The old-timey Clown Burger restaurant near Fort Worth thrives under new owners

Bud Kennedy
·2 min read

You can’t keep a good Clown down.

An ownership change has rejuvenated Clown Burger, a beloved 1950s-style burger grill at 5020 Stanley Keller Road.

Clown Burger’s long-standing owners, the Louthan family, always vowed nothing would change from the day the Clown opened on East Belknap Street in 1959.

Now, regulars say new owner Willie Odell is upholding that legacy.

Odell has added a few menu items. Onion rings are now a big seller. Fried pickles and jalapeno poppers weren’t standard 1950s fare.

Signage is plentiful at Clown Burger in Haltom City May 18, 2023.
Signage is plentiful at Clown Burger in Haltom City May 18, 2023.

The dining rooms are brighter and less cluttered, and Odell also added tables outside.

Fountain drinks and ice cream floats are coming soon, he said.

But the ⅙-pound thin-patty burgers (order a double or triple) and fries didn’t change, he said.

If Clown Burger looks like an ancient throwback, “that’s the way I’m going to try to keep it,” said Odell, the former owner of popular Burgers & More on nearby Broadway Avenue.

A Clown Burger jalapeno double cheeseburger with fries.
A Clown Burger jalapeno double cheeseburger with fries.

“I don’t want to change a thing about the atmosphere,” he said — “I want to keep it like the same old place people love.”

Matt and Willie Odell bought Clown Burger from the Louthans last year with help from Renee Medford of the Dixie House restaurants.

They cleaned it up and replaced some kitchen equipment. They reopened in January.

One change: Clown Burger is now open until 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, giving families from nearby cities more time to come out after school, work or games.

The sign says Clown Hamburgers, but everyone knows it as Clown Burger
The sign says Clown Hamburgers, but everyone knows it as Clown Burger

For now, the crowd comes mostly at lunch. But Odell plans to add an outdoor patio that will draw business on mild evenings.

Also coming: a working jukebox. Odell found an antique and is filling it with 45-rpm vinyl. He hopes to connect it to the 1960s speakers at each table.

So the Clown is changing its look, but not its era.

Elvis Presley posters and clippings retain a place of honor in Clown Burger, May 18, 2023.
Elvis Presley posters and clippings retain a place of honor in Clown Burger, May 18, 2023.

The original 1959 restaurant was a drive-in with a canopy at 5512 E. Belknap when that street was the main highway north to Denton and Oklahoma or east to Dallas via Texas 183.

The current location, 1 mile south of Loop 820, opened in 1994. The original Clown closed in 1995.

Clown Burger is open for lunch and early dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays; 817-782-9961, facebook.com/ClownBurger.