Goodbye Jacksonville’s Fuddruckers - An Ode to the World’s Greatest Hamburger
The closure of an American burger joint, fuelled by self-belief, sends this English foodie into a frenzy…
Summer, 1999.
Fresh from University, I was weeks into a job as an IT journalist and had moved from a small northern town in the UK to London.
I met a girl. An American.
As much as I was impressed by my own new job in the big city, and by her, she told me tales of the land of self-belief and sizeable portions. I wasn’t just impressed — I was falling in love.
Later that year I was to travel to America for the first time on a swanky PR junket to Seattle on Microsoft’s dime.
I don’t remember too much about the food on that trip but the combination of familiar brand names dishing out outlandishly-sized portions coupled with entirely new brands to explore fuelled the flames of desire.
Soon I was travelling to the US at my own expense and building up an encyclopaedic knowledge of American menu choices and independents and brand-name eateries with strange names — Hardees, Chick-fil-A, Sonic, Ruby Tuesday, IHOP.
On one such trip to the land of plenty, I was introduced by my girlfriend to Fuddruckers. Another strange name to add to the collection.
Only in America could a franchise restaurant chain come up with the tagline “The World’s Greatest Hamburger” and in good conscience run with it and here it was standing before me. Lucky man.
The Fuddruckers concept is centered on grilled-to-order hamburgers and easy access to salad, condiments, and soda.
I’m personally not convinced that Fuddruckers’ burgers are the best anyone has ever tasted or even the best I’ve tasted but they were definitely good. But if I really sat and thought about it, I’ve probably had better and I’ve also seen Travel Channel’s Man versus Food. All that being said, soon no trip Stateside was complete without at least one trip back to Fuddruckers.
I even held my wedding rehearsal dinner at Fudds in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
My most recent Fuddruckers experience was in December 2013. This time, the addition of a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine provided the novelty value — over 100 beverage permutations and so little time. I recommend the Raspberry Coke.
In retrospect the Jacksonville restaurant was significantly quieter than I remember but I wasn’t prepared for what was to happen on my return to the UK.
Fuddruckers in Jacksonville closed its doors in May 2014 when the franchisee departed seemingly overnight — the full details are laid out in a local newspaper article.
I’m mourning the loss of my American dream.
The fleeting nature of my visits to the States, I think, had made me think that these big, bold carnivals of consumerism were invincible.
Brands might move location but I’d not seen one lock up and move on out. In my mind, these American restaurants would not succumb to the fickle nature of the market, customer tastes or the economy. They were immovable, they were American, and they were The World’s Greatest.
On my next trip to visit my wife’s family, I face a three hour road-trip to partake of the Fudd. Admittedly, it would be a road trip on a quest for The World’s Greatest Hamburger but I’m not convinced I’ll be making the journey.
If you visit anywhere often enough it becomes routine and you may well opt to seek excitement elsewhere. Perhaps that’s what the Jacksonville locals have been doing in my absence and now the franchisee has opted to make a living beyond the golden buns. It seems the American dream can wax and wane like any other.
Having taken some time to let the horrible truth sink in, I’m actually excited by the opportunity to explore a little more on my next US trip, freed from the shackles of my own personal tradition.
The pain numbed, I’m hoping that the next inhabitant of 253 Western Boulevard, Jacksonville, North Carolina, might be able to offer The World’s Greatest Milkshakes instead as I know a burger joint across town I’ve never tried. Who knows, they may even serve The World’s Greatest Hamburgers.
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