The culinary scene is popping in downtown San Jose, with new white-table restaurants and cuisine from around the world. And the neighborhood also welcomed two new businesses serving one of the most American dishes of all: hamburgers.
Sixth Street Burgers and Astroid Burgers both opened their doors a couple months apart right in the heart of downtown—and just a block away from each other. And the entrepreneurs at both places have big dreams.
Abram Chandler, founder of Sixth Street Burgers, was born and raised on Sixth Street, so his entrepreneurial journey is a real return to home. Hugo Garcia, the owner of Astroid Burgers—and an immigrant who came to the States at the age of eight—entered the burger lane to pay tribute to American fast food chains. Two contrasting journeys with one similar goal of creating a dining experience that will leave an authentic mark on the city of San Jose.
Sixth Street Burgers, on the corner of Santa Clara and Sixth streets, sits right across the street from San Jose City Hall. Born and raised two blocks away, Abram Chandler, 47, attended Horace Mann Elementary right on Sixth Street, where he grew up with his family. Chandler says he’s always wanted to get into the restaurant space, though he’s been a plumbing contractor by trade since 2004.
“Not sure exactly what I wanted to do, I landed on burgers because I thought there was a need for a true burger place in San Jose. I used to come to this particular building, which was a VHS store called Top Video,” Chandler says, going into detail how, in more than one way, this spot is a real return to home and a full-circle moment for him with the launch of Sixth Street Burgers on March 7.
Chandler enumerates several things that sets Sixth Street apart from their competitors: using a Wagyu blend for their patties, which are topped with “New School American” cheese (an aged cheddar with just three ingredients), and then placed on Martin’s Potato Rolls, imported from Pennsylvania. Sixth Street Burgers also serves scoops of Marianne’s Ice Cream, a beloved Santa Cruz brand.
Prior to moving in, he and his team demolished the space and left an open window to the kitchen so that customers could see the cooks and chefs at work. Aesthetically, Chandler wanted a modern dining feel for the concept; the menu touches on that theme, but with a more tailored approach for all items beyond just the patties.
In addition to single, double and triple hamburgers, Sixth Street serves all-beef hot dogs, a fried bologna sandwich and smashed burger tacos. Chandler was born and raised in downtown San Jose surrounded by a big Latin community, so he says that combining burgers with tacos captures the authentic feel of his upbringing.
Sense of Place
When asked about the name for the shop he says, “It’s where I’m from and I have a lot of pride from where I’m from, and to be able to come back and give back to the community is important.” He says this name also fits because both he and his partner want Sixth Street to become a staple for the community, where people come with friends and feel like they’re at home.
Even though this is just the first location, Chandler can envision a trajectory of expansion in the Bay Area. “We really want this to be a testament to our love and dedication to our community. An atmosphere that feels like home with an aim to make a meaningful impact with the community,” says Chandler, as he highlights the power of food, where friendships are forged and memories are made. He also looks forward to adding local craft beers from Gilroy and Berkeley taprooms—something he says will happen soon.
Business partner Ricky Hobson, 46, says that he met Chandler while working at a restaurant in downtown San Jose five years ago. This is his first opportunity to open a restaurant and it’s a dream come true, he says. “My road here consists of working in the restaurant industry for 30 years with starting as a busser, to a server, to a bartender,” Hobson says, revealing the hard work he’s put in to make it here with Chandler at Sixth Street.
“I just love people,” Hobson says, explaining what he likes about working in the restaurant industry. While pursuing a sociology degree in college, he figured out that he enjoyed learning about people.
Robson and Chandler met in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic at Rookies Sports Lodge on First Street in downtown, which is a spot owned by Robson’s brother. Over the course of five years the two of them bonded over football, so Chandler asked him if he wanted to be a partner in opening the new burger shop. Inside Sixth Street Burgers, a 98-inch television is mounted on the wall for sports fanatics to enjoy—one of the biggest attractions, along with the milkshakes that are mixed with Marianne’s ice cream.
Hobson says that Chandler entertained this idea a year ago, when they heard about the spot opening up, and they decided to go in on it together. Chandler knew people in construction to help build this place and had it done in just five brief months. Both Chandler and Robson worked 80-plus hours a week to get the place up and running. In the aftermath of the pandemic, Sixth Street Burgers is one of the companies hoping to be part of an era of progress and expansion in the city.
Hobson, born and raised in San Jose on the south side, says it means a lot to work for himself and call a place his own. “We see the fruits of our labor by putting in a lot of hours and have every guest tell us thank you,” Hobson says. And both add that many first-time customers have claimed their burgers were the best they ever had.
Flight Path
Launching just over a month ago on May 2, Hugo Garcia, 28, opened Astroid Burgers and Wings with older brother Alex Garcia right in the heart of downtown San Jose. They began their food and hospitality career with Mexican-flavored coffee franchise Con Azucar Cafe, with shops in San Jose, Sacramento, Bakersfield and other cities as well. With Astroid Burgers they are making their mark with the dining experience that segues to the American dining experience. The galaxy-themed burger spot is inspired by Pizza Planet in the Toy Story franchise, a favorite of Garcia’s when he first came to the US as a child.
With Astroid Burgers and Wings, Garcia wants to compete with the big-name fast-food chains in the States. When he migrated to America from Mexico City at the age of eight with his 11-year-old brother, going to college wasn’t an option. “As a Latino, once you hit the age that you can work, you have to. I started working at the age of 14 as a landscaper and helping a catering company,” Garcia says. “Being a Dreamer means to succeed and make the American dream come true. … If we can do it, they can do it. To follow the dream and never give up, our dream was to open a restaurant.”
“From me being an immigrant and succeeding to being a citizen since I’m a resident, it’s hard to see what is going on because a lot of immigrants are here to see their dreams come true. They are not here to do anything hard toward society. I am trying to help out other dreamers have their dreams come true by giving people opportunities to become managers,” Garcia says, in response to the current state of the country, with ICE conducting mass deportations. He says that he is giving the opportunity to his colleagues to open other franchises. The current 13 Con Azucar locations, he says, are just the start of what is to come.
Garcia says that people would be surprised by how many people are out there who want a business but don’t know how to start it because they want something that’s already proven. The new Astroid location has received so much traffic in the first month that the conversation of franchising has already begun.
As far as what to expect, Garcia describes his joint as a galaxy-themed burger shop and wings emporium that serves pressed, Saturn-shaped burgers: “It brings the kid out in people, but not just from kids but adults too.” In terms of what to expect on the wings menu, look for mango habanero, traditional buffalo, lemon pepper, hot honey hot and cajun garlic. Patrons can make it a combo with galaxy fries, served with cheese, grilled onions and Astroid’s sauce, a tangy and sweet orange condiment. Milkshakes and slushies will be added to the menu as soon as the machines arrive.
Though just starting out, Garcia says that he could see the future of Astroid Burgers and Wings stretching all the way to Times Square some day. On its way there, he sees franchises sprouting near colleges and universities—and he’s already talking about locations as disparate as Berkeley and Kansas City.
