Big Belly Burger

It's Belly Belly good!

This fictional fast food restaurant chain, created for (and copyright to) DC Comics,
was created by John Byrne and visually defined by Jerry Ordway in the June 1988 issue of Adventures of Superman.
It absolutely belongs to DC Comics.
Used in affectionate homage. No infringement is intended or implied.
 

Burgers!

All Burgers can be made with choice of Beef Burger, Turkey Burger, or Bean Burger patty.
Substitute Lettuce Bun for no additional charge.
 
Belly Buster
Two fresh-grilled 5 inch diameter patties, one slice Sparkle Cheese, Super Star, lettuce, sliced tomato, shredded carrots, mustard spiral, ketchup hatchmarks, a scrape of mayo on a seedless freshly toasted bun.
 
Belly Bloater
Three fresh-grilled 5 inch diameter patties, two slices Sparkle Cheese, Super Star, sliced mushrooms, shredded zucchini, mustard spiral, ketchup hatchmarks, a scrape of mayo on a seedless freshly toasted bun.
 
Belly Flop
Three fresh-grilled 5 inch diameter patties, two slices Sparkle Cheese, Super Star, sliced tomato, sliced mushrooms, shredded zucchini, shredded carrots, mustard spiral, ketchup hatchmarks, all wrapped in two big lettuce leaves, a scrape of mayo on a seedless freshly toasted bun.
 
Cheesemeister Deluxe
Three fresh-grilled 5 inch diameter patties, five slices Sparkle Cheese, Super Star, mustard spiral, ketchup hatchmarks, all wrapped in two big lettuce leaves, a scrape of mayo on a seedless freshly toasted bun.
 

Sides!

 
Skater Fries
A generous serving of crisp, hot fries shaken dry, then shaken again with our custom blend of pepper, garlic, paprika, grated lime peel, and grated ginger.
 
Fried Bell Pepper Rings
The other guys can keep their boring old onion rings. Pepper Rings will flip the color of your mask!
 
Virtueverse Carrots
A generous serving of crisp baby carrots shaken with our custom blend of pepper, garlic, paprika, grated lime peel, and grated ginger. Good for you!
 

Unburgers!

All Unburgers can "Go Bunless"
for no additional charge.
But it's mighty messy that way!
 
Hot Dog Duo
Two fresh-grilled hot dogs split lengthwise to sit atop one slice Sparkle Cheese and two Super Stars on a toasted wheat bun. Topped with mustard loops, ketchup hatchmarks, and a scoop of sliced mushrooms. The dynamic duo will share a paper wrapper!
 
Fish Face
Fresh-grilled unbreaded fish patty, one slice Sparkle Cheese, lettuce, two Super Stars for eyes, sliced tomato grin, mustard spiral, a scrape of mayo on one side of a seedless freshly toasted bun.
 
Chicken Slider Duo
Two battered and fried 2.5 inch diameter chicken patties, each with half a slice Sparkle Cheese, lettuce, sliced mushrooms, shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, mustard spiral, ketchup hatchmarks, a scrape of mayo on a freshly toasted wheat mini-bun. The dynamic duo will share a paper wrapper!
 

Brekkie!

Breakfast items available from 3:00 a.m. until supplies run out.
 
Eggy Secret
Half a cup of Egg White Salad mashed onto Sparkle Cheese Toast while it's still hot and melty. Topped with a double Super Star, mustard enneagon, shredded zucchini, lettuce, and the top piece of Sparkle Cheese Toast.
 
Fruit Cluster
Half a cup of apple chunks mixed with other seasonal fruit, all mashed onto Sparkle Cheese Toast while it's still hot and melty. Wrapped in two big lettuce leaves, then all covered with paper wrapper and twisted shut. Great for hot mornings in a hurry!
 
 

Drinks!

Free refills on ice water or Fruitiade only.
 
Dihydrogen Monoxide
Filtered water freezes up under controlled conditions. Later it loosens up again. When it's a tad more water than ice, we toss it into a Big Belly Cup. Topped with a lid and a straw!
 
Fruitiade
Our no-fructose fruit flavored beverage has hints of lime, kiwi, grape, or orange depending on the time of year!
 
Mind Fuel
The beverage preferred by geniuses and gadgeteers!
Orange-colored, sweet, bubbly brain fuel that defies gravity in the presence of evil speedsters. os
 
Chocorrific
Signature milkshake: chocolate, dark chocolate, and more chocolate
 
Strawnana
Strawberry-Banana milkshake
 

Desserts!

Happy Bellies
 
Apple Pie
Warning: contains apples
 
Drizzle Doodle
A nine-ingredient dessert so indescribably good, we can only describe it two ways:
  1. "Taste this and you'll understand!"
  2. Abstract telepathic thought-beaming.
It contains no nuts, no chocolate, no fruit, and no dairy.
Maybe it's from Outer Space?
 

Child Meals!

Right-sized for little Big Bellies.
 
Jolly Meal
In a themed box: One fresh-grilled 5 inch diameter burger patty, one slice Sparkle Cheese, Super Star, shredded carrots on a seedless freshly toasted bun. One packet each of ketchup and mustard. Quarter cup sized portion of Virtueverse Carrots, lightly dusted with our signature seasoning. One vanilla cookie. One action figure!
 
Smiley Meal
In a themed box: Two battered and fried 2.5 inch diameter chicken patties, each with half a slice Sparkle Cheese, Super Star, shredded carrots on a seedless freshly toasted bun. One packet each of ketchup and mustard. Quarter cup sized portion of Virtueverse Carrots, lightly dusted with our signature seasoning. One vanilla cookie. One action figure!
 

Value Meals!

Preset Combos for Racing Bellies.
 
Bloat Bag
In a themed bag, assembled within the past half hour:
  • One ground turkey Belly Bloater
  • Virtueverse Carrots
  • Fruitiade
$10
or
1 Big Belly Buck
 
Brain Bag
In a themed bag, assembled within the past half hour:
  • One Fish Face
  • Fried Bell Pepper Rings
  • Mind Fuel
$10
or
1 Big Belly Buck
 
Endorphin Bag
In a themed bag, assembled within the past half hour:
  • One Cheesemeister Deluxe
  • Skater Fries
  • Chocorrific
$14
or
2 for 3 Big Belly Bucks
 
Double Bag
In a themed bag, assembled within the past hour:
  • Full order of Skater Fries mixed with full order of Fried Bell Pepper Rings
  • Dihydrogen Monoxide
$6
or
2 for 1 Big Belly Buck
 
Superspeedster Special
In a pair of extra-large themed bags, almost certainly more than an hour old:
  • A mix of leftover Belly Flops, Belly Bloaters, Belly Busters, and one Hot Dog Duo, usually totaling around ten entrees
  • One regular bag filled a half-scoop at a time with side dish remainders whenever it was time to make a fresh batch, closed up once the bag is full and shaken hard
  • Strawnana
3 Big Belly Bucks

When I am out on patrol, Big Belly Burger fills me up in a flash!
Highly recommend the superspeedster special, to go.

Purpose / Function

Although the chain was founded in 1951 in Coast City, California (an area that was absorbed into Greater Los Angeles in 1977), this location in Brooklyn, NYC, NY was the second constructed by its founders. It is now the oldest surviving Big Belly Burgers location of the entire international chain: it still has dedicated roller-skating lanes between parking rows in its parking lot, it has the 1950s style decor on the main floor's interior and a high-capacity galley on the second floor of the building. Cold storage of raw materials is built into the basement with thick walls that once contained pipes filled with ice.
To set foot inside this venerable fast food joint is to walk into a different era!

Architecture

Every Big Belly Burger location, new or old in construction, retro or modern in theming, has certain distinct features:
 
  • One wall of each building has an exterior walk-up counter on the northeastern side for visitors to place a takeout order without entering the structure. The pickup location will be either on the same side of the building but down near the far corner, or else it will be around the corner of the building on the next contiguous side. Usually the pickup location will be another window and counter to the east, depending on how regional through traffic tended to flow when the location was initially built.

    In the case of this particular location, since it is an independent building rather than part of a larger structure, the walk-up ordering counter is on the eastern wall about two feet away from the northern corner. The pickup counter is on the same eastern wall, about two feet away from the southern corner.
  •  
  • A few "Boardwalk Big Belly Burger" locations exist on the edge of foot-traffic-only areas near public beaches or highly popular recreational parks. These have walkup counters only for service. They have wireframe tables with attached benches all sheltered from direct sun by standard beach umbrellas.

    They tend to be round buildings, styled to resemble the signature Belly Buster sandwich from the menu with wrapping intact.
    They also tend to be hurricane-proof, fireproof, and blizzard-proof. The surrounding tables might succumb to a disaster, but the building itself should hold up.
  •  
  • In a settlement with a population of less than one million residents, most Big Belly Burger locations will have a drive-in section of the attached parking lot, where orders are placed via intercom system built into a menu board and the food is brought out by wait staff on roller skates. Dedicated channels, wide enough for a pair of skaters to pass one another, are built into this area, with regularly spaced concrete poles set to block most motor vehicle traffic from endangering the skaters. The concrete poles support a wireframe arch with a translucent plastic cover to keep birds and precipitation off the skaters and the food.

    At the Brooklyn location, the employees' door to the skating channel is in the center of the northern wall. Restaurant locations built later have usually put the Skaters' Door closer to the pickup counter so it will not be so close to the cash register.
  •  
  • Either the drive-through or else the main entrance to the dining area (if an indoor dining area exists) will be as far away from the two exterior counters as possible.

    Locations with interior dining areas, such as this one in Brooklyn, do not have a drivethrough in addition to their drive-in area. Except for the Brooklyn location, all of these locations were constructed in the first decade of the 21st century when the market began to pivot away from expediency and toward higher quality of food plus sustainable agricultural sources.
    Drivethrough service offers a significantly more limited menu than what is available to those who park for service in the drive-in area. These locations were mostly constructed from the late 1950s through the early 1990s, and may have been remodeled several times over the decades.
  •  
  • Every Big Belly Burger location has a special Third Counter for exterior service to customers, with a limited menu available at it via prepaid Big Belly Bucks account card only! Out of immediate sight-line from the other service counters, this option exists for Masked Metahumans only.

    At the Brooklyn location, this Third Counter is on the southern wall, not far from the pickup counter.
Founding Date
1952
Type
Pub / Tavern / Restaurant
Parent Location

Only at Big Belly Burger:

 
Sparkle Cheese:
American Cheese with freckles of Sharp Cheddar
 
Sparkle Cheese Toast:
Sliced light rye bread, toasted, with two pieces of Sparkle Cheese laid across it at ninety degree offsets to form a Star of Lakshmi pattern
 
Super Star:
Five slightly sour Bread and Butter pickles made from cucumbers grown in wedge shapes instead of cylinders. We add a Super Star to every burger!
 
Big Belly Bucks:
Prepaid meal voucher system, used by people who expect to want a meal when traditional payment forms would be difficult. Value varies per neighborhood, but usually one Big Belly Buck is worth a single Bloat Bag or two Child Meals.

Footnotes and Commentary

 

Orange Soda

os

Silverwing Profile by CB Ash
It does not either!
Thomas Jordan, off=duty Hero of Metropolis
We triple-checked!
— Barry Allen, off-duty Hero of St. Louis
Silverwing Profile by CB Ash
For sure. Orange soda does not react to "evil" OR "superspeed"!
Thomas Jordan, off-duty Hero of Metropolis
Except for that one time.
David Ironhorse, off-duty globetrotting thug for hire
Okay, yes, sure, that one time. That's true.
— Barry Allen, off-duty Hero of St. Louis
Silverwing Profile by CB Ash
Dammit, David, how'd you know about that one time?
Thomas Jordan, off-duty Hero of Metropolis
"Streaky", there, has a tell. Pass me some of those pepper rings.
David Ironhorse, off-duty globetrotting thug for hire

Comments

Author's Notes

In addition to regular comments, I would love to get in-character Commentary and/or in-character Reviews!


Please Login in order to comment!
Jan 2, 2021 00:28 by Morgan Biscup

When I am out on patrol, Big Belly Burger fills me up in a flash! Highly recommend the superspeedster special, to go.

Lead Author of Vazdimet.
Necromancy is a Wholesome Science.
Jan 3, 2021 21:04 by C. B. Ash

Added! Thank you! :D