Yellow Paper Burger, previously a pop-up burger restaurant in Eagle Rock, officially opened its first brick-and-mortar Jan. 4, according to founder Colin Fahrner. Fahrner said the brick-and-mortar opening marks over five years since the company opened as a pop-up restaurant in 2019.
Fahrner said he opened the store as a pop-up in the back of Tony’s Saloon, where he worked at the time. According to Fahrner, soon after he founded Yellow Paper, he and his wife Katie Reid Burnett began to set up their pop-up restaurants at different local businesses, including Walt’s Bar and Golden Gopher. Fahrner said he advertised the appearances via the restaurant’s Instagram account. During the pandemic, Fahrner said they continued to host Yellow Paper events in their backyard in Monterey Park.
“One of the awesome parts about the pop-up is we were able to build our following and get our name out there,” Fahrner said. “We’ve had people who have been coming from the first pop ups who are coming here now, and so we’ve built this really loyal, dedicated following.”
As customers arrive at Yellow Paper Burger’s new location at 1740 Colorado Blvd., they are reminded that the meal will be “Worth the Wait” by a red painted sign on the glass door. On the side of the building is a portrait painted by Jay Howell, the original character designer for the television show Bob’s Burgers, facing outwards to the patio where customers sit.
Customer Ryan Krientz said he and his wife Polly Canella ordered two double-double burgers and an apple hand pie made by Burnett. Krientz said it was their second time eating at the full-time location. Krientz said they first heard about Yellow Paper at the Altadena Beverage and Market and through pop-ups at Walt’s Bar.
“It’s such a nice collective spot to just be outdoors in the fresh air and catch up with people,” Krientz said. “[You can] have some delicious food and support a local business.”
The smash burger comes garnished with cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles and chopped chilies and wrapped in the namesake yellow parchment paper, according to Fahrner. Before the start of the pop-ups, Fahrner said he documented his favorite LA burgers on Instagram, which eventually inspired him to make his own. Fahrner said he aims to combine the classic burger with current food trends to create a spin on a regular cheeseburger.
“We’re not too pigeonholed in one thing or another totally,” Fahrner said. “We’re making it accessible to everybody.”
Fahrner said the complete menu now consists of — in addition to the burgers — the classic dive bar snack of a pickled-egg plate, Burnett’s homemade apple hand pies, tater tots and hot dogs.
“This place used to be a hot dog joint called Meea’s for 10 years,” Fahrner said. “It’s a homage to the neighborhood and to the old spot.”
The business is also expecting to start selling beer and wine in the next month, according to Fahrner. According to Teri Gamble, a Yellow Paper team member and friend of the Fahrners, business has been going well.
“When it’s a weekend, it is just nonstop and it’s just people, people, people, people all day,” Gamble said. “I love it when people come right back in halfway through the meal and order something to go.”
Despite the new location’s heightened popularity, they experienced difficulty as the Eaton and Palisades fires began in the first week of their opening, forcing them to shut down operations for a short time, according to Gamble.
“We did that opening weekend, and then the fire started a week after, so we closed a couple of days that week, but luckily everything’s still here,” Fahrner said.
However, according to Gamble, the business took advantage of the opportunity to serve the community, cooking for first responders in the area.
“To be able to feed people in that kind of an environment was really heartening,” Gamble said. “To be able to really feel like an asset to our community immediately really galvanized us as a team and got us really excited to be here and continue to come in and do this.”
Yellow Paper Burger has become a valuable addition to the Eagle Rock community, according to Krientz.
“To have people in the community who care about the community, building a brick-and-mortar restaurant business — that’s what you want,” Krientz said.
According to Fahrner, the team’s dedication and commitment are what sustain the business in these uncertain times.
“We love what we’re doing, and the challenges are always going to be there, but it just makes us stronger,” he said.
Yellow Paper Burger’s hours are Wednesday through Sunday 1-7 p.m.
Contact Paige Thomas at pthomas2@oxy.edu.
