big juicy burger. We’d love to tell you about the late night talk show hosts and rap stars who’ve made us the happenin’ place—but our attorneys won’t let us. (And, of course, restaurant critics keep naming us the best burger in town, but you don’t care about those guys.)

Now here’s just a few things to make you drool over your keyboard: onion rings made from real onions. Hand-scooped, real ice cream shakes. Great tasting chili. And fries cooked in 100% cholesterol-free oil. All served with a smile. Fatburger. Distinctive seasonings and attitude since 1952. (read less)
In 1952, Lovie Yancey created something unique. A culture. A phenomenon, if you will. She created the biggest, juiciest hamburgers anyone had ever seen. So obviously, there was only one name for them – Fatburger.

Half a century later, while other places are just discovering taste, we’re still making hamburgers the way she did. Fresh lean beef, not frozen patties. Cooked-to-order, just the way you want it, every time.

The only thing Lovie loved as much as hamburgers was music. So you’ll hear… (read more)
Mission:
At Fatburger, we’ve been doing things our own way since 1952. Making custom burgers, one at time, for people like you. That’s why:
Every burger is grilled when you order it.
We use only 100% USDA lean beef. Fresh, never frozen.
Our onion rings come from onions, not the freezer.
Our shakes are made with real hand-scooped ice cream.
Our fries and onion rings are cooked in 100% cholesterol-free oil.
Our famous chili is made with a secret blend of herbs and spices.
No generic burgers.
No lame music.
Products:
Fatburger
XXXL burger
Turkeyburger
Grilled chicken sandwich
Crispy & Spicy chicken sandwich
Veggieburger
Homemade onion rings
Chili Cheese Fries
Shakes are made with real hand-scooped ice cream
Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Fatburger

I had fat burger last night. The owner was in as well talking to customers which was pretty damn cool. I’ve eaten fat burger plenty of times in las Vegas so I know how they should taste. I was actually kinda shocked from my first bite. It tasted EXACTLY like fatburger in the states. I think Mark’s review was dead on and great. I had the double burger which cheese and egg. It was great as always. Being a midwestern guy I am still waiting for a Wendy’s in Kuwait.

My entire meal was 5.5 dinar. A little on the high side for me for a burger, fries, and small ass coke. But it was good.

i went to fatburger today, they are not officially open.still under testing stage. fatburger opens after 5 PM.

Tried it out today and it was GREAT! It is pricey though. A meal (burger, fries + drink) is 3.250 for single and double is 4.250. To add cheese, bacon or egg it’s 150 fils each.

I don’t think anyone else mentioned this, but they are not wheelchair accessible, even their stairs are too steep!

Very very unwelcoming staff and rude, and the manager could barely speak english and was not scencere,he sounds korean

they made us wait untill 6:30pm yesterday to start taking orders although fotoor time was 6:20 :S, they didnt understand we were fasting and didnt let us order drinks to break our fast :S

not to mention locking us out when we went for a 5 minute stroll outside lol. @ 6:25pm

The staff were very unprofessional, they didnt know the menu well, half of them said they had chilli fries and the other half said they didnt, they were trying to keep us out like herd

The food was definetly not worth the trip nor is the price. I’d be more than happy to pay the same amount to a much more professional burger chain such as Johnny Rockets which come with the experience as well.

Very tasty burger, fries, and onion rings. Does anyone know when and where they will open other locations? The waitstaff did not know.

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