The Heart Attack Grill has transformed the social stigma against fast food restaurants into a somewhat infamous marketing campaign that gained them decent media coverage since they opened back in 2005. According to Wikipedia, both their Arizona and Texas locations have closed back in 2011. On the same year, they opened their Vegas location and it’s their sole location to date.

Although they’ve lost their place in the limelight, they still managed to attract Vegas foodies into chowing down enormous portions of artery clogging delights and take part in a unique dining experience of wheelchair rides and paddle-wielding nurses eager to spank you if you don’t clean your plate.

Susan Scileppi, a junior Risk Management and Accounting student at the Temple University in Philadelphia PA, did an email interview with us about our experience at the Heart Attack Grill. I managed to somehow look back and see things in the perspective of a health care professional. Here we go.

Susan: Had you ever heard of the Heart Attack Grill prior to eating there?If so, what had you heard about it?(Controversies, deaths, news reports, etc…)

Ian: Yes.  I’ve heard about the early death of their spokesperson in his late 20’s.  I’ve also seen YouTube videos of their bizarre but quite interesting marketing style that presents the ultimate irony of a hospital themed restaurant serving artery clogging indulgences.

Susan: Why did you decide to eat here versus another restaurant?

Ian: It was for the experience that I came in for, coupled with a dash of curiosity of eating foods named after medical procedures that could theoretically be consequences of what you’re eating.  In addition, both my wife and I work in the medical field.  I’m a clinical laboratory scientist and my wife is a registered nurse.  This place is definitely not your typical hospital setting.

Susan: Did you eat here for the experience or for the food?

Ian: Both.  But I am more inclined towards the entire hospital-themed experience.

Susan: Did they ask you to sign any sort of waiver before eating? If yes, what was it for? (food, spanking rule?)

Ian: No, they didn’t. Before you walk in the restaurant, you can see clear warning signs of how bad their food is for your health. If you still decide to go in and order food, I think there’s an understanding of the health risks involved. You do get warned that if you don’t finish your meal, you will get a spanking.

Susan: Why do you think this establishment attracts so much attention and business?

Ian: It is because of their paradoxical, yet brutally honest method of advertising. Imagine a hospital themed restaurant with nurses serving you food named after medical procedures. If you don’t finish your plate, you’ll get a spanking. You won’t get that eating at other fast food restaurants.

Susan: Do they really spank those who don’t finish their food and did you witness this happening during your visit? Also, how do you feel about this rule? Also, do you think this rule may actually attract some customers?

Ian: Spanking is more of an attraction than a deterrent, so yes it does. They really do spank their customers who don’t finish their plate, but I doubt they can legally force their patrons if they don’t want to. We intentionally left a bite of food to have the “spanking” experience. It’s more of a fun way of make-believe punishment for not cleaning your plate than an actual way to enforce discipline on an unwilling soul.

Susan: Would you say they are very open and up front about the high caloric foods they serve, and that their food can be seen as unhealthy? If yes, in what way? (Posters, warnings, etc…)

Ian: If you walk into a restaurant named the Heart Attack Grill, there is nothing more up front than that. Even menu items are saying “if you eat this, you’ll need a triple coronary bypass.” Their food is unhealthy but so is a lot of food items in American supermarkets. I don’t eat oversized hamburgers as my regular meal, and no one gets a heart attack by eating just one. It is a culmination of a lifetime of bad choices that makes anyone “unhealthy”.

Susan: What do you think about the rule that people who weigh over 350 pounds eat for free? Do you think it is also somewhat of an attraction for some people to eat here?

Ian: I would honestly say this is more of a marketing scheme than an actual threat to humanity’s obesity epidemic. Yes, it might encourage some people who weigh over 350 pounds to come and dine at the Heart Attack Grill. However, the “free” meal consists of unlimited orders of single bypass burgers with a small catch. You are required to purchase a drink with each one.

Susan: Would you ever go back and why?  Would you say it was a “once in a lifetime” experience?

Ian: Yes, I would go back. It’s a great place to have loads of fun with friends and family, especially when in Vegas.  Personally, I don’t think the food is truly a “Taste Worth Dying For” as their slogan says. But I do give them credit for the unique restaurant experience they are known for.