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
Published
Nothing brings people together like smash burgers and sick beats.
“The history of food and the history of hip-hop go hand-in-hand,” said Caskey Hill, owner of Phat Stax Burgers in Albuquerque. “That’s what we’re trying to bring to everybody.”
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’s 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 ‘n’ 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 “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot.
“Just like how hip-hop is, it’s all a play on words,” Hill said.
Hill decided to launch the business’ 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 “warm and welcoming” reception from the community, Hill said.
“It’s been a blessing,” the owner said. “I’m shocked that we provide a product everybody likes and seems to be missing out here. It’s been fun and it’s been rewarding.”
Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.
