The Sweet Daddy @ Genny's Diner in Louisville

Today I accomplished a new feat. Something that I thought was previously not able to be accomplished by my slim 173 pound soaking wet body. I finished an entire Sweet Daddy at Genny's Diner.

Genny's is one of those places that I have said I wanted to go for some time, but previously had not gotten around to it. It is an old school local establishment on Frankfurt Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky. The truth is that I was always unsure of my ability to conquer the burger feast I encountered today so I put off the trip. I made the lunch appointment with a great guy from my work site in Louisville a few weeks back as I know he enjoys burger joints, would potentially cheer me on, and not let me leave there without achieving the goal. Everything worked out and I would probably not have made it to the finish line without him.

This is how it went down...

I looked up the menu this morning to remind myself of what sweetness I was in for. Genny's menu declares that the Sweet Daddy weighs in at 1 1/4 pounds topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and mayo. Cheese is $2.50 extra. I'll come back to the weight of the meat shortly.

We arrived, parked right in front, and snapped a few pics. My colleague encouraged me to get crazy with the pics as he knew what I was in for. We entered, as we learned throughout our dining experience, through the wrong door. I say this because we sat next to the correct entrance and they had one of those super annoying Halloween witch noise makers and it went off for every patron entering the diner. The place was empty when we went in and I asked the young waitress if we could sit wherever we wanted trying to make light of the emptiness.



At certain points in time this place was apparently hopping but was shut down recently due to a fire next door - which is another story. And they no longer serve alcohol, hence, why I dropped the 'Pub' from the name. But, it is obviously back open now. We got our menus, I ordered a lemonade and he ordered a cream soda. We glanced over the menus while waiting for our beverages. Since my order was predetermined - I momentarily tried backing out but circled back rather quickly - he selected the medium 10 oz. burger combo with fries. I ordered the Sweet Daddy solo because I knew I had some work ahead of me and I really don't like fries all that much anyway.

When my monstrosity arrived with a long bamboo skewer spiked down the center I knew it was going to be tough. Seeing pictures online are one thing, but this meat pile was something else. I still think if his was 10 oz, then mine was 30 instead of the advertised 20. The Sweet Daddy comes with 3 burgers stacked with condiments on the top and bottom and a soft bun anchoring it's position. You really need 3 or four hands to work this food for 4. I stuck to my routine and stabbed it with my knife to cut it in half. I added nothing outside of what it came with. I ordered it medium expecting medium to medium-well. My fancy is always medium-rare, but I didn't want to take any chances getting sick while gorging myself. It came out medium-well as expected.

I came out of the gate strong and ate nearly all of the first half with the exception of some lettuce and tomatoes that slipped onto my plate. It was a true challenge to maneuver this beast. I could hold and squeeze it no problem, but fitting it into my mouth was not possible by any means. I worked the stack well without much going anywhere other than my plate or mouth.

The second half came naturally as well. I was feeling good. I eat a lot of cheeseburgers and a lot of food in general. I tried to keep a good pace on the rest but slowed near the end. I cut the remaining second half into a half of it's own and worked most of it with a fork. When I got down to the last piece of patty I debated over and over if I should throw in the towel fearing to be sick at work later. With solid encouragement I ate every last bit of meat. After breaking through and finishing the mission at hand, I continued on with some of the lettuce and tomato scraps since I was in zone. I hate wasting food. I always tease my fiance with: "That (insert animal name) died for you." Most of the time I mean it, I really don't like wasting food.

The moral of the story is that I ate a whole Genny's Diner Sweet Daddy buger. I wouldn't rate the burger on my top ten list, but the experience is one that I will always recall. I don't know if I'll make it back because I already ate enough for three trips and I really believe I had well over 20 ounces of meat. I hope you enjoy the pictures I posted throughout.

Click HERE if you want to see the whole slideshow.