The Lenny Burger serves it up
Owners say they are learning from public feedback
Jessica Davey-Quantick
Northern News Services
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
When The Lenny Burger officially reopened on Dec. 29, it was like a family reunion.
Store manager Belen Baltazar, left, and co-owner Sasha Jason stand by the counter in The Lenny Burger. The restaurant opened on Dec. 29. - Jessica Davey-Quantick/NNSL photo |
The independent burger joint re-opened in the space once occupied by KFC, which was operated by two generations of the Jason family.
"There's just a lot of history in this location and building for us," said Sasha Jason, who co-owns The Lenny Burger along with her brother, Matthew. Their parents and grandparents ran KFC and the original Lenny's next door, in what's now Coldwell Banker.
It's not just the Jasons who have returned, though. Belen Baltazar used to manage the KFC, and is back at the helm of the new restaurant.
"It's nice to be back where I belong," said Baltazar.
Yellowknifers are also back. The restaurant was originally planned to open before the end of 2015, but delays left people hungry for a year. On top of fried chicken, the new Lenny Burger sells a mix of items from cheeseburgers to poutine and house-made salads.
"My experience is people saying, 'Oh it's better than KFC.' Not to toot our own horn," said Jason. "We're really happy with the way the product turned out, Matthew put a lot of work into making sure it was just right and I think he did an amazing job with that."
Jason said that in their first weeks, they have been consistently packed from open until close. She said the community support so far has been amazing. But with great expectations come great responsibility - and many Internet comments. In the days after The Lenny Burger opened, online forums and groups were awash in feedback, both good and bad.
"I've seen them," said Jason, of the reviews. "I think in regards to that, we had an opening, there was some feedback, and obviously we try our best to make everyone happy and give everyone products and service that they will enjoy and appreciate."
She added her team has been taking the feedback to heart, and that things a running more smoothly now.
"There's also been really, really amazing, positive comments left on there," she said. "We've gotten really wonderful private messages sent to us and just people stopping by."
Baltazar said that for her part, the staff is paying attention, especially now that the business is no longer a franchise and they have the freedom to make adjustments.
"The good thing about The Lenny Burger, (is) we're flexible," she said. "Now we can make our own menu, we can make our own promotions, depending on our customers needs ... We follow what the customer wants."
Currently The Lenny Burger offers take-away service only, but Jason said the sit-in dining room will be open soon, with a plan to eventually offer seating for between 50 and 60 people in a licensed venue offering special dishes in addition to the regular menu. She didn't provide an exact date when that portion of the restaurant will be open, calling it "a well kept secret at this point."
