The Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas has claimed another victim.
You can accuse the Heart Attack Grill of being exploitative, unhealthy, and even dangerous -- but you can't accuse it of false advertising.
The Vegas restaurant that's become infamous for its scantily clad "nurse" waitresses and it's nearly 10,000 calorie Quadruple Bypass Burger has seen another unofficial spokesperson die, with John Alleman dying from, you guessed it, a heart attack.
Alleman was a regular customer that ate at the Heart Attack Grill in downtown Vegas nearly daily, sometimes even dressing in a hospital gown and waving in tourists to sample fine eats such as butter-fat milkshakes, Flatliner Fries cooked in pure lard, and the three pound Quadruple Bypass Burger that clocks in at 9,982 calories.
Alleman was never officially on the payroll but relished his role and scoffed at the notion that the food would kill anyone, embracing the the official motto of "Taste worth dying for" to the maximum extent when he suffered a heart attack waiting outside the restaurant at a bus stop.
"Owner Jon Basso told the Las Vegas Sun that Alleman “never missed a day, even on Christmas.” He eventually became an unofficial mascot for the restaurant, with his caricature as "patient John" used in the restaurant’s marketing campaign.
The Heart Attack Grill not only offers its over-the-top menu but also lets anyone who weights over 350 pounds eat for free. Alleman is the second mascot of the restaurant to die, with 575-pound Blair River dying in 2011 due to complications related to pneumonia after suffering a suspected heart attack himself.
