triple bypass: a surgical procedure to prevent blockage to the heart
flatline: to register no brain waves or heartbeat on a monitor
mascot: a person or character that brings attention to a brand, team, or establishment
die-hard: extremely devoted
entice: attract and convince
payroll: the list of people who get paid by a business
Themed Restaurant True To Its Name
The Heart Attack Grill, a hospital-themed restaurant in Las Vegas, offers free food to anyone who weighs over 350 pounds. The menu items are referred to as “prescriptions”, and include unhealthy choices such as triple bypass burgers, flatliner fries, buttermilk shakes and filterless cigarettes. Food is served to “patients” by waitresses dressed as nurses. Patients who can eat the biggest burgers are wheeled out of the restaurant in a wheelchair. In 2013, the unofficial mascot of the Heart Attack Grill, a man who ate there daily for many years, actually died of a heart attack. The die-hard patron, who referred to himself as “patient John”, wore a hospital gown and often stood at the entrance to entice people to enter. Patient John was featured on the menu and on souvenir T-shirts, but was never on the payroll.
