Photo: Farmer BoysFarmer’s Burger
The Californian one: two quarter-pound patties with hickory-smoked bacon, American cheese, fresh produce, thousand island and a layer of hand-smashed avocado. The avocado cools down the bacon and makes the whole thing creamy. It is big and messy, and the order that makes Farmer Boys feel different from national chains.
The story
Two brothers from Cyprus, the Havadjias family, took over a small restaurant called McCoy’s in Perris, east of Los Angeles, in 1981 and renamed it Farmer Boys that August. It never left the Inland Empire in spirit — head office is in Riverside — and the menu reads like a Californian diner rather than a drive-thru, with buns baked locally and avocado treated as an everyday ingredient. The chain likes a gesture, too: in February 2020 it temporarily renamed itself Farmer Girls to mark Women’s History Month.
What’s inside
- 2 × 1/4 lb beef patties
- hickory smoked bacon
- American cheese
- farm fresh produce
- hand-smashed avocado
- 1000 island dressing
- bun
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the Farmer’s Burger yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef, bacon, avocado and cheese
Peter’s Fuddruckers Burger - Shares beef, bacon, cheese and a double stack
Peter’s Triple Bacon Burger - Shares beef, bacon and cheese
Dean’s Breakfast Burger from Supernatural - Shares beef, bacon and cheese
Cheeseburger Wellington
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the Farmer’s Burger.- Shake Shack · beef, bacon, avocado and a special sauce
Avocado Bacon Burger - Ruby's Diner · beef, bacon, avocado and a special sauce
The Cobb Burger - Whataburger · beef, bacon, avocado and cheese
Avocado Bacon Burger - Burger Urge · beef, bacon, a special sauce and cheese
Chonky Bacon Boi
More from Farmer Boys
About Farmer Boys
The Havadjias brothers came to California from Cyprus and, in 1981, took over a small restaurant called McCoy’s in Perris, in the Inland Empire east of Los Angeles. They renamed it Farmer Boys that August, and the chain has stayed rooted in the region, with its headquarters in nearby Riverside.
More than a hundred restaurants in California, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado.
Not affiliated with Farmer Boys. Trademarks belong to their owners. The photo is credited under it and is used to illustrate this menu item; it comes down on request.