What was Fatburger's original name when it opened in 1947?

Fatburger originally opened as Mr. Fatburger in 1947. Lovie Yancey founded the hamburger stand in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park neighborhood, using the name to suggest a large, filling burger rather than a small snack.

The “Mr.” did not last. In 1952, Yancey removed it from the business name after buying out her start-up partners, leaving the shorter Fatburger name that became associated with the growing chain. She remained closely connected to the original restaurant and retained ownership of the brand for decades.

The name is sometimes mistakenly treated as though it always referred to the modern chain. In fact, Mr. Fatburger identifies the business’s earliest form, while Fatburger is the name that survived its later expansion. Yancey’s made-to-order stand helped establish the brand’s California identity before it expanded beyond the state in the late 1990s.