Blissfully Blimpy: A Stop at the Famous Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger
By Kitty L. | SHIROOKAMI - DOGS.UNITE | 06.09.2023
Stella at the Diag. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
On our quest to find a mythical unsalted shore deep in the heart of America, we made a stop at an equally legendary destination that could fuel us in our journey. For seven decades, people from across the nation have dined at Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger, enjoying stacks upon stacks of one of the country's most iconic and satisfying smashed patties. Even Food Network's Guy Fieri featured the burger joint on his road trip in Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, a testament to Blimpy Burger's noteworthy taste and long-standing significance to Tree Town's culture. In fact, when he visits Blimpy's, there is often a chance of snagging a free burger.
Stella and Kitty at Blimpy's, appropriately dressed. | SHIROOKAMI
Autographed poster of Guy Fieri after one of his visits. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
Blimpy's is actually a familiar place to us, but it's the first time Stella has set paw here. It's pet-friendly on the patio, and of course, service dogs and ESA's are always welcome here. Their outdoor seating is a great spot to eat downtown, within earshot of the ever tumultuous Bill's Beer Garden and directly across the equally pet-friendly Watering Hole.
View of the Live in Color Mural from Blimpy's patio. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
Snow Bear encounter before the infamous ordering procedure. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
Anyone who has been to Blimpy's knows that there is a military-style ordering system whose protocols must not, under no circumstances, be violated. Yes. While all can agree that the best burgers in AA are here, visitors can be a little divided by the burger assembly process. Even though this is Blimpy's new location, the system hasn't changed one bit, and that's for a reason.
The interior, with original seats and tables, is graced with more than one snow bear. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
ESA Scoobz at a late night opening. | Alex P. / SHIROOKAMI
A little Blimpy Burger advice
- As soon as you can, grab one of the blue or maize trays. No sharing of trays so as not to confound the process.
- Good things come to those who wait. If this were a standard burger joint, you could say, "I would like a 12-patty burger on a plain but with American cheese and all the toppings plus bacon, fries on the side and a large diet coke." None of that! The cooks maximize efficiency to process the long lines (especially at game time), so they'll be asking you the questions based on the line of food.
- First, order anything that needs to be in the fryer, since it's at the start of the line. You can't go wrong with the fries here.
- Second is the meat - how many of these delicious beef patties, which are prepared fresh at the start of each day? A double, triple, and quad are common, but customers can also order whole stacks. Legend has it that the current manager can have more than dozen patties. They are that good after all. The triple is usually enough for me. Anyone over the age of 12 who orders a single should be ready to get schooled on the importance of more beef.
- Third. Bread. Sesame is a classic. The onion and kaiser are also great choices, but keep in mind they are larger buns. So, if you just ordered a mountain of patties, this might be a more feasible option.
- Next comes anything on the grill - bacon, mushrooms, eggs, etc. It may sound strange but I do like to have a good fried egg to brighten up my burger.
- Finally, while we near the end, you get to top it off with toppings. Makes sense. Most are free, but there are extra toppings for those customers who are, extra.
- You can add a coke or two before paying. Not only are these some of the best burgers in town, they are also the most affordable.
Could these have been the first Blimpy customers? This could explain a lot! | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
If any part of this system is disturbed, your burger is not the only thing on the grill! This joint does not like pre-ordering when the components are not ready, especially during peak hours or in the face of the insane lines that forms during a football game. The standard way of ordering is similar to letting people off the metro rather than ramming your way against the flow of people. It just doesn't work. From what I have experienced, all is done with a sense of dark humor that those of us who are easy-going can appreciate. The staff are actually quite nice here, especially to regulars!
Where the magic happens. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
The result is a fine burger you'd be pressed to find anywhere else. The patties are thin and subtly seasoned to bring out the taste of fresh beef as much as possible. The patties are guaranteed to be juicy, and the entire burger just melts in your mouth. I'm sure there are more complicated orders like that of Guy's, but we like to keep things simple around here.
The perfect triple, with grilled egg. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
A typical quad. | Glen B. / SHIROOKAMI
If you have a pet waiting on the patio for you, be sure to mention that because Blimpy's offers free patty-burgers for dogs. The patties for dogs seem unsalted and is as fresh as the ones reserved for humans. They even grill them alongside your order. No other restaurant I've been to so far does that. What a great place to take your dog!
A triple alongside a burger for doggies. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
Gone in an instant. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
Stella thanking the bossman at Blimpy for her free patty. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
With our bellies full, we were ready to take on our next dogventure. If you look around, you'll see a lot of bears in the restaurant. The bear has been the mascot since bears are easier to draw (true story). In the past, Blimpy's drew a lot of crowds by making snowbears outside of the restaurant during Michigan's seemingly endless winters. So, the Blimpy Bear has been A2 icon ever since. But, why are they all sleeping? Perhaps they are all clues to what we would find next as we journeyed to Sleeping Bear.
Memories on the wall. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
A clue to our next stop. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI
Sleeping bear on the window of Blimpy's. | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI