Jan 02, 2025
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- Sometimes the simplest pleasures in life come in the most ordinary, humble and nondescript packages. Take Burger Hut. It’s been in the same spot, next door to a vacant shoe-shine business, for 49 years now. It’ll be an even half-century later in 2025, and in that time Burger Hut has had four owners – for the last six years South Korean immigrant Sehoon Park, who goes by his middle name, Abe. He worked in his native Seoul as a software engineer before moving to Bakersfield a decade ago with his wife, who’s in the medical field. At first he worked at a sushi restaurant, then he opened a cookie shop but it went bust.  "I failed and I closed," Park said. "I went bankrupt. That’s when somebody helped me to take over this place. And I started six years ago." Then the pandemic hit. He lost his one and only employee and very nearly his business. "My customers (went) down to half size," he said. "But now it’s a recovery. People like my hamburger." Apple agrees to $95M settlement over Siri eavesdropping claims: Who could get payments, if it’s approved Do they ever. With a pared down menu – bacon cheeseburgers, and other good ol’ American standards – and a focus on freshness, he has developed a steady but not overwhelming clientele. All he can handle, actually – he’s a one-man show. "I cannot handle more customers," he said. "Sometimes your customers are like, 'Oh, your burgers are the best, I’ll bring my friends and all of my relatives.'" "Oh… please, please!," Park said, holding his index finger to his lips in a "shh!" gesture. "Make this place second place for you." Second choice? If not Burger Hut, where? Surely he’s not suggesting a national chain? "Yeah, Five Guys," Park said. "Five Guys or … Actually, I like Carl's Jr." Well, at least Abe Park is willing to brag about Burger Hut’s ambiance. "It looks very antique and cozy...very old fashioned style," he said. "And people like the warmer feeling I think." Antique? Cozy? No arguments here. If you’re inclined to go downtown for a hamburger, take Abe Park’s advice. Don’t come to his place. He’s too busy.
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