New West Oakland burger joint paying homage to Hyphy culture sees early success
Running a restaurant isn't easy, but a local food influencer is taking on the challenge. He's opened up a bold new burger joint in West Oakland, paying tribute to Bay Area hip-hop culture.
Darion Frazier knows good food. He's spent years eating it, reviewing it, and telling his more than 200,000 followers where to find it.
But these days, his best culinary recommendation isn't on his feed—it's in West Oakland, at his new restaurant.
"None of us had any restaurant experience so we didn't know what the outcome was going to be," Frazier told CBS News Bay Area.
Less than a month in, Hyphy Burger isn't just open, it's "going dumb," which in Oakland speak is a very good thing.
Hyphy, which started in Oakland in the early 2000s, is a lifestyle built on fast beats, loud cars and even louder personalities.
"It's the Bay culture. It's the music, it's the slang, even the airbrushing, this is part of Hyphy," Frazier said.
And just like the movement it's named after, his burger joint brings big flavor, big energy, and a cultural infusion to a city that could use it.
Though crime numbers dropped in 2024, Oakland businesses have been shutting down for years, citing safety concerns and tough economic times. But Frazier and his partners seemed to have cracked the code.
The secret? Smash burgers, a little elbow grease and a whole lotta Hyphy.
And customers are eating it up. Darlene Young, an Oakland native, said she saw a story about Hyphy on the news and decided to check it out.
"It tastes good," she said, before adding: "they need to come out with more burgers."
