This article originally written by Jane Shambra with the title "Birth of the Biloxi Burger, from Abbie's to Burger Burger" for BNews Monthly, the monthly newsletter of the City of Biloxi. Photographs courtesy of the LHG Image Collection / Local History & Genealogy Department / Harrison County Library System unless otherwise specified.
Early Biloxi Burgers
The first hamburgers in Biloxi were bunless. They were served uncovered on a plate and were simply called "hamburger steaks." As American foods became less formal and workers and tourists needed more portable food selections, the hamburger became a tasty and desired dish. One of the first popular hamburger restaurants to settle in Biloxi was called The Hamburger King. In 1927, it was located on Howard Avenue between Magnolia and Delauney streets in an area now known as G. E. Ohr Street. It was situated right in the middle of downtown Biloxi. Their menu included "real hamburgers," hot dogs, sandwiches, and homemade pies. Also around 1927, another hamburger restaurant opened in Biloxi under the direction of jazz pioneer Albert "Abbie" Brunies (1900-1978) and his wife Mildred Anderson Brunies (1908-1990). Abbie was an accomplished and renowned jazz musician. The establishment was called Abbie's Little Diner for about 30 years and became one of the most famous restaurants in Biloxi. The diner was located at the end of Benachi Avenue new Lasalle Street in the Bay Terrace section of Biloxi.
A Brief History of Burgers
The cuisine of our early settlers included alligator, rabbit, deer, bear, seafood, and fowl, which was cooked by roasting or boiling of the catch of the day by way of an open flame. The process of grounding meat into a patty and placing it between two slices of bread as a savory meal was not envisioned by Monsieur Lemoyne D’Iberville. In fact, the hamburger was said to have been first created in the New World in the mid-1800s when Dr. James Henry Salisbury of New York created a lean meat diet for patients suffering from anemia, rheumatism and gout. Thus, the Salisbury Steak was born.
Before the Biloxi Burgers
Mr. Brunies didn’t always cook hamburgers. He began playing trumpet (coronet) at the age of 12. He was born in New Orleans in 1900 to Henry Brunies and Elizabeth Lotz of Swiss and German descent. One of his famous jazz bands was titled the Albert Brunies Halfway House Orchestra. This Halfway House was actually a jazz club that was named for its location in New Orleans, half way between the French Quarter and Lake Pontchartrain. His recordings were released on many record labels including Columbia and Ohkey records. His band produced more than 20 recordings between 1925 and 1928. The famous Halfway House hosted a farewell dance in February 1927. Back in day, there was no television, and music was available through radio stations nationwide. Way before the days of text messaging and beeper messaging, someone could send a special song request to Mr. Brunies’ orchestra via a Western Union telegram message. Biloxi’s first radio station was located in the Buena Vista Hotel, approximately where our baseball stadium is today. Legend has it that one of Abbie’s eight recordings for Columbia records was accomplished with his brother Merritt on the roof of the Buena Vista Hotel.
Abbie’s Little Diner
Abbie’s Little Diner was a tiny restaurant on Benachi Avenue just about a block off Biloxi’s Back Bay. It began with a dream and, by 1946, it became one of Biloxi’s lasting memorable eating establishments. It was about the size of a closet and catered to nearby students at Notre Dame High School. Sandwiches were a specialty at the diner. The most popular one was their invention of the 18-inch hamburger called the “Burger Burger.” It was served on po-boy bread, covered with a tasty secret brown sauce, dressed with yellow mustard and chopped raw onions. Traditionally fries and a Barq’s root beer accompanied this glorious treat. In 1949, when bubble gum had raged to popularity, the Brunies would also sell gum, drawing an even larger crowd to include the younger folks. An interesting detail about Abbie’s Little Diner was the counter where a couple of coins appeared to be astray. When one tried to touch them, swipe them or pick them up, they would find them immovable. During the holiday season, the diner would close from Christmas through New Years to allow employees time to spend with family. In 1987, the diner was sold and would soon begin a new journey as a popular burger establishment in Biloxi.
Burger Burger
Martha Ann Ebberman, a Biloxi native, visited Abbie’s Little Diner often and when an opportunity came up in 1987, she bought the diner and the trademark recipe. Martha kept the diner open, serving the favored Burger Burger until 1993. She did, however, continue serving Burger Burgers through a restaurant in Ocean Springs. Years later, a conversation between Martha and Biloxi businessman Jamie Sablich led to establishment of a new restaurant in Biloxi. The treasure of Abbie’s Little Diner now lives on at Burger Burger, located at 1039 Howard Avenue. The grand-opening of the restaurant was celebrated in January of 2001and today still operates in the same building, just northeast of the Lopez-Quave Public Safety Center. This quaint, comfortable little house takes us back to a time when all-wood buildings would be filled with that wonderful atmosphere, great conversation, and, of course, one of the best burgers, sandwiches and breakfast choices in all of Biloxi. Burger Burger offers daily lunch specials such as Iced Tea served with red beans and rice, sausage, fried pork chops, baked chicken, meatloaf, country fried steak, spaghetti and meatballs and more. This hidden gem is the place to go for home cooked breakfast and lunch options, where both locals and visitors can “pass a good time.” Burger Burger is truly an icon of Biloxi’s resilience and resolve, enduring hurricanes, drastic street reconstruction, and the unexpected pandemic.
Thank you, Burger Burger, for keeping the spirit of Biloxi alive and well.
Looking to learn more about Abbie’s and Burger Burger? Visit the Local History and Genealogy Department of the Biloxi Library at 580 Howard Avenue, next to the Biloxi Civic Center. As a matter of fact, Abbie Brunies’ famous accomplishments were recently brought to life through a recent donation of memorabilia to the department.
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