Back Yard Burgers
A Mississippi Delta drive-thru that grills its burgers over an open flame, like at home.
About Back Yard Burgers
Lattimore Michael opened the first Back Yard Burgers in Cleveland, Mississippi, on 21 March 1987. The name sets the tone: Black Angus beef, flame-grilled so it tastes like a cookout in someone’s back yard. The first restaurants were drive-thru only, and franchising started a year later.
The chain grew across the South to 179 restaurants by 2007, then a bankruptcy and several changes of owner shrank it dramatically. Only a few locations are left today, which makes it a small piece of Southern fast-food history as much as a place to eat. The menu has kept its focus on third-pound flame-grilled burgers.
Only a handful of restaurants remain, in Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida and Illinois. At its peak in 2007 there were 179.
Burger menu
Signature burgers first. Only burgers and sandwiches, no sides.
Not affiliated with Back Yard Burgers. Trademarks and logos belong to their owners. Descriptions are my own; nutrition figures come from the chain’s published information, checked September 2026.