{"id":301644,"date":"2026-05-05T23:53:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T23:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/301644\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T23:53:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T23:53:07","slug":"infamous-hamburger-project-shuts-down-mission-location-following-raw-beef-incident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/301644\/","title":{"rendered":"Infamous Hamburger Project Shuts Down Mission Location Following Raw Beef Incident"},"content":{"rendered":"

After less than a year in operation, smash burger spot Hamburger Project<\/a> closed its Guerrero Street location as of Sunday, April 19. Co-owner Tan Truong confirmed the news to Eater SF via text, stating, \u201cWe simply weren\u2019t getting the traction needed at that location.\u201d<\/p>\n

The closure comes less than a month after the restaurant made unsavory headlines in late March. A photo captured tubes of raw ground beef left outside the restaurant\u2019s door during a heatwave and was subsequently posted to Reddit<\/a>. The thread went viral, and the restaurant was forced to respond in a statement on Instagram<\/a>, noting that the product was \u201cimmediately discarded as it was obviously compromised by being on the ground, without proper temperature control.\u201d Truong told the San Francisco Chronicle<\/a> at the time that staff weren\u2019t present at the restaurant to receive the order, resulting in the delivery driver leaving four packages of raw meat and a jar of mayonnaise outside the door.<\/p>\n

The original Divisadero Street location of Hamburger Project remains open, Truong confirms. That space had its own controversy, following a December 2024 clash between Geoffrey Lee and influencer Kathleen Ensign<\/a> over her review of the restaurant in its opening month. Lee ultimately stepped back from Hamburger Project and his other restaurants \u2014 then-open Handroll Project and Michelin Guide-listed sushi restaurant Ju-Ni<\/a> \u2014 as of January 3, 2025.<\/p>\n

During the ensuing issue around the raw beef delivery at Guerrero Street, on March 23, Lee clarified his role at those restaurants via Instagram<\/a>. He stated that he is not involved in the day-to-day operations and that he has \u201cminimal\u201d involvement in Hamburger Project other than supporting the restaurant \u201cduring high-volume moments\u201d \u2014 a statement that the restaurant shared via its Instagram page. He further clarified that he was asked to return to Ju-Ni due to his \u201cspecific skill set\u201d \u2014 presumably as sushi chef \u2014 and that his current position \u201cis centered on a more focused and intentional dining experience\u201d there.<\/p>\n