The story
Blake's Lotaburger was founded by World War II Navy veteran Blake Chanslor, who moved from Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico, after World War II. Chanslor opened his first "Lota Burger" stand on July 9, 1952. His initial investment in the business was $5,300, and his stand was 230 square feet (21 m2), on the corner of San Mateo and Southern, in southeast Albuquerque. In 1953, he opened two more stores.
Chanslor expanded Lotaburger to 23 cities in New Mexico, with 7 stores in the Four Corners Area and 35 stores in Albuquerque. Chanslor remained the owner until 2003, when he sold his interest to Ronald C. Rule. Rule has kept Blake’s Lotaburger a family- owned business.
As of 2018, the company owns and operates 75 stores.
In the 1990s, the company featured television commercial personality Ernest P. Worrell, played by Jim Varney, in many of its television ads.
According to the Albuquerque Journal in 1994, Lotaburger helped popularize the use of green chile, statewide staples of New Mexican food, as a condiment on hamburgers. In 2006, the company was recognized by National Geographic for the “Best Green Chile Cheeseburger in the World". In 2009, the New Mexico Tourism Department listed the restaurants as one of the state's destinations on the Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail.
In June 2013, the company announced that its first Texas location would open that fall on El Paso's west side. A second El Paso location opened in June 2014 on the city's east side. As of 2024, there are currently 2 locations in El Paso.
The company announced plans in early 2015 to expand to Tucson, Arizona. Two locations opened in April and June 2017, followed by a third location in January 2018.
In 2017, Blake's Lotaburger became the first New Mexico True Certified Business in the state of New Mexico.
From Wikipedia’s article on Blake's Lotaburger, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5