Adjacent to Fullerton College on Chapman Avenue sits Mr. Fries Man, a small restaurant that offers tasty variations on a fast-food staple.

The restaurant is the work of Craig Batiste, an urban chef in Los Angeles, who, with his wife Dorothy, started Mr. Fries Man in Gardena, California, in 2017, maintaining it in a single location for several years until 2020, when the Batiste’s decided to branch out and franchise. Donald Malone Jr owns the Fullerton franchise.

Sharing a building space with R&B Tea, customers can come to expect a relatively sparse setup. The inside of the restaurant mostly consists of a small waiting area populated with a decor and color scheme that appeals to the eye, as well as one large counter for ordering and picking up food, along with a soda fountain for drinks, and the outside area offering limited seating for customers to wait and enjoy their food.

Cuisine-wise, the restaurant, as is evident by the name, primarily specializes in french fries, but they serve more as a base for the various items that one can choose to put on them.

Having fries as a base, customers can create various combinations, as the menu offers customers proteins in the form of chicken, shrimp, or steak, along with sauces that range from classics such as barbeque and ranch to honey garlic and mango habanero.

Customers can also choose to put additional toppings on top if they desire to, with options including the proteins mentioned above, bacon, chili, crab, extra sauce, and extra cheese.

Regarding popular combinations, Malone said that some favorites include barbeque bacon ranch chicken, honey garlic shrimp and steak, and lemon garlic crab and shrimp.

There are several other popular combinations that can be found in-person and online -with prices varying depending on one’s choice of size and toppings.

There is also a vegan or vegetarian protein option available in plant-based meat.

The restaurant makes all of its orders fresh using quality ingredients. The fries are perfectly salty and crunchy and the meats savory, and the sauces pair well with the food.

The restaurant also offers a takeout option for those looking to eat somewhere else.

Despite opening during the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant continues to be a success with customers with numerous locations all across California, Utah and Arizona.

Mr. Fries Man is open every day from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.