The Sun Sunnyvale's Newspaper Photograph by Skye Dunlap Despite its laid-back look, Kal's meets its corporate customers' needs by serving a quick lunch. Here, owner Kenneth H. Sheene proudly offers up a burger and fries. Kal's barbecue enjoys a high-tech following By Pam Marino Amidst the office parks of Sunnyvale sits a restaurant that is a throwback to an earlier part of this century when "rustic" was just the way people liked their barbecue houses, complete with an indoor barbecue pit, unfinished wood siding and picnic tables out front. Kal's BBQ, a Sunnyvale landmark for more than 40 years, is still very rustic, despite its stark, concrete next-door neighbor on N. Mathilda Avenue, the Supreme Court racquetball club. Smoke from the grill rises up out of Kal's, surrounding the restaurant with a smell that brings back fond memories of back-yard cookouts and group picnics. And just as the decor at Kal's hasn't changed much over the years, the food hasn't, either. While other burger restaurants are adding veggie patties to their menus, Kal's is still serving up hand-formed, juicy, 100-percent beef hamburgers, thick steaks the staff cuts themselves, and Texas-style chili. "We buy a huge quantity of hamburger meat and steaks," said Chun Sheene, owner of Kal's with her husband, Kenneth, for 20 years. "Every morning we make fresh hamburger patties." Nothing is added to the patties, which are cooked over a fire fueled by mesquite. The restaurant is famous for its steak sandwiches and steak dinners, Sheene said. For those less inclined toward red meat, there are barbecue turkey and chicken sandwiches, which are popular choices, she said. Although the restaurant and the food is old-fashioned barbecue-style, the service isn't, Sheene said. The staff prides itself on serving the lunch-hour rush as quickly as possible. Most of the customers at lunch come from surrounding office buildings. "Silicon Valley labor is so expensive here; we need to get them in and out fast," Sheene said. "A lot of people come in here and they appreciate it because we're so fast." Portions are generous at Kal's; dinners include garlic bread, salad and French fries. At lunch, for just $1, Kal's will add salad and fries to any burger, hot dog or sandwich. What most people don't realize, Sheene said, is that Kal's is open for business at 6 a.m. on weekdays (7 a.m. on Saturdays) to serve breakfast until 11 a.m. Eggs, bacon, sausage, steak, pancakes, French toast and omelets are available. "People really like our pancakes," Sheene said. Kal's does catering for events, but only if the food is picked up--they don't deliver. Kal's will rent out its restaurant after it closes at 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays for private parties. Kal's BBQ is located at 425 N. Mathilda Ave., Sunnyvale, 739-5271. Hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, and 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturdays. Kal's is closed Sundays. [ Back to Contents Page | Sunnyvale Sun Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, October 21, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.