Original Tommy's facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Original Tommy's World Famous Hamburgers

Type	Private
Industry	Fast food restaurants
Founded	1946; 79 years ago (1946) in Los Angeles, California, United States
Founder	Thomas James "Tommy" Koulax
Headquarters	Monrovia, California
Number of locations	34 (31 California, 3 Nevada)
Area served	California, Nevada
Products	hamburgers, hot dogs, tamales, chili, french fries, soft drinks

The original location, at Beverly & Rampart. The Shack is in the foreground, the building surrounding is also a part of the restaurant. Patrons eat at their cars or standing at the counter along the back walls.

Original Tommy's is a famous hamburger restaurant chain in Southern California, United States. It is well-known for its delicious chili burgers. These are hamburgers topped with a special chili sauce.

History of Original Tommy's

How Tommy's Started

Original Tommy's first opened its doors on May 15, 1946. It was started by a man named Tom Koulax. Tom was the son of immigrants from Greece. His first small stand was on a street corner in Los Angeles, California.

At the beginning, not many people came to the stand. But soon, more and more customers discovered his tasty food. He sold hamburgers and hot dogs, both covered in his special chili.

Growing Bigger

As Tommy's became more popular, the business grew. In the 1960s, Tom bought more land around his first stand. This gave him more space for parking and another counter to serve customers. Even with more places to order, many people still loved to line up at the original small stand.

By 2006, Tommy's had grown to 30 locations. Most of these restaurants are in the Greater Los Angeles Area. In 2008, Tommy's even opened its first restaurants outside of California, in Clark County, Nevada.

As of October 2019, there are 33 Tommy's locations. The company's main office is in Monrovia, California. Tom Koulax's family still runs the business today.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, people couldn't eat inside the restaurants. But you could still get food through the drive-thru, eat outside, or take it home.

Chili Cheese Fries, served at the original location (note: cheese is served under the chili).

Where to Find Tommy's

Original Tommy's has many locations, mostly in California and Nevada. Here are some of the oldest ones:

Images for kids

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  Older logo.