Marathon Burger, the Wagyu smashburger restaurant built around the legacy of Nipsey Hussle, is expanding out of Los Angeles for the first time with a planned drive-thru location in Las Vegas. Samiel “Blacc Sam” Asghedom, the late rapper's brother and the man behind the restaurant, confirmed the move in an Instagram video, saying the chain's first drive-thru will land in Las Vegas.
Asghedom shared the news during an appearance on the Brown Bag Mornings radio show on Power 106 FM in Los Angeles, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Brown Bag Mornings posted an Instagram video capturing his appearance, in which he discussed the brand's Vegas plans. The Review-Journal reported that it reached out to Marathon Burger for comment on the Las Vegas store.
Marathon Burger currently operates three locations across greater Los Angeles, plus a mobile food trailer that travels the region, per the same account. The flagship location opened in March 2025 at 7507 Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax District, in a space that once housed the original 1986 Johnny Rockets restaurant, according to the Los Angeles Times. Before settling into permanent storefronts, the concept began as a temporary pop-up in October 2024, as reported by CBS News.
A Childhood Dream Turned Family Business
Asghedom opened the first Marathon Burger location to fulfill a dream he and his brother shared since childhood: owning a restaurant together. That ambition traces back to the brothers working side by side as teenagers at Bayou Grille, an Inglewood restaurant, the Los Angeles Times reports. Marathon Burger now serves as an extension of Nipsey Hussle's broader Marathon brand, celebrating his legacy, entrepreneurial drive and community spirit.
The menu leans into elevated, regionally rooted comfort food: Wagyu beef smashed with onions on brioche buns, house-made pickles, organic hot wings, a portobello mushroom burger, and milkshakes made with Thrifty ice cream, a Southern California staple, according to the Los Angeles Times. It's a fast-casual format built around ingredients that push beyond typical drive-thru fare while keeping prices accessible.
Honoring a Rapper Whose Business Ventures Became a Movement
Nipsey Hussle, born Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was a Grammy Award-winning rapper and activist who was fatally shot at age 33 on March 31, 2019, outside his South Los Angeles retail business, CBS News reported. He earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album for his 2018 debut studio record Victory Lap and posthumously won two Grammy Awards in 2020 for the tracks “Racks in the Middle” and “Higher,” according to his Wikipedia page.
His original flagship venture, the Marathon Clothing store, opened in 2017 at the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue in South Los Angeles, an intersection the City of Los Angeles officially dedicated as Nipsey Hussle Square earlier this year, Hoodline reported. That corner remains a focal point for community memorial efforts; in March, runners with the Marathon Run Club took part in the L.A. Marathon to raise funds for the Neighborhood Nip Foundation and the revitalization of Nipsey Hussle Plaza push.
What's Still Unknown About the Vegas Location
Beyond confirming Las Vegas as the destination for the brand's first drive-thru, Asghedom has not detailed an exact site, an opening timeline, or the operational logistics of the new location. Marathon Burger's website, marathonburger.com, has not published additional details on the expansion. Hoodline previously reported that Marathon Burger's Los Angeles opening was designed to advance Nipsey Hussle's vision of economic empowerment, local ownership, and community wealth building, a mission the Las Vegas expansion appears poised to carry forward as the brand grows beyond Southern California for the first time.
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