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Creator of America’s best hamburger passes away

Kirkwood and East Lake Metro ATL

Creator of America’s best hamburger passes away

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Annie Bell Price. Photo taken by Buster Bean, obtained via https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anns-Snack-Bar/

Annie Bell Price. Photo taken by Buster Bean, obtained via https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anns-Snack-Bar/

Annie Bell Price, known as Ms. Ann to her customers, worked until the end making burgers at the restaurant that bears her name, Ann’s Snack Bar.

Price passed away over the weekend at age 72. Her sister-in-law, Josie, said Ann had recently celebrated her 72nd birthday.

“She was in there as often as she could get in there,” Josie told Decaturish. “She really loved what she was doing. She loved all of her customers. That was really her life. She really loved it and stayed in there as long as she could.”

She opened Ann’s on Memorial Drive in 1971. The long-time Atlanta institution became famous when the Wall Street Journal in 2007 declared her “Ghetto Burger” as the best in America. Consuming the double bacon chili cheeseburger is a badge of honor, a test of mettle and a rite of passage for any Atlanta resident.

Ms. Ann was also known for her enforcement of the rules at her establishment. Seating was limited and patrons sometimes waited hours for a spot at the counter. Anyone who tried to skip ahead found themselves staring down the spatula of Ms. Ann, who had no tolerance for rule breakers.

Josie said Ms. Ann would want to be remembered for, “Her spirit, her love of God, people and what she was doing.”

“She did make a big impression on the Atlanta area,” she said.

She said Ms.  Ann’s funeral is planned for Saturday but no other arrangements have been announced.

Doug Wood, who lives in the Kirkwood neighborhood, said Ms. Ann was a “Noteworthy Kirkwoodian” who will be missed by the community.

“Kirkwood notes the passing of Ms. Ann Bell Price, owner of Ann’s Snack Shop and home of the world famous ‘Ghetto Burger,'” Wood said. “Rest in Peace Ms. Ann.”

Portions of this story were provided courtesy of Atlanta INtown.

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