Boll Weevil / San Diego

In San Diego, there's a great chain of restaurants called Boll Weevil.
They make a great half pound burger, served straight up.
You dress it from the condiment tray at your table.
IMHO, simple burgers are best.

http://www.bollweevilinc.com/index.html.

Tasty and quick---
It was a better deal before the recent huge price increase. But, still, compared to others...

Makes me crazy though, that it costs more to order a Mini with cheese than a Steerburger! It's only half as much meat! And the steerburger is way too much for me to eat...Splitting one would be perfect, but the rest of my family polishes off their steerburgers and want to know why I won't let them order the Big Daddy!

Oooh, I just had a Boll Weevil flashback----

Back in the mid-80's, BW was a popular lunch spot with my accounting department cohorts. (Make sure to take the boss with you, so it doesn't matter so much if you get back a little late...department meeting, don't ya know...)

Long before I remember seeing it on a menu anywhere, we would share chili fries. One day, somebody ordered fries and someone else ordered a bowl of chili. I'm not sure if they planned it that way, or someone was goofing around ("Hey, you got chili in my french fries." "No, you got french fries in my chili.") And the rest is history...

I've been eating there since the late 60's, back when the entire menu was painted on the tortoise shell.
The original location, Midway Drive, closed last year.
They lost their lease.

I think they were a collateral casualty from their neighbor, the girlie bar.
The US Government owns the property!

I still enjoy the Shelter Island, El Cajon and Escondido stores

My original Boll Weevils were Clairemont Mesa and Convoy locations. Then, briefly Scripps Ranch (located in a former Wells Fargo building - that was an odd transition), and now Escondido. My Entertainment Book coupons aren't good at Escondido and that's the only one we go to anymore.

I didn't know it originated here. Come to think of it, I don't know that I've ever seen one out of the San Diego area.

Oh, just checked the locations link on the website. Totally local! That would explain it...

quote:

Originally posted by Salustra
I didn't know it originated here. Come to think of it, I don't know that I've ever seen one out of the San Diego area.

Oh, just checked the locations link on the website. Totally local! That would explain it..

They started to franchise in the late 70's, to early 80's.
Although a couple franchises have survived, they have since stuck with company stores.
The only stores outside of San Diego were Temecula, Hemet and Riverside, all three now closed.

You sound like an insider with all this detailed knowledge. Are/were you connected with/employed by BW?

Boll Weevil has been my favorite burger since just after they opened.
When I moved to work in Orange County (1978), I didn't get to visit much.

I would pass by the 3 mentioned outside San Diego on my way to the desert.
For a Steerburger fix, I used to head to the, long ago closed, Oceanside store.
After that, It was Encinitas, now closed!

At one time, I picked up franchise information, but really didn't have the capital to open a store.
Later, when I was more established, they stopped franchising!

Nice name for a burger joint...



That's a pic of... Guess What

The owners created it next door to their steak house, the "Cotton Patch".
The Cotton Patch eventually closed down, but Boll Weevil grew.

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator

Nice name for a burger joint...

I, too, always thought that was kind of odd. Of course, every time I'm there I have to suppress the urge to break into a chorus of "Just lookin' for a home...."

http://www.clover.okstate.edu/fourh/aitc/lessons/extras/songs/weevil.pdf

Maybe that's why they're only in San Diego. No cotton fields here. I don't imagine this name would draw big crowds in the south...

quote:

Originally posted by Stupid_American

The owners created it next door to their steak house, the "Cotton Patch".
The Cotton Patch eventually closed down, but Boll Weevil grew.

Knowing that, now it makes sense! I like their sense of humor
Hmmmm, Boll Weevil grows, Cotton Patch goes away...kind of turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy???

quote:

Originally posted by Salustra

quote:

Originally posted by Stupid_American

The owners created it next door to their steak house, the "Cotton Patch".
The Cotton Patch eventually closed down, but Boll Weevil grew.

Knowing that, now it makes sense! I like their sense of humor
Hmmmm, Boll Weevil grows, Cotton Patch goes away...kind of turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy???

Oh. I understand now. Hungry BW eats lame Cotton Patch. The owners must surely be from LA (Lower Alabama). BTW, absolutely NO PUN/insult intended... (Look up my locale.. )

Wow, with out a doubt this chain is the absolute shame of my hometown. Tasteless burgers. Try changing the grease for the fries once and a while. As gross as the name.

I lived in El Cajon for 15 years and the Boll Weevil on 2nd Street is still there!! Yum!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator

Nice name for a burger joint...



That's a pic of... Guess What

Was thinking the same... a crop destroying bug... great name,,, lol

The Cotton Patch was always my favorite steak house, while growing up in SD. I was always told that they opened the Boll Weevil next door, so as to have an outlet for the steak trimmings that they ground into burgers.

Boll Weevil has been around for yrs.. Burgers are not as flavorful as they used to be...I'm now an admirer of In and Out.. I like the fact that they use kennabec potatoes for their fries..the best fry potato ever..

The Boll Weevil in Escondido was shuttered tight and dark at 8pm last Friday night. I haven't found any info yet as to if that was a fluke or permanent.

El Cajon has been flattened also.

"The Family" has given up operating their restaurants.
The few stores left are franchises.

Had a steerburger in Lemon Grove Monday.

went to the one in Escondido last April during my visit to see the ex bf in San Diego..

tasteless burger in a worn looking 70's style place with 70's style video games and jukebox.

I was about the only customer there for lunch.

still glad I got to experience it before it shut down....thanks for the update on the shuttered doors