"A staple of my childhood": North Highlands community rallies to keep Lou's Burgers open
NORTH HIGHLANDS — A North Highlands staple that's been open for more than 60 years is facing a new hurdle. Lou's Burgers says after surviving the pandemic and record inflation, they now can't afford to stay at their current location.
There is now a last-minute push to save the drive-in.
Since 1958, Lou's has served up good food fast. From the time the order comes in, it's made fresh and it's out the door.
Owner Leilan Kitchens and her husband, Robert, run the North Highlands staple. Open 64 years, it's almost frozen in time—a retro diner with nostalgia on the menu.
"In this crazy world these days, sometimes it's just really nice to go back somewhere you know you got a good burger," Kitchens said.
Customers Lindsey and Jonathan say when it comes to Lou's, they want to get their fix while they can.
"It's a staple of my childhood," Lindsey said.
Kitchens said a last resort would be moving to a new location or shutting the doors for good. She said they've been priced out by the building's owners with a looming monthly rent spike they can't afford.
"They want to increase it by $2,000," she said.
Kitchens says that's a jump from about $3,500 a month to $5,500 a month. To keep the lights on, they'd have to charge 20 bucks a burger—tripling their current prices.
"I won't feel comfortable as a person doing that," she said.
Kitchens says their rent counteroffer was denied and they are now looking for a new shop to relocate to.
"People have been coming here since they were babies," she said. "They're bringing their babies."
She says the best option is buying the building and registering it as a historic landmark so they can't be priced out. But at a price tag of $1.2 million, it's another option that's off the table.
"I just don't see how a business in North Highlands can survive like that," Kitchens said.
So the fight continues to keep the last standing Lou's burgers open for business.
The community has rallied behind Lou's Burgers, holding car show fundraisers at the diner to help them stay open. Plans are in the works to host more in the near future.