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Restaurants in LA, Toronto get business boost from Drake and Kendrick Lamar spat

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Restaurants in LA, Toronto get business boost from Drake and Kendrick Lamar spat

The ongoing beef between rap titans Kendrick Lamar and Drake has been one of the hottest topics in music in 2024. From back-to-back diss tracks, music videos, and a concert that united the West Coast on Juneteenth, the feud produced content that will be remembered in hip-hop history.

Amidst fans arguing about who won the battle, the real champions in this spat are the local businesses thriving thanks to getting a nod from Kendrick or Drake.

Here are the restaurants that catapulted amid the beef:

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Tam’s Burgers − Compton, California

In the “Not Like Us” music video, which has 41 million views at the time of publication, Kendrick Lamar and DJ Mustard, who produced the record, pulled up in front of Tam’s Burgers. At one point, the duo is seen enjoying a meal and sitting inside the restaurant with a woman dancing beside them.

Tam’s Burgers has been around since the early 70s and is known for its chili cheese fries, which Kendrick recommended in a 2012 interview. The owner, Spiro Vovos, told USA TODAY that the bacon cheeseburger and breakfast burrito are also staple items on the menu.

Several reports claim that Tam’s Burgers has seen a 30 to 40% boost in sales. Vovos clarified that there has been more of a surge in foot traffic and that more social media content creators are visiting the restaurant.

“We have a lot more people coming around the area and checking out the property and making their dues to Compton and our restaurant,” Vovos said Tuesday. “We did have an influx of sales at the beginning of the first week when Kendrick was there.”

Vovos said he was grateful that the Pulitzer prize-winning artist introduced Tam’s Burgers to a global audience. His grandfather, who founded the restaurant, used to serve Lamar when he was growing up and trying to break into the music industry.

“It’s kind of surreal for us. We were very happy to hear that he wanted to come and do it over there. And from that moment on, it’s been nothing but great for us and the community of Compton,” Vovos added. “We’re just so thankful and blessed.”

New Ho King −Toronto, Ontario

In Kendrick’s surgical diss track “Euphoria,”− released in April as a response to Drake’s “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,”− the lyrical architect rapped in a Toronto accent: “I be at New Ho King eatin’ fried rice with a dip sauce and a blammy, crodie.”

New Ho King is a late-night Chinese joint open until 4:30 a.m. on some days in Toronto, notably where Drake is from. The Canadian rapper also featured the restaurant in the “Family Matters” music video, his comeback to Lamar.

City News reported that the restaurant received a wave of customers and five-star reviews online after Kendrick’s initial shout-out. The eatery reportedly named a fried rice dish after him, dubbed the “Kendrick Lamar special.”

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USA TODAY reached out to New Ho King for comment.

Taylor Ardrey is a Trending News reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com

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