May 20, 2013

Burger Joints

Well-Done and Just Plain Done

Cynthia Barnett | 12/1/2010

Tommy Pennisi

Louis' Lunch owner Tommy Pennisi flips his last burgers. [Photo: Matt Tripp]

USA Today named T-Ray's Burger Station in Fernandina Beach tops in Florida in the newspaper's feature on the "51 Great Burger Joints" of America. Father-and-son team Big Ray and T-Ray Mullins grill burgers — starting at $3.25 each — in an old Exxon gas station.

In Gainesville, meanwhile, Louis' Lunch, the famous downtown hamburger joint, closed after 82 years. Owner Tommy Pennisi says sales, down during the recession, worsened with a major construction project on South Main Street. He told the Gainesville Sun that at age 75, he doesn't want to wait for business to improve. "I'm just making my dad's hamburgers, trying to keep the legacy going, but it's time for me to retire. I've been doing this for over 60 years, eating a hamburger every day."

Tags: Northeast

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