Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Say It Ain't So, Miss Ann


Ann's Snack Bar in Atlanta, home of the best burger in the world, will be closing soon:

Ann Price, known to her customers and the world at large as “Miss Ann,” told Buzz on Monday that she’s ready to sell after 37 years of hand-shaping patties for hungry customers.

“You got a buyer?” she shot into the phone.

Miss Ann won’t be locking the doors just yet. She plans to talk with a real estate agent in a couple weeks, and doesn’t yet know the price, but wants it on the market at the end of the month. It’s not clear if the restaurant will remain open once it’s out of Miss Ann’s hands.

An old college buddy and I went to Ann's this last Saturday. Normally if you get there by 11:15 or so, you'll make it into the first seating (Ann only allows nine people at a time at the lunch counter), but there were already nearly a dozen waiting on the patio at 11 o'clock. As it turned out, having to wait for the second round was a bonus for us; Ann had run out of tomatoes, and we gladly volunteered to run over to Kroger and replenish her supplies. The burgers were, as always, awesome, and contrary to her "Soup Nazi" reputation, Ann wouldn't let us pay for anything.

Whether the Snack Bar reopens or not--and I would imagine it will, the formidable Ms. Price having built up a sold-gold brand over the past four decades--it won't be Ann's without Ann.

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