SMALL BUSINESS
Phat Stax Burgers doubles down with second Albuquerque location
The eatery, which offers smash burgers with a side of fries and hip-hop references, expanded in January
Nothing brings people together like smash burgers and sick beats.
鈥淭he history of food and the history of hip-hop go hand-in-hand,鈥 said Caskey Hill, owner of Phat Stax Burgers in Albuquerque. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we鈥檙e trying to bring to everybody.鈥
That mission took a step forward in January, when the hip-hop-themed burger joint opened its second location at 1301 Eubank NE. Hill and his wife, Tonya, launched Phat Stax鈥檚 first location in Nob Hill at 114 Tulane SE in 2023 after three years of operating the business as a food truck.
Hill, a born-and-raised New Mexican who learned to cook in the Navy, has always loved hip-hop music. With many local restaurants incorporating country or rock 鈥榥鈥 roll music into their business, he saw a gap in the hip-hop foodie scene and decided to fill it.
In addition to playing hip-hop music in store, the business pairs its comfort food with genre-specific references. Some items on the menu include a fried chicken sandwich called Luda-Crisp, a nod to the rapper Ludacris; a bacon, lettuce and tomato cheeseburger called Notorious BLT, inspired by the rapper The Notorious B.I.G.; and a mac and cheese burger called Baby Got Mac, referencing the 1992 song 鈥淏aby Got Back鈥 by Sir Mix-a-Lot.
鈥淛ust like how hip-hop is, it鈥檚 all a play on words,鈥 Hill said.
Hill decided to launch the business鈥 second location after customers started asking for one closer to the eastern and western ends of the city. West Side options were limited, Hill said, leading the owners to home in on eastern Albuquerque. Hill signed a five-year lease for the roughly 2,200-square-foot Eubank space in December.
The new location has received a 鈥渨arm and welcoming鈥 reception from the community, Hill said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a blessing,鈥 the owner said. 鈥淚鈥檓 shocked that we provide a product everybody likes and seems to be missing out here. It鈥檚 been fun and it鈥檚 been rewarding.鈥
Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.