In 2007, some dude Gary quit their hospital gig and opened a restaurant that served made-to-order burgers and fries. The decor was hideous and the reviews were amazing. The Ugly American came out of nowhere and became Fall River's 'Hidden Gem'... if only for a short while.

But if you're thinking "What's the big deal"it's this: Had Gary and his crazy Ugly American burger joint existed today, surely it would dominate our Facebook and Instagram feeds.  People would no doubt be clamoring get hand-crafted burgers, hand-cut fries, fried twinkies and all the other comfort food your arteries long for.

It's wall-art alone would surely be some of the most Instagram'ed post out there. So would this pole just outside of the front door. Do you ever remember seeing this pole and wonder why there was so much garbage attached to it?

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New Boston Road isn't exactly off of the highway and wasn't the easiest place to find for out-of-town folks. Even though it was there from 2007 through 2011, it didn't seem to enjoy the glory it deserved. The Grilled Cheese Burger Alone surely would have created dozens of repeat customers.

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And no, it didn't close because it was bad, it closed because it's creator, Gary, was also trying to open a location in the East Side of Providence and trying to do both at the same time was impossible. (You can read about that in the Fall River Herald's 2011 story here.)

We really think that Gary and his Ugly American dream were way head of his time. We were living in 2011 and Gary was already in 2017 with his hand-crafted everything. He would likely have added craft beers to the menu, had thousands of Facebook followers and dozens of food pages hawking weekly "Like this post to win $25 gift card" promotions.

At some point, there was a Phantom Gourmet episode that highlighted Ugly's The Cheese burger but we can't find it. All that is left is this Yelp review photo of a burger smothered in congealed, ooey-gooey greatness.

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Based on some amateur investigating, Gary closed his Providence location some time in 2013 due to situations out of his control. His loyal fans suggested he take the show on the road and create an Ugly American food truck but nothing came of it.

Wherever you are Gary, we hope your making some killer, futuristic hand-crafted meals for your family. Please consider fostering us for the holidays.

 

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