Today marks the 60th anniversary of a Los Angeles culinary institution: Tommy’s.
Tommy’s is a simple hamburger shack that is legendary in LA for its chili-topped burgers. The chili is what truly makes the burger. The greasy sludge is foul looking and potent, but oh-so-very-delicious.
I was practically weaned on the stuff during high school where Tommy Runs were a lunchtime ritual that involved fast cars and broken traffic violations as we frantically tried to make it to the nearest location and back without being late for class. One car load of friends crashed on the way home and while they were waiting for the police, my buddy Steve Hanna scrapped the chili off the car’s ceiling and chowed down.
The original Tommy’s, the one celebrating its 60th anniversary today, is located on Beverly and Rampart in a run-down part of LA. Open 24 hours (in fact, it has never closed since first opening; there isn’t even a door on the original shack) the menagerie of people on any given late night includes USC sorority girls, gang bangers, businessmen and every other slice of life imaginable.
In celebration of 60 years of stuffing us with chili, the Beverly and Rampart location will be selling a chili cheeseburger and drink for a whooping 60 cents. They do a similar promotion every five years and the line stretches around the block. So, be prepared to wait it out. Believe me, it’s worth it.