The Barstool Fund - Burger Hut Burgers (Special Guest Aaron Rodgers)
Up next: Burger Hut Burgers (Chico, CA)
A family owned and operated restaurant tradition, Burger Hut Burgers takes pride in being a part of the community. Their philosophy remains simple -- provide quality fresh food at reasonable prices and let the guests decide what goes on their burgers.
Reader Email
Our story begins…. In 1978, we had a plan to work in a friendly environment where our guests would be welcomed and always feel comfortable; one that offered quality food at value prices. We wanted to serve food quickly, but not serve fast food. We wanted to serve popular and common food (after all, what is more common than a burger in the USA?) but prepare it in an uncommon way -- with special attention to quality and selection. We wanted our guests to have plenty of fresh choices when it came to condiments. We wanted a place we could be proud of and where we would make lots of new friends!
The original Burger Hut in Chico, California was located just across the railroad tracks from California State University, Chico. Over the years we have consistently provided quick value-packed meals to college students, while helping many work their way through school as employees. As our popularity grew, so did our business, and we opened several other Burger Hut locations nearby.
Today, Burger Hut continues to serve the highest quality food. A family owned and operated restaurant tradition, Burger Hut Burgers takes pride in being a part of the community. Our philosophy remains simple -- provide quality fresh food at reasonable prices and let the guests decide what goes on their burgers.
Two generations of our family have made a commitment to keep quality high and our attention personalized. We are not just another burger place. Our Secret Sauce is a traditional recipe of mouthwatering goodness that only we prepare. Our Fresh Fixin's Bar features the finest and freshest produce and condiments available anywhere. We baste all of our burgers with our own Signature Recipe Barbecue Sauce, for uniquely tasty, charbroiled perfection. We also get to know our guests by name.
Our family grew our business. Our employees are our family as well, as is our community. Family is important here at Burger Hut, and now we would like to welcome you into our family too. We want to get to know you better. We want you to know that we care about you and every person you come into contact within this business: from the vendors and service providers, to your employees and guests. We want you to enjoy this experience as much as we have.
That is our “Story” on our website. We are 40 years’ worth of happy burger eaters and currently operate two locations in Chico, CA. We have employed thousands in our restaurants, helping many students pay rent and put food in their stomachs as they attempt to expand their minds at Chico State University, Butte Community College, and at our two Chico high schools. Chico is a community of over 100,000 but still has a small-town soul. It also has one of the largest city parks in the united states, that literally cuts through the middle of our lives. At heart we are a Farming and University town that is family oriented, student dependent and outdoors crazy.
In Chico, Burger Hut is considered a “Living Legend” and was awarded this honor years ago in the annual “Best of Chico” Chico News and Review readership voting. We are one of the oldest family-owned businesses currently operating in Chico and have seen continued growth, up until March of 2020. Our Self-Serve Build It Yourself Better Burger concept is just trying to pivot and adapt to what has become constant change with unpredictable returns.
Our “community” has also seen more than its share of catastrophe the last few years. Our neighbors to the east in Paradise and to the south east in Oroville have seen unprecedented Fire Tragedy in 2018 and again in 2020. We are bedroom communities to each other, and we share a common story of tragedy and loss. 2020 unfortunately also brought us a global pandemic that has only added to our communal distress. It is the lasting fatigue that bonds us. We are anxious to move forward and away from this string a catastrophes and remain hopeful and motivated for better times ahead.
Today, we are also part of the growing number of independent businesses throughout this country, that are by and large trying to do the “right thing” and “survive” during these unprecedented, challenging and heartbreaking times that we are living in. Those two goals, doing the right thing and surviving are often in conflict, not only for a small business trying to be open but also for our country. We are a mixed bag of choices. And choices do have consequences. We only hope that we can heal, together.
As you know, independent restaurants are dying on the vine and the outlook is grim. We have seen many businesses in our area close permanently, simply because they were less able to pivot and weather the storm. Often these have been friends we have gotten to know along the way. People with stories of their own. Endings that have been realized too early and others, yet to be told. We are resilient but no different than some of the less fortunate as we look ahead to 2021. How could any of us have predicted where things would be today.
The impact is significant. Our year over year sales are down roughly 40%. Being a typical restaurant, we operate on very thin margins and a loss this large is hard to comprehend, to adapt to and sustain. We have however seen continuous improvement since we reopened in May. We have shown steady progress despite continual changes in the rules of operations as determined by our State and County government. Compounding these losses, we were also unable to reopen our newest third restaurant, which is located near Sacramento. Because of the impact of the lockdowns, the unknown road to recovery and in large part a landlord’s unwillingness to work with us towards any meaningful relief with rent, we were forced to make the hard decision to not reopen. On top of the loss of business we have become more reliant on 3rd party delivery for new sales. This opportunity has been a helpful option with sales and cashflow but is unprofitable. As more and more restaurants are finding out, a 20-30% commission for the delivery company is not sustainable.
We are not giving up though. We have adapted as best we can and continue to evolve towards, what we hope are better times ahead. We are constantly looking for financial help, in whatever form it may take. We were fortunate to benefit from PPP money and EIDL money. This money has allowed us to reopen, remain open and to survive. Even though we knew this money would help, we are not out of the woods, as the pandemic and its impact and restrictions are now moving into their 10th month. We continue to pivot and part of that means looking for and going after every opportunity for help available. That is why we are reaching out to you.
We know we are but one of probably thousands of similar stories in this country, but we are also unique in what we stand for in our community. We care. We care about people’s wellbeing. We do our best to follow all guidelines and comply with all mandates, because it means it might help keep people safe. We care and we abide despite what others choose to do. We are part of our employees and customers lives. This community is part of our family. They have taught us much and we hope we can continue to feed, to support, to inspire and to learn from them, for many years to come.
Us writing to you also means that you care. Your support of our beloved industry is, inspirational. As you consider our story, please think of us as a good investment and example of what your help can mean as we support and continue to be part of the fabric of our community.
Best regards and thank you for your consideration,
Rick and Erin Kusie and the wider Burger Hut Family
