The Famous Jimbo's Hamburger Palace, Lenox Ave between 124th and 125th
The Original Jumbo Hamburgers Palace, 116th near Lenox
The Famous Jimbo's Hamburger Palace, 145th near Broadway
The Original Jumbo Hamburgers Palace, 145th near Frederick Douglass
There are two mysterious burger mini-chains mostly in Upper Manhattan and the South Bronx. One is The Original Jumbo Hamburgers Palace and the other is The Famous Jimbo's Hamburger Palace. Aside from their slightly different names the two are almost identical. The awnings are the same, the neon signs are the same, the interior decor (red and white tiles) is the same, and the overhead menu (yellow lettering on red background) is the same. All advertise an ATM that dispenses ten dollar bills. Look closely and you'll see the ATM signs at Jimbo's have two horizonal blue stripes while the signs at Jumbo only have one stripe.
I've had the cheeseburger deluxe at the Jumbo in the second photo and at a Jimbo's in the Bronx. The burgers at each were grilled then cooked under a metal cup. Both were decent burgers.
So, what's the story? There seem to be more Jimbo's than Jumbos. The Jumbo awnings say "Since 1968" but the one on 116th St. opened three years ago. Do these places have the same owner? Or is the Jumbo/Jimbo's phenomenon similar to the infinite variety of Ray's Pizza places? Interesting, don't you think?
Comments