Lankford Grocery- why is Houston the most obese city in America?

I made a huge mistake in Scotland. I went to the pub Victoria (the "Vic") on Market Street and saw that they had 2-for-one burgers for dinner. It sounded like a tempting offer, so a friend and I split it. I quickly learned that pub food sucks. It was one of the worst burgers I've ever had. The meat had been microwaved instead of cooked on a grill, and it wasn't ground beef. I'm honestly not sure what it was. Cafeteria food at my elementary school was better than this crap. I swore not to eat another hamburger until I was back in the US of A.

This summer my brother-in-law and I went to several burger joints around Houston, including Five Guys and Fries and Smashburger. Today we tried a new place, Lankford Grocery, which was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins, Dives". I didn't know it was on tv until I saw a huge poster, signed by the show's host, in the restaurant.

Still family owned today, this hole-in-a-wall shack at 88 Dennis Street was originally a mom-and-pop grocery store built in the late 1930s. They started selling sandwiches in the early 70s and then burgers in the late 70s. As the neighborhood changed, it stopped being a grocery store in the 90s and became solely a burger joint with lunch plate specials. Today's special was the enchilada plate.

Holiday decorations, including blue Miller Lite ornaments, covered the walls along with other memorabilia. We sat by the large front windows, which had been the garage opening; the garage doors were pulled open and hanged above our heads. An uneven floor sank around the counter and front door. The roof above our heads sagged even though a huge beam tried to keep it up. They didn't have a soda fountain but only sold canned drinks. I drank tap water from a colorful plastic cup not too different from what I would use at home. The place was crowded, and we were lucky to find a seat at 1 pm. Even at 1:30 and 2 new customers came in but had to leave because there wasn't enough space. The summer is probably better for business since they can sit outside, but then the Houston humidity would be a problem. Hanging from a rusty pole, the only sign was dirty, plastic, and had an "Enjoy Coca-Cola" below the "Lankford Groc."

Here are a couple photos (like my last post, the pics are from my cell, which doesn't have the greatest camera function):

At 56º f (13º c), Houston was too cold for anyone to sit outside.

My first burger since the Vic disaster.

Fried egg on a burger- who came up with that idea?

I'll go ahead and say it wasn't a skinny dude-

that's probably a safe bet.

I ordered the "Grim Burger;" six hours after the fact I still feel nauseous and smell like grease. The menu description said, "mac & cheese, bacon, fried egg, & jalapeño." I've never tried that combo before, but it's a dang good idea. I'm not sure if I'd go for jalapeño again since they're not my favorite, but it was worth doing once. Fried egg with mac & cheese on a burger was glutton genius. For the past few hours, I can taste the burger whenever I burp. That might be TMI, but I'm ok with that.

If someone eats these things on a regular basis, they'll see the grim reaper sooner rather than later. If there's a food worth dying for, a greasy burger is it.