Subprime Burger
Amidst Financial Ruin, a Burger Rises

Complicated financial math is in the air—leveraged subprime loans, derivative swaps and billion-dollar write-downs.

Which is why you should be on your way to 1 2 3 Burger Shot Beer right about now.

The financial model at 1 2 3 is refreshingly un-complex: one-dollar burgers, two-dollar shots and three-dollar beers.

Sure, it's a cheesy Hell's Kitchen bar that advertises itself as a place to "relive your best spring break moments" (which truly sounds frightening), but it serves a purpose. Think: Pop Burger meets White Castle meets Rusty Knot with a strong whiff of Murray Hill. In other words, it's an ideal place to drop off the grid (and have a Jolly Rancher shot) while the financial system restores itself.

At a whopping $6, we're pretty confident that 1 2 3 is the most financially attractive prix-fixe menu in town. Yes, the burgers are small—but, indeed, a five-pack of sliders, an Alabama Slamma shooter and a Bud Heavy is all the ten-dollar adult Happy Meal you need to contemplate whether the money you're saving is enough to bail out Lehman or AIG. It's not exactly the Mad Men, three-martini lunch you're used to, but who needs oysters and Old Fashioneds when you can have waffle fries and Screaming Orgasm shots.

Oh, and you'll be glad to know 1 2 3 accepts credit.