In a recent Gallup poll, San Luis Obispo County ranked number 7 for “Communities in Overall Well Being,” this may be due to the fact that SLO County has a couple of the top rated hamburger shacks in the nation. A February article by Business Insider, titled “The 50 Best Burger Joints in America,” recently rated Sylvester’s Burgers in Atascadero as 48, and Wee Shack in Morro Bay as 36 for the nation’s 50 best places to grab a juicy national tradition. Granted, it was not an official poll, though the online publication does boast of an average of 70 million views a month.
Brian Englund, owner of Sylverster’s located at 6455 El Camino in Atascadero, does not put much stock in the polls. He says it is still nice to get some recognition, but it’s nothing new. Englund said, “We’ve had the Food Network and other bigger national type places come in and we almost shooed them off in a way. We don’t really care like most people about that.”
What Englund does care about is the SLO community and his employees. “We just won best burger in North County…but we don’t do it for that, we do it for our local community,” Englund said. “The people that come in regularly and think of us as their hometown spot to take their kids to, to hang out with a friend that’s … that’s why we do it all for, not the awards that comes with it.” Englund also said that part of the businesses’ success can be attributed to the dedication to help his employees grow.
Englund welcomes locals to contact the business if they are interested in fundraising. And the restaurant does put its money where its mouth is; Englund estimates that the three Sylvester’s in the county have raised “at least $100,000” for local charities in the last year. One way the stores raise funds is with their “give to get” cards. The cards are worth any burger on their menu, fries and a drink. A portion of the card’s proceeds is donated to a local participating charity.
When Englund opened the Atascadero and Oceano stores he wanted to keep the feel of the original Los Osos burger shack. Sylvester’s uses fresh ingredients such as locally made bread and farm fresh produce and never uses frozen meat, but its most important ingredient is that their food is made with love. Englund said, “We have about 90 some employees and each one I can say that I genuinely like and they kind of spread that love themselves. It’s not a fake greeting at the door, it’s really real.” To help spread the love, the Sylvester’s will gift you a free burger on your birthday.
The second burger joint to score in the top 50 was the Wee Shack at 1698 Main St, Morro Bay, coming in at rating 37 out of 50. Owned and operated by the local Ngo family, the Wee Shack’s name is phonetic, named after brother Huy (pronounced Wee).
Started in 2011, the Shack was the only burger place at its time to offer all fresh food. They only use daily made buns and the vegetables are delivered twice a day, every day. Wayne Ngo, the oldest of three brothers, said that there is no reall secret to making a good hamburger. “Burgers are very basic food,” said Wayne, “and I think as long as you stick to the basics and keep everything simple and as fresh as you can, it’s amazing how it comes out.” Wayne conceded that there might be a little secret to their great tasting burgers. Wayne added, “We have our own sauces, so they are recipes that we developed and came up with a lot of trial and error.” The youngest brother Hoai (pronounced Why) was instrumental in developing the Shack Sauce. An investment banker by trade, Hoai decided to enroll in culinary institute during a slow point in the industry. The three brothers Wayne, Huy and Hoai (Huy is the second of three and will happily to tell you about the woes of being the middle child) sat down and tested and experimented until they found a culinary combination worthy of the name Shack Sauce.
Like all local places, those ‘in the know’ can get a little more bang for their buck. The Shack once featured the Hondo; a John Wayne styled burger with extra cheese, bacon and bun that customers can still request even though it is not listed on menu. And if someone wants to order their fresh cut french fries with some Shack Sauce and grilled onions, “Sure, no problem,” said Wayne.
The Ngo family also strives to give back to their hometown. “Whenever we can, we will help with fundraisers, or gift certificates for door prices and that kind of stuff,” said Wayne. In an effort to help fund the Morro Bay bike park, the Wee Shack held a fundraising dinner.
By Mark A. Diaz
