At Cal Burger & More, Maya \u201cYaya\u201d Murchison-Turner smashes burgers in six different ways. The Classic melts American and jack cheese on top of seared beef. Onions, pickles, tomato, lettuce, mayo and a \u201cGo Crazy\u201d sauce complete the order. The craziness lands on more complicated smash burgers like the Mozza Ranch or the Smokehouse. But customers can still have it their way, too.<\/p>\n
Murchison-Turner describes herself as a \u201cserial entrepreneur\u201d with previous experience in PR and branding businesses. Cal Burger & More is her first restaurant. At 3am while perusing the internet, she noticed that the similarly named Cal Burger, which sold burgers and burritos, was up for sale. When she went to see the location, right across the street from the UC Berkeley campus, Murchison-Turner saw potential.<\/p>\n
While researching other burger joints, she noticed that people loved Cal\u2019s Fried Chicken and Burgers\u2019 Smash N\u2019 Cheese, made with macaroni and cheese. To launch Cal Burger & More, she thought of a cool equivalent thanks to her daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went to the mall years ago,\u201d Murchison-Turner recalled. \u201cShe ordered this hamburger and it had everything you could possibly think of on top of it, and one of the things they had on there was mozzarella sticks.\u201d The burger was crunchy and had an \u201cawesome cheese pull.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Mozza Ranch Smash is her version of that mall burger. \u201cThe menu is made up of a lot of stuff that I like,\u201d Murchison-Turner said. Another favorite is the Smokehouse which combines barbecue sauce, onion rings and bacon on a burger. \u201cI add lettuce and tomato, but I know everybody doesn\u2019t. So I did it without lettuce and tomato, but you can add it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Before opening, Murchison-Turner read reviews of the Cal Burger that closed. She found comments about the food being inconsistent along with long wait times.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made sure the people that I hired were trained to make it the exact same way so that the quality of my food would be consistent,\u201d she said. Her experience as a retail manager in customer service also informed her approach. \u201cIf the people [hired] were personable, if you\u2019re having conversations, if you\u2019re taking their input back in, you\u2019ll do great,\u201d she said. \u201cI just felt like I had what it took to go ahead and make it great even though it\u2019s the same location with a very similar name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Most burger shops offer milkshakes, but Murchison-Turner is a self-professed lemonade junkie. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter where I am\u2014what country, what city, what state\u2014if there\u2019s lemonade on the menu, I\u2019m ordering it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But Cal Burger & More\u2019s Crazyades are lemonade concoctions made with flavored syrups, fruit, candy or even boba. The syrups are imported from France. A dragon fruit syrup is just one ingredient in a special Crazyade called The Mermaid. Lemon and blue raspberry flavors are in the mix and topped with a candy bowl. If The Mermaid doesn\u2019t satisfy one\u2019s sweet tooth, I\u2019m afraid nothing ever will.<\/p>\n
Cal Burger & More also serves six different kinds of chicken wings, onion rings, french fries and mozzarella sticks sans smash burgers. The beef it serves is now halal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started using Harris Ranch certified Angus; it\u2019s really good, excellent quality of meat,\u201d Murchison-Turner said. \u201cBut the community, everyone coming in, were asking for halal.\u201d So she decided to switch it up. \u201cI\u2019m getting halal from Harris Ranch and I\u2019m also doing halal chicken wings,\u201d she said. Vegetarians have the option to order a plant-based Beyond smashburger.<\/p>\n
The restaurant has its very own app for delivery or for pick-up orders. \u201cThe other thing is that we have a queue inside of our dining room,\u201d Murchison-Turner said. \u201cWhen your order comes into the kitchen, you can actually watch on the screen and see where it is and when it\u2019s ready.\u201d Shy, introverted customers should keep this in mind: If they download the app and upload their picture, it will show up onscreen next to their order.<\/p>\n
Murchison-Turner stocked the dining room with board games and cards. \u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of students coming in to eat and do their homework \u2026 and that\u2019s what I want,\u201d she said. \u201cI just want it to be a place where they\u2019re like, \u2018Hey, let\u2019s go get something to eat and stay for a while.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cal Burger & More, open Mon-Fri, 11am to 8pm, 1805 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. IG: @calburger.gocrazy<\/a><\/p>\n