Rules You Should Always Follow When Eating At Heart Attack Grill

Eating at the Heart Attack Grill is no small feat. Founded in 2005, it is considered one of the world's most controversial restaurants due to its open celebration of excess, with a menu that features the likes of the Octuple Bypass Burger, fries cooked in lard, and shakes stuffed with butter. The establishment's own practice of weighing its patrons upon entry and offering free meals to those who exceed 350 pounds is a stark indicator of its ethos.

A single serving of Heart Attack Grill's food can well exceed the recommended daily adult calorie intake, and it goes without saying that these calories are accompanied by a fair amount of saturated fat and sodium. High consumption of both has been linked to a wide range of health problems, from high blood pressure to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Despite the potential health implications, Heart Attack Grill — which originally opened in Arizona but is now located on Las Vegas' historic Fremont Street — has established itself as a gimmicky staple on the city's dining scene. Should you decide to undertake the challenge of dining at Heart Attack Grill for yourself, here are the non-negotiable principles — designed not to preach, but to inform your choices in the face of a legendary gastronomic challenge.

The Heart Attack Grill takes its theming cues from a hospital, immediately clueing visitors in on its parodic, theatrical nature. The restaurant dresses its staff as nurses, while customers don hospital gowns and order prescriptions instead of meals. The campy atmosphere is a core element of the experience, and visitors must understand that the entire setup exists solely for entertainment purposes. Unsurprisingly, medical qualifications aren't a requirement to work as a nurse at the Heart Attack Grill, and the restaurant doesn't offer any healthcare services to customers.

It even displays a legal disclaimer on its website because of previous controversies. The Arizona Attorney General once contacted the restaurant to call out its unauthorized use of the title "nurse," which is a protected term for licensed medical professionals. Its owner, Jon Basso (also known as Doctor Jon, despite not being an actual doctor), soon added the disclaimer to make it clear that such terminology is only intended as a parody and that no employee offers any medical treatments.

"When somebody with the title of attorney general calls you up and you're a small businessman like me, with three kids to support, that's scary," Basso told ABC in 2006. "I thought, oh my God ... all the money that my wife and I spent [on] this restaurant is in jeopardy because here's a lawsuit and I don't have the money to afford attorneys to defend this." Considering the fact that its employees still wear nurse costumes years later, however, it seems like its disclaimer has sufficed.

Heart Attack Grill's most famous and controversial marketing tactic is its scale at the front door. Before entering the restaurant, you can step onto this giant weighing device, and if you weigh over 350 pounds, a bell will ring, and you can enjoy a complimentary meal. This spectacle is extremely public, often drawing cheers from other diners.

Unsurprisingly, Heart Attack Grill's unorthodox practice has drawn significant criticism from people who argue that it incentivizes unhealthy lifestyles. Jon Basso, the owner of the Heart Attack Grill, has claimed that this is part of an exaggerated effort to use reverse psychology to teach customers about the importance of healthy eating. "The end result of our eating habits is all around us," he previously explained during an appearance on Bloomberg's In the Loop (via TIME). "It's an obesity epidemic that is killing the world."

If patrons do choose to participate in the Heart Attack Grill's public weigh-in, it's worth remembering that you are not necessarily just a customer but a participant in the restaurant's live marketing stunt. If these rituals feel humiliating or uncomfortable to you, you may want to be cautious about dining at Heart Attack Grill.

The Heart Attack Grill maintains its theme through a policy in which diners receive a public spanking from a nurse if they fail to finish their meals. Some customers claim that you only have to finish the meat in your meal to avoid a spanking, while others say you can volunteer to be spanked, even if you have dusted off your plate.

Before choosing to dine at the restaurant, remember that said spankings may be displayed on Heart Attack Grill's social media pages. By agreeing to participate, you are consenting to be part of a spectacle where your inability to consume the enormous portions becomes a form of public entertainment for other patrons. 

This act is framed as part of the restaurant's edgy sense of humor and staged as a performance meant to entertain the crowd. Although some of its customers embrace the joke, others may find it uncomfortable or embarrassing. Just so everyone's expectations are clear from the outset, the restaurant includes notices clarifying that its nurses are not medical professionals and that such theatrics are only intended as a fun gimmick. Before you sit down, it's worth knowing that this ritual is an integral part of Heart Attack Grill's shock-value branding.

Upon entering the Heart Attack Grill, every patron is offered the establishment's uniform of choice — a hospital-style gown and a patient wristband. According to customers, this is not a suggestion, but a mandatory part of the experience, with employees reprimanding you if you try to remove the garment during your visit, even if you're not eating.

This costuming serves a dual purpose. First, it fully commits you to the role of a patient in the Heart Attack Grill's theatrical production, breaking down barriers and signaling your participation in the spectacle. Second, it functions as a potent equalizer. Whether you are a CEO or a tourist, everyone is made to be on the same level — a patient.

There's something else to consider before slipping into the Heart Attack Grill's uniform. The gown and wristband are universal symbols of sickness and vulnerability. By wearing them, you are not just playing a part; you are physically embodying the restaurant's central theme — that indulging here is an act of deliberate, glorious self-destruction. In an interview with the Las Vegas Sun, Jon Basso, the restaurant's owner, says, "It says right on my door: 'Caution, bad for your health.'" It's a powerful piece of branding that makes you a walking advertisement for the Heart Attack Grill's to-die-for ethos. Before you agree to the gown, understand that you are consenting to a starring role in a show that celebrates unrestrained decadence.

If a customer manages to finish the Quadruple Bypass Burger or one of the restaurant's even bigger burgers, they will receive a very specific reward: a ceremonial wheelchair escort out of the restaurant to their car. This ritual is a core part of the Heart Attack Grill's theater, designed to create a memorable moment where the customer (or patient) is paraded before other diners and tourists.

Of course, finishing the Quadruple Bypass Burger isn't exactly easy. But anyone who fails in their meaty mission faces the punishment of a public spanking. Considering its size, this outcome seems statistically more likely than the wheelchair ride, with the burger clocking in at an eye-watering 3 pounds and stacked with four beef patties, a few tablespoons of lard, eight slices of cheese, 20 slices of bacon, and heapings of caramelized onions. However, judging by the number of customer reviews praising their ride as the highlight of their experience, it seems like a fair number of Heart Attack Grill diners have managed to successfully complete the challenge.

A lesser-known but strictly enforced rule at the Heart Attack Grill is the prohibition against sharing your meal. The restaurant claims that the policy helps maintain the pricing structure of its burgers. It also helps reinforce the integrity of owner Jon Basso's controversial concept, which centers on Heart Attack Grill being the go-to destination for gluttony – and where the shock value comes from a single individual attempting to confront a meal of absurd proportions.

Practically, Heart Attack Grill's menu is engineered as a personal challenge. Philosophically, its no-sharing policy reinforces the establishment's core theme of personal accountability and deliberate indulgence. Some customers have noted that you are able to share the Single Bypass burger (which is apparently big enough to split between two) and the side dishes. However, attempting to share the wrong items could result in a public reprimand or even the same infamous spanking punishment doled out for not finishing your own meal. Your order is your responsibility, and you are expected to see it through to the end, on your own.

At the Heart Attack Grill, the concept of a balanced meal is deliberately excluded from the experience. The menu is an uncompromising celebration of dietary excess, explicitly designed without salads or any traditional vegetable offerings. This is not an oversight but a core tenet of the restaurant's to-die-for philosophy, where every item is engineered for maximum shock value through its audacious levels of saturated fat and sodium.

It does not offer any vegetarian or vegan options, either. The closest thing to a plant-based option is not food at all, but unfiltered cigarettes  (although it's not totally clear if the restaurant still serves these today) or a candy cigarette for children. The Coronary Dogs, the restaurant's take on chili dogs, come stacked with bacon, American cheese, and onion. Meanwhile, the fries, aptly named Flatliner Fries, are cooked in pure lard, with customers noting that you can also taste lard in several other items.

This intentional absence of healthy options is a critical part of the restaurant's deliberate parody. In other words, founder Jon Basso has prioritized only the most extreme dishes. "Anything that's legal that you want to eat or drink that's fun, that enriches your life at the moment, I will sell it to you," he said (via CBS). "If I could put danger back into hamburgers, all the better."

When it comes to calories, Heart Attack Grill does not deal in moderation. As owner Jon Basso previously told Fox News, "It's totally against everything we believe in to count calories." Its signature item, the Quadruple Bypass Burger, holds the Guinness World Record for the world's most caloric burger, officially certified at 9,982 calories. To contextualize, this single meal contains nearly five times the average adult's recommended daily caloric intake.

While the Quadruple Bypass Burger may technically hold the record, it seems like Guinness World Records is slightly behind on its calorie count. Heart Attack Grill's Octuple Bypass Burger has up to 20,000 calories (which is about 10 days' worth of calories) and stands 1.5 feet tall with a whopping eight beef patties and 40 slices of bacon in each serving. It's racked up a string of divisive reviews online, with some concluding that the flavor and quality simply don't justify its extortionate calorie count. The burger also placed last in our ranking of Heart Attack Grill menu items.

Heart Attack Grill's own tagline acknowledges the health risks that may accompany these dishes, framing them as packed with "taste worth dying for" (via Instagram). Considering the fact that you can't order these dishes to share, you may want to appropriately judge your appetite before placing your order.

Heart Attack Grill has been linked to several medical emergencies during its history. In 2013, the restaurant's unofficial spokesman, 52-year-old John Alleman, suffered a fatal heart attack at a bus stop close to the restaurant, where he was known to eat daily. Alleman was the second unofficial spokesman for the restaurant to pass away after 29-year-old Blair River, who died in 2011. 

Several patrons have required emergency medical attention on the premises. In one instance, a woman fell unconscious after suffering a potential heart attack while eating her burger and smoking. In another case, a man became unwell while eating a Triple Bypass Burger and had to be wheeled out of the restaurant after owner Jon Basso called an ambulance. "I actually felt horrible for the gentleman because the tourists were taking photos of him as if it were some type of stunt," Basso told Fox 5 (via NBC News).

After the latter incident, Fox News reported that Washington, D.C.'s Officials for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine had sent Basso a letter asking him to "declare moral bankruptcy" and close Heart Attack Grill. However, Basso has notoriously taken this alarming pattern in his stride. In one of the biggest scandals to hit the Heart Attack Grill, he even displayed a dead customer's ashes in a 2013 interview. "He died of a heart attack at my restaurant, and I'm putting the bag clearly on the table," he told Bloomberg's In the Loop (via TIME). "I wish that Burger King, McDonald's, and everyone else would do the same thing."

In a world dominated by digital payments, the Heart Attack Grill enforces a strictly cash-only policy, which is displayed on the door as you enter. There is also a recording that plays in the restaurant, stating, "We do not accept any credit cards because you might die before the check clears" (via YouTube). Conveniently, the restaurant does contain its own ATM, which customers note charges cheaper fees than a lot of the hotel ATMs you will find in Las Vegas.

Intentional or not, the decision to prioritize paying in cash serves multiple purposes within the Heart Attack Grill's overarching theme. First, it amplifies the establishment's rebellious, anti-establishment persona, rejecting the convenience and corporate tracking of credit card companies. Second, it functions as a practical filter, ensuring that every customer is fully aware of and committed to the financial transaction of purchasing a meal that is, by design, highly priced. This is part of the reason why owner Jon Basso advises his customers to come in only once a week. "I'm willing to look out for your wallet, and for you," he said (via The Daily Campus).

Heart Attack Grill's commitment to extreme indulgence extends beyond its food to its beverages. While you can order a bottle of Dasani water, you will not find a single light or diet soda option on the menu. There is no Diet Coke, no low-calorie alternatives, and not even a light beer to offset the monumental calorie count of the meal.

Instead, you can expect pure, sugary Coca-Cola, shots in pill bottles, Jell-O shots in syringes, IV bags full of red wine, and dense butterfat milkshakes. The latter are available in classic flavors such as vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate, as well as sweeter, more luxurious options, such as cheesecake. Some of the shakes are also alcoholic, while some come with an added slab of butter.

This is seemingly a deliberate extension of the Heart Attack Grill's ethos. Its drinks menu follows the same philosophy as its food menu. From the first sip to the last bite, you're embracing a caloric, sugary onslaught. By removing any semblance of a healthier choice, you are either all-in on the experience or you don't participate at all.