Remembering Five Points’ “Burger in a Hurry”
If you drive through Five Points today, it is easy to get caught up in the modern rhythm of Tuscaloosa. But for those of us who remember the city in the 1960s and 70s, the intersection carries the phantom aroma of crinkly paper bags, hot grease, and flat-top seared beef. Long before national fast-food empires staked a claim on every corner of Tuscaloosa County, we had our own regional spots.
And at Five Points, the king of the quick lunch was Burger in a Hurry.
A Regional Icon
Established in Birmingham in 1961, Burger in a Hurry was a bold, early attempt to capture the fast-paced energy of post-war car culture. While they had grand plans to stretch to places like New Orleans and Houston, they kept their footprint tight—mostly dotting the Birmingham area, with one notable venture down in Hialeah, Florida, and of course, our beloved spot right here in Tuscaloosa.
For the local crowd, it wasn’t just a place to grab a bite; it was an institution of “firsts.” It was where teenagers went for their very first job interviews, nervously sitting across from a manager in the mid-1960s hoping to land a spot on the crew. It was a place built on the simple promise of good, fast food before “fast food” became a corporate science.
The Changing of the Guard
The writing on the wall appeared in the late 1960s and early 70s. As McDonald’s aggressively expanded across the state, the local operators of independent chains faced a choice: fight the corporate machinery or hand over the keys. In a bit of local irony, some of the very folks who ran our Burger in a Hurry eventually moved on to manage or direct training for the newly arriving McDonald’s franchises that ultimately took over the market.
By the late 1970s, the Burger in a Hurry chain was officially defunct.
Living History at Five Points
While the era of the 15-cent burger is long gone, the history isn’t completely lost to time. In fact, if you know what to look for, you can see it today. Unlike so many mid-century landmarks that were cleared away for modern development, the original Burger in a Hurry building at Five Points still stands.
Over the decades, it put on a few different uniforms—most notably serving the community as the Tuscaloosa Drug Store, with vinyl siding eventually covering up its retro roots. But the bones of that old roadside pitstop are right there, hiding in plain sight.
The next time you drive through the intersection, take a second look at that building. It is a surviving piece of the mid-century tapestry that makes our community’s history so incredibly rich.