Hollywood Burger officially shuttered its location at 8807 Santa Monica Blvd on Thursday. General Manager Kenny Goodman, who has led the establishment for four years, reflected on the closure, its significance, and the challenges the restaurant has faced in recent years.
Hollywood Burger had planned to close its location at 8807 Santa Monica Blvd after Sunday, February 9, but instead shuttered unexpectedly on Thursday, several days ahead of schedule. General Manager Kenny Goodman, who has led the establishment for four years, reflected on the closure, its significance, and the challenges the restaurant has faced in recent years.
Q: What does Hollywood Burger mean to the staff and regular customers?
Kenny Goodman: It’s part of the community. I’ve been working here for four years, built it up, made it a staple. Sadly, there’s just not enough foot traffic, but a lot of our regulars come every day. It was really nice. I think it was a good spot for the community.
Q: Has there been anyone who’s been coming since day one?
Kenny Goodman: Oh yeah, all the time. I know most of the people by name now.
Q: How have customers reacted to news of the closure?
Kenny Goodman: Some people are sad. Some are really nice: they say,”Aww, I’ll miss coming here.” They’re a few who actually do come every day, who literally eat here every day. They really like it. So it’s nice that they enjoy the food and the service and all.
Q: Was the closure expected, or was there hope things would turn around?
Kenny Goodman: There was hope things would turn around. We were not planning to close—I wanted to stay here for a while.
Q: Were efforts undertaken to save the business? New promotions, extended hours?
Kenny Goodman: Both, actually. We extended our hours to stay open later till midnight to match with the bars. Then we also do a monthly burger or new shake to get more people to come in to try new stuff. We had wings before and now we switched to bites. Just different items.
Q: What was the biggest challenge?
Kenny Goodman: Lack of foot traffic. There’s just not many people here during the day. I think it’s mostly because we have a lot of public workers in the area. (Goodman clarified that he was referring to Metro Drivers, UPS, FedEx, and others working long shifts on a set schedule. He said they might be more likely to pack their own lunch to eat on-the-go. In common usage, the term refers to those employed by a local or central government.)
Q: What’s next for the owners and the staff? Will the Hollywood location stay open?
Kenny Goodman: Yeah, we’re gonna stay there for a while and then eventually open in a new spot. The goal is to open eight to ten more stores in the LA area.
Q: Do you have a message for your customers who are sad to see Hollywood Burger go?
Kenny Goodman: We do have another location at Hollywood and Vine (6250 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028). If you guys loved us, please come support us over there. We hope to see you guys soon.
Hollywood Burger’s closure marks the end of a community hub where friendships were formed and regulars felt at home. While the restaurant may no longer be serving its famous burgers at this location, the memories will remain with those who frequented the space.
As someone who lives on Larrabee and frequently walks by there in the daytime I’m not really buying the lack of foot traffic excuse. Is it Times Sqaure? No but there are plenty of people walking around and I think over all the food was just average and it’s much better at LA Buns in terms of quality. Parking also is an issue as most people driving by don’t know about the lot across from the car wash. Strange choices on that block as the Kale Crazy place never had a chance and what took over for Yogurt Stop is… Read more »
Unfortunately The Rainbow District foot traffic is a crowd catering to late hours and drinking. The daytime crowd is minimal and this entire block has become a dead zone. I wish the street had a more options rather than bars/nightclubs. Look to Larchmont Village to see a great example of a walkable street filled with options to explore
Yeah, but also, why are you gonna open up a walk-up business on a dead street?
Larchmont Village is a single block that everyone must drive to, isolated by impenetrable rows of the most expensive real estate in the country. I think it’s imperative that we redefine LA’s perceptions of a walkable street…
Shame on THEM for opening a pricey hamburger STORE next to a less expensive “less is more” hamburger STAND.