Atlanta Intown Newspaper

Editor's Note: Ann's Snack Bar owner Ann Price is searching for a buyer for the famed eatery. Head visited Ann's in late April to write this piece for Atlanta INtown and her blog, Poetic Acts in a Digital World.

Before it is too late, and apparently that may be at the end of May, all you Atlanta folks need to get over to Memorial Drive and eat a burger at Ann's Snack Bar. Miss Ann's burgers have become legendary--just check the Wall Street Journal and CNN for the glowing reviews. Some national reviewers have said that Miss Ann's burgers are the best in the U.S.; others proclaim that these burgers are the best in the world!

However, there are few things you ought to know before you go for a visit. First, be prepared to wait. Collin Kelley and I went recently. We arrived at 11:00 (Miss Ann opens sometime around 11:30 or whenever she has her prep the way she wants). Because we were not two of the first eight people in line, we waited until almost 1:00 for our turn. Miss Ann hand patties every single burger and cooks to order. There are only eight stools at the counter, and she doesn't do take-out. Actually, you can get your order to-go, but you have to have a seat at the counter and wait just like the folks who are eating there. Collin and I left very full and very happy (despite the ridiculous wait) just before 2:00.

Some other rules you need know are these.

1) If you don't see an empty stool, do not go inside. Miss Ann will tell you to leave. I suspect this has as much to do with fire codes as anything, but watching people get "kicked out" is part of the charm of this place.

2) Do not speak until spoken to. Miss Ann is busy working. She doesn't have time for chit-chat. As for your own chit-chat, keep it low, and under no circumstances talk on your mobile phone. Miss Ann will give you a lecture about how other people do not care about your conversation, how you are rude, and how you may now leave.

3) If you happen to be seated next to someone famous (and you likely will be), do not ask for an autograph. Miss Ann believes everyone is there to eat.

4) Know what you want. While you are waiting, you can peer through the window and memorize the menu. Questions not apparent from the menu include whether you want onions (cooked, not raw) and if you want lettuce and tomato. You should also decide if you want a combo with fries. As for a drink, you can have canned Coca-Cola products, tea, or lemonade. Fair warning: the tea and lemonade only come sweetened, and when I say "sweetened" I mean diabetic shock levels.

5) Once your food arrives, cease talking and eat. There will be a long line of people waiting.

6) Follow any other order Miss Ann gives. Failure to do so will result in ejection.

Miss Ann has been running the Snack Bar for about thirty years. It is true that things are her way or the highway, but she earns that privilege every time she puts a burger in front of someone. Frankly, in this "the customer is ALWAYS" right world in which we live, I admire the likes of Miss Ann. Her rules aren't inappropriate, and let's face it, some customers are simply rude, not right.

Another warning: the speciality of the house is the Ghetto Burger. This monstrosity has what I would estimate to be about a pound of ground beef, not counting the bacon, cheese, onions, etc. Miss Ann will give you some aluminum foil to wrap up the left-overs, but be prepared for a burger bigger than any you've ever seen.

Finally, you are probably asking, "Is it worth it?" The answer is, "YES!" I've actually eaten at two Michelin Five Star Restaurants in my life, and I wouldn't wait as long for either as I did for Miss Ann. This is an Atlanta institution--don't miss your chance.

Lunch at Ann's Snack Bar