Anas Masoud’s first burgers were the minced lamb kofta his mom made, served on pita. The family, Palestinian immigrants via Jordan, settled on the south side in the late 80s. Money was tight, but the traditional Middle Eastern food that Suad cooked had a reputation.

“That was one of the ways we made ends meet,” says Masoud. “She would cook out of the house, and my dad would sell the food to the dealerships on Western where all the Middle Eastern men worked.”

But for the family, Suad liked to mix it up, offering kofta toppings such as onion, ketchup, lettuce, and tomato to his father, Muneer, and his four siblings.

“I think it was whatever we had at our disposal,” he says. “But I have to imagine she wanted us to feel American, maybe with an Arabic twist. Like, here’s a burger, but it’s a

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