In a seemingly normal part of Baton Rouge, The Londoner, a seemingly normal pub, proudly sits. It is home to traditional pub and English food like fish and chips, steak and ale pie and shepherd’s pie. But there’s one item on the menu some may not expect: the Big Ben Burger.
The Big Ben Burger is a 40-ounce patty dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, eight slices of cheese, four fried eggs and bacon served on top of a plate of fries.
The burger started when co-owner Luke Betts, who is the only Brit at The Londoner, came up with the idea to create a food challenge. What followed became the Big Ben Burger.
“He came up with the idea and we just said, ‘Let’s make a burger that’s massive and a spectacle, and if you could eat it, you’d get the whole thing for free,’” said Audrey Gary, The Londoner co-owner.
In addition to offering the burger as a challenge, it’s available to order and split among friends.
“You can come in with some friends and split the Big Ben Burger and a tower of beer, which is about 100 ounces of beer,” Gary said.
While there are other burger challenges in Baton Rouge, the Big Ben Burger is the biggest. The burger itself is about the size of someone’s head.
Eating the burger is just as much a challenge. Only one person has ever finished the burger and the entire plate of fries. When served, steak knives keep the burger in one piece instead of the toothpicks that are used on regular burgers.
“I’ve seen only one person finish everything,” Betts said. “He plowed through the burger. It was a bit of a disgusting sight.”
The Londoner is also a place to catch soccer matches, which draws in a lot of business for the pub.
“The Varsity have tried to do it, and they’ll do well at it, but it’s not local English pub atmosphere,” Betts said. “There’s nowhere else to really go watch football.”
“Let’s make a burger that’s massive and a spectacle.”
