Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Lieu Tran (left) and her sister, Judy Tran manage the Classic Burger on Los Gatos Boulevard.
Classic Burgers offers many additional fast food favorites
Special price for canines on soft ice cream
By Suzanne Cristallo
Tell all of your canine friends: They can get soft-serve ice cream with a smile for only 50 cents at Classic Burgers of Los Gatos. Check it out on weekends. Lots of waggy mutts, and some pretty aristocratic ones, too, have learned to cluster around the pick-up window in anticipation of their treats after a brisk walk.
"They love it!" exclaims owner Lieu Tran, who made the special price when she saw how many dogs were indulging. The folks on the other end of the leashes, however, still have to pay 89 cents for a small one for themselves, but most want a big one--dipped in chocolate.
Lieu and husband Nam bought the Classic Burger on Los Gatos Boulevard in 1991. It was a one-of-a-kind private business.
It's definitely a family operation. While Nam continues to run his own insurance brokerage while selling real estate, he also does the books and payroll for the restaurant. But it's Lieu and her sister Judy who manage the store 12 hours a day, seven days a week, flipping burgers, overseeing three part-timers, working with customers and maintaining the store.
Recently the store got a new look, including a concrete patio, which has replaced the familiar wooden deck of many years, and large outdoor tables with bright umbrellas. Inside, there are new vinyl floors, wall-length mirrors and a new color scheme.
Each day the sisters feature a different sandwich special that includes small fries and a soft drink: Monday, it's a single burger or grilled cheese for $3.79; Tuesday, it's a chicken or fish fillet for $4.55; Wednesday, it's barbecue beef or linguica for $4.65; Thursday, it's turkey melt or grilled ham and cheese for $4.49; and Friday, it's rib-eye steak or shrimp in a basket for $5.75. On weekends, all of the above are choices.
The sisters boast that their food is cooked to order--"not the fastest, but the best." That's a big challenge, considering they offer 17 kinds of sandwiches, in addition to their standard quarter-pound hamburgers and hot dogs, and all of the side orders, such as mozzarella cheese sticks, zucchini and burritos.
"The fresh veggie burgers are really popular," Lieu says. So are the milk shakes, floats and sundaes. But a surprise is in the kid's menu--peanut butter sandwiches head the list of six choices not usually seen on fast-food children's menus.
It could be the Tran children's influence. Since they have been small, they have helped their mother and aunt at the restaurant. Now Los Gatos High School students Stanley, 15, and Helene, 13, come by after school to help out.
"It's helping them learn about money and how to time things," Lieu says proudly. "They're also learning skills for the time when they are on their own." Lieu emphasizes that the children are where she can see them every day. "I don't want them on their own yet," she explains, adding with a smile, "after college they can be free. Not before!"
Los Gatos residents, Lieu and Nam met through work when both were in insurance in the 1980s. He is a native of China, was reared in Vietnam and emigrated to the United States in 1970 to attend college first in Monterey, then at San Jose State University. Lieu, also Chinese-Vietnamese, came to this area in 1980.
Classic Burgers of Los Gatos, 15737 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos. Open Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m-9:30 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. 408.356.6910.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
