legs, a blue hat and bowtie, and a jacket with white and red stripes.[3] It holds a sign bearing the Blake's name.

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Blake's Lotaburger was founded by Blake Chanslor, who moved from Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico after World War II.[4] Chanslor opened his first "Lota Burger" stand on July 9, 1952. His initial investment in the business was $5,300, and his stand was 230 square feet (21 m2), on the corner of San Mateo and Southern, in southeast Albuquerque. In 1953, he opened two more stores.[5][6]

Chanslor expanded Lotaburger to 23 cities in New Mexico, with 35 stores in Albuquerque. Chanslor remained the owner until 2003, when he sold his interest to the father-son team of Ronald C. and Brian Rule.[7] The restaurants are known as Blake’s Lotaburger.[when?] Asof 2017, the company owned and operated 74 stores.[8]

According to the Albuquerque Journal in 1994, Lotaburger helped popularize the use of green chiles as a condiment on hamburgers.[9] In 2006, the company was recognized by National Geographic for the “Best Green Chile Cheeseburger in the World".[10] In 2009, the New Mexico Tourism Department listed the restaurants as one of the state's destinations on the Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail.[11][12]

In June 2013, the company announced it would open its first Texas location would open that fall on El Paso's west side.[13][14] A second El Paso location opened in June 2014 on the city's east sid. The company announced plans in early 2015 to expand to Tucson, Arizona.[15]

Blake's signature menu item is the Lotaburger, which is commonly ordered with cheese and