Willow Glen Resident

Business

Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Comfort Food: Mojo Burger owners Carole and Peter Favre opened their second location in the Willow Glen Shopping Center. The eatery uses organic chicken and Angus beef.

Get your Mojo on, try a burger at Willow Glen's new eatery

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

Carole Favre, co-owner of the new Mojo Burger in Willow Glen, wears a necklace that says Mrs. Mojo. It swings back and forth as she greets customers.

Inside the restaurant, the grill sizzles as burgers are cooked to order. Waiting customers can check out the surfboards near the register as they sit on retro-diner stools sprinkled throughout the eatery. There's a children's area with two TVs mounted in the walls above miniature seating. One of them, a flat-panel TV, overlooks the general seating area.

Favre and her husband, Peter, opened Mojo Burger on Oct. 16 in the Willow Glen Village shopping center at the corner of Bird and Minnesota avenues, and the Willow Glen community received them with hunger.

"We did more in our first three hours here in Willow Glen than we did in two days at our first location," Favre says.

Willow Glen residents had found out about the restaurant through elist chatter and had gone out to try the burgers at the 6041 Snell Ave. location, Favre says.

Favre says Mojo Burger offers something other restaurants have lacked for a long time--flavor.

Both Favres worked at McDonald's Corp. for more than 10 years and were ready to make a change.

"We thought we could produce a better product and have better customer service," Favre says.

The restaurant's burgers are made with organic chicken and Angus beef. Along with the traditional burgers, there is a section on the menu labeled "Comfort Food." These nostalgic reminders of childhood include macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, chili cheese dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches.

With the combination of fresh products, a no-frozen-meat rule and everything cooked to order, Mojo stands out, the owners say.

The first location was opened in 2003 and was received well, but the Favres say the residents in Willow Glen have the same mindset as the owners.

"We wanted to put our second location where the community understood our idea of cooking natural food," she says.

Favre also likes the community and says Mojo will be a good fit for Willow Glen.

"The community is more involved with each other," she says. "There's that small-town feel."

The Favres plan to get involved in the neighborhood.

"We connect with the community," says Peter Favre and he wants to be able to give back.

The Mojo Burger on Snell Avenue sponsors Oak Grove, Oak Ridge and Blossom Valley Little Leagues and also helps Santa Teresa High School.

"We were the food vendor for the band's carnival for four years," Favre says. "We donate a portion of the sales to the school."

The Favres were also involved with the Almaden Art and Wine festival this year.

Willow Glen resident Paul Mula says the Favres should feel right at home in Willow Glen.

"We needed a burger joint that was not another McDonald's or Burger King," Mula says. "They have good food, good portions, and I love the exposed kitchen."

Mojo Burger is in the Willow Glen Village shopping center at the corner of Bird and Minnesota avenues. Call 408.924.0595, or visit www.mojoburger.com.