good burger

a Christmas songster crackled out of patio speakers about snowy scenes and Yuletide bliss. But the two-fisted diners slouched around tables littered with napkins pulled from beer-carton dispensers and half-empty hot sauce bottles, paid the cultural amenities no mind.

This was Otto's Barbeque and Hamburgers, and these guys and maybe a few gals had come to eat.

To eat and, perhaps, to mourn.

Otto's, famed as former President George Bush's favorite barbecue eatery, is heading for the last roundup.

And while franchises in Houston and Sugar Land will continue to sizzle, the original Otto's and adjoining businesses in the 5500 block of Memorial will be razed for new construction.

"Bummer," sighed Kevin Lovins, when he heard the news. "That's disappointing."

Lovins said he has dined at the cinderblock burger joint for 15 years.

Bush recalled through a spokesman that the barbecue restaurant, which adjoins the burger venue, was "a special eating place for my family and many friends (and) will be truly missed."

Greg Gonzales, another customer, moped over his burger as he contemplated what Otto's meant to him. "It's a good place to eat," he said at last. "The burgers, the cheeseburgers they're homestyle. Usually, though, I eat at the barbecue place, maybe once a week. I get the Bush Plate that's the big boys' plate."

The uninitiated quickly learn what eating, Bush-plate style, is all about. A poster on the wall of the barbecue joint explains that the presidential feed consists of beef ribs, links, potato salad and beans all for $9.79. No substitutions.

A veritable stampede of cattle has been served up as burgers and brisket at Otto's since the restaurant's founder, Otto Sofka, grilled that first burger at his family's grocery 56 years ago. Otto's wife, Annie, their son, Marcus, Marcus's wife, June, and three of their seven children all have pulled duty at the business.

"This is very hard work," June Sofka explained after handling a noontime shift at the hamburger grill. "It's a 24/7 job mentally and physically."

Sofka said her husband, now 68, rises daily at 4 a.m. to toss wood into the barbecue pit.

Retirement was a big factor in the couple's decision to hang up the barbecue brush.

"We just want to enjoy a few years before the good Lord calls us," she said. "We want to spend some time with our grandchildren we have 13 and maybe travel a little."

Sofka said the property has been listed with a commercial real estate broker, but is uncertain when the restaurant will close. "We've had some bids," she said, "but nothing's final."

A few changes

Otto's may seem like a timeless place. The hands of a Schlitz beer clock never budge from 10 minutes till 2. The restaurants exude an authenticity that competitors can only covet. But time does move forward, and Sofka admitted that her business has been eroded by a growing public acceptance of the virtues of healthy eating.

Amid the Bush memorabilia and religious and patriotic artifacts on the walls are signs advertising new items on the menu: grilled chicken breast sandwiches and turkey burgers. Also displayed is a plug for HeartBrand beef, which is touted as "good for your body, heart and waistline."

"As you see, we've enhanced the menu," Sofka said. But, she added, business has been slack.

"It's been a great ride, don't get me wrong," she said. "But now it's time to go."
Good Burger
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Good Burger

Promotional Poster For Good Burger
Directed by Brian Robbins
Produced by Julia Pistor
Starring Kenan Thompson
Kel Mitchell
Sinbad
Abe Vigoda
Shar Jackson
Dan Schneider
Ron Lester
Jan Schweiterman
Josh Server
Music by Stewart Copeland
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date(s) July 25, 1997
Running time 103 min.
Language English
IMDb profile
Good Burger is a 1997 comedy film from Paramount Pictures directed by Brian Robbins and starring Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Sinbad, Shar Jackson, Abe Vigoda, and Jan Schweiterman. Carmen Electra, Shaquille O'Neal, and George Clinton also make brief cameo appearances in the movie. It was the second film to be marketed under the Nickelodeon name. It was based on the All That sketch of the same name.

Contents
1 Plot
2 Retro references
3 Songs in movie
4 Cast
5 Trivia
6 Box Office
7 External links

[edit] Plot
The plot concerns the exploits of Dexter Reed (Kenan Thompson), a high-schooler who just started working at Good Burger to pay off the debt of a car accident that involved one of his teachers, Mr. Wheat (Sinbad). However, when a new, larger, more popular burger restaurant, Mondo Burger, opens up across the street, the Good Burger employees must try to save their restaurant from being run out of business. The movie was based on the popular Good Burger sketch, in which Kel Mitchell plays the infamous Ed, a not-so bright cashier at a fast food restaurant. After trying to compete with the large restaurant across the street by creating a secret sauce, Mitchell and Thompson's characters find out that Mondo Burger's beef is somehow unnatural. They go undercover, and reveal an even more illegal scheme within Mondo Burgers. The main characters in the movie use a vehicle known as the "Burgermobile" (an AMC Pacer). The same AMC Pacer was used in Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2 as the "Mirthmobile".

The Good Burger catch phrase is:

"Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger. Can I take your order? (and in Ed's case)...haa..."
The film is released by Paramount Pictures, and Nickelodeon Movies and is rated PG for mild crude humor and mild thematic elements in both the US and UK.

[edit] Retro references
Several homages to 1970s media have been made in Good Burger. Notable occurrences include:

An AMC Pacer is used as the Burgermobile.
Shaft is spoofed with the Shaft Theme at the beginning of the movie.
George Clinton makes a cameo appearance while Funkadelic's "(Not Just) Knee Deep" plays in the movie.
A 1970s Cadillac gets smashed up while the ice cream truck is evading the insane asylum truck.
A cover version of "Roxanne" by The Police was played in the movie at the introduction of the character "Roxanne", who went on a date with Ed.
The mental hospital scene bears many similarities to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.