by Dan Sayles
photography by Rhiannon Mim

Thank goodness for local restaurants that serve hamburgers. Real hamburgers, that is, with the pleasing aroma of smoke and meat, and the sizzle of onions being grilled. Burgers at places like these are just simply better tasting, and the atmosphere is usually more relaxed than the average drive-through.

Many local places offer hamburgers for a decent price and can prove much more fulfilling, in terms of quality and service, than your standard chain restaurant. The Habit, a burger grill restaurant that has recently opened on Foothill and Chase, has impressed many with its simple yet broad menu. Choices range from the simple Charburger to the more exotic Teriyaki Burger, with pineapple and teriyaki sauce to titillate the senses. A trio of restaurants on D Street: Angel’s Restaurant, Roberta’s Inn, and T. Phillips, all offer hamburgers in comfortable and relaxed settings. Nestled inside the Brackett Field Airport in La Verne, is Norm’s Hangar, providing terrific cuisine and a rather breathtaking view of the local scenery. An then there’s the place against which all others are often measured: In-N-Out.

For the hamburger connoisseur in the La Verne area, here are a few helpful reviews.

photo by Rhiannon Mim

The Habit

The Habit, located in the newly built shopping plaza at Foothill and Chelsea, is new to La Verne. Customers can dine indoors or out on the patio. The menu selection at the Habit is small, but solid, offering not just hamburgers but salads and sandwiches, which is also a reason to come to this jaunty burger joint for its white albacore tuna filet grilled sandwich. But the Habit has an excellent burger base in its Charburger. Coming with a single or a double patty, the Charburger can be made to your specifications – tomatoes, extra pickles, grilled onions, etc. Instead of an obscenely large amount of lettuce, the Habit uses much more manageable, and possibly fresher, shredded lettuce. The Charburger’s only drawback is that is tastes a bit like In-N-Out burger, which is not necessarily a bad thing if you are a fan of In-N-Out. However, if you’re looking for something different, you may want to try something else. You might consider the Teriyaki Charburger, which provides a much more unique experience with its sweet teriyaki sauce and ring of sliced pineapple.

Score: 4.5/5.0

photo by Rhiannon Mim

Roberta’s Village Inn

Roberta‘s Village Inn, located on D Street in downtown La Verne, has changed little over the years, and in some cases, that can be a good thing, with its relaxed atmosphere and friendly waitresses. In stark contrast to The Habit’s more modern, quick and made-to-order delights, Roberta’s instead has a rather fun way to eat a hamburger: make it yourself. No, you don’t actually don an apron and grab a spatula, but you get the hamburger, meat, fries and the toppings on the side. The burger itself rests on an open-faced bun. This eliminates most of the fuss when ordering toppings. Simply put on the ones you want, seal the deal with the other half of the bun, and chow down. It is nothing life-changing, but it is nice. “We’ve been going here for a long time,” says Barbara Shipcott. “It’s all reasonably priced and delicious as well.”

For those who want a burger already made, this may be a bit cumbersome. However, for those who like to sit back and chat with other people or waitresses while they build their burger, it can be a nice change.

Score: 4.0/5.0

photo by Rhiannon Mim

Angel’s Place

Right across the street from Roberta’s Village Inn is Angel’s Place, a Greek and Mediterranean food restaurant. The cheeseburger it offers can be ordered with or without toppings, and it comes with fries. Although a solid hamburger in its own right, it falls prey to the infamous head of lettuce burger trap that plagues some restaurants. Namely: lettuce, and too much of it. Nothing kills a hamburger quicker than thinking you are eating a salad between two pieces of bread. It is all a minor inconvenience in an environment that produces a burger that anyone can enjoy, in their spacious restaurant, with big-screen televisions and amiable hosts. The price is reasonable as well.

Score: 3.5/5.0

Norm’s Hangar

Tucked away at Brackett Field, Norm’s Hangar offers diners a unique chance to watch planes and helicopters take off and land right in front of them as they eat. Norm’s offers a variety of burgers that are quite delectable – the ortega burger being one of them. Overall, it was good. However, given the size of the burger and relative tastelessness of the ortega chile, it was rather bland for something that has chile in it. It also had way too much lettuce, which consisted mostly of the spine and the base. The burger was fresh and well-cooked, but the toppings were not outstanding. Thankfully for burgers such as that, there are remedies on hand, such as ketchup or Norm’s own Uncle Kenny’s Fries, which seemed to snatch the spotlight from the hamburger. The Hot Burger, slathered with gravy with a side of mashed potatoes, provides a unique experience, and a delicious one at that, with flavorful gravy and creamy mashed potatoes. Despite the flaws in Norm’s burgers, Norm’s provides many alternatives to suit your tastes and desires, not to mention a really breathtaking view of the runways and of the surrounding mountainside.

Score: 3.0/5.0

photo by Rhiannon Mim

T. Phillip’s

T. Phillip’s, in downtown La Verne, offers an alternative to restaurants that offer one large burger that can fall apart. Their burger is on four pairs of buns with four small patties. Easily picked up with two fingers, these burgers come with a large helping of fries and a drink. The mini-burgers can be eaten slowly as you converse with family and friends in the friendly atmosphere – a roomy and cool interior, perfect for get-togethers and gatherings. It is a bit pricey, though, which could put a damper on your plans. But the price is quite worth it if you find yourself wanting a night out in downtown La Verne.

Score: 4.0/5.0

In-N-Out

In-N-Out, the Inland Empire’s fast food gem, certainly lives up to its reputation as an inexpensive, tasty and quick food stop. There is an In-N-Out located on the corner of D Street and Foothill Boulevard, with two drive-thru lanes and a small walk-in for those who want to sit down at the benches outside. In-N-Out has a deceptively simple menu: burgers, shakes, and fries. “In-N-Out has the best burgers at a fast food restaurant,” Timothy Hight says. “And great shakes and fries, too.”

The double-double itself was certainly delicious to eat, not too large either, and seems to have forgone the lettuce leaves for shredded lettuce. The burgers are freshly grilled, and can be arranged with whatever you like. In-N-Out is definitely recommended, thanks to the quality and low cost.

Score: 4.5/5.0

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Roberta’s Village Inn is located in downtown La Verne on “D” Street and has kept customers coming back since it first opened. / photo by Lauren Pollard

by Taryn Aguilar
photography by Lauren Pollard

“That’s Henry. That’s Gil. That’s Bob, Joe and Harry. And that’s Sam. He has the two eggs scrambled with wheat toast and mixed berries jelly. He has his eggs sunny-side-up and French toast on the weekends. He has hot chocolate. He has the coffee with two sugars, no cream. He has the eggs and hash browns and the steak and eggs on Saturdays. He has five meals to choose from, we call them one, two, three, four and five. He just says a number and we make it.”

Waitress Keri Veylupek knows her customers. Everyone is a regular. Like the old TV show “Cheers,” it’s where everybody knows your name, and even your breakfast habits.

Roberta Virgin bought La Verne’s Village Inn seven years ago and changed the name to Roberta’s Village Inn. The Village Inn had been around since 1969, but before that, it was a Chinese restaurant that opened in 1949. Before the Chinese restaurant was there, it was the town’s main meat market.

Before Roberta bought the Village Inn, she was a waitress and then a manager of the restaurant. What made her want to become an entrepreneur? The owner of the Village Inn was retiring and she still needed a job. Pretty good reason.

Roberta doesn’t come from La Verne, but for three decades, she has made a home at the Village Inn.

“I didn’t grow up in this town, but I grew up in this restaurant.”

That is the same sentiment that I come across in talking to my waitress, Keri. We talk as if we are two old friends catching up. Maybe it’s the atmosphere or the scrumptious ham-and-egg omelet I just devoured, but I feel really comfortable here. Roberta’s has that undeniable hometown feel. Keri and the other waitresses treat their customers like family. I feel at home here, even though this is only my first visit.

Keri was born in the Midwest, and her family would move every two years, making it difficult to find a real home or find stability and friends. She had been in California for two years when she got her waitressing job at Roberta’s.

“It’s the first time I really had a home. It’s the hub of the community. The Chamber of Commerce meets here. The Rotary Club meets here. It’s our Mayberry. I am happy every day here. You can’t put a price on that. I love what I do.”

It’s not every day that you find a person with such a passion for their job. There must be something in the French toast here at Roberta’s, because no one ever wants to leave.

There are a few main waitresses at Roberta’s. At the time of my visit, there was Mona, who’s been there for 10 years, and Alice, who’s been there for seven. It obviously has very low turnover, and it’s an environment that everyone clings to, from the customers to the waitresses.

I asked a waitress if there was a customer—a regular—who would be willing to let me sit down with them for a chat. She looked around and sent me straight to Mrs. E, who was sipping coffee in a lone booth—a rarity, because she comes to Roberta’s almost everyday with her family. But today she was alone.

Mrs. E has lived in La Verne for 45 years and has been coming to Roberta’s for 35. She tells me that, after a while, it becomes family, and that’s why she chooses Roberta’s—for the people.

“The girls are very efficient, very friendly. They just take care of you. People can go anywhere to have a meal. They come here because they want the service. They cater to you here.”

The regulars are the staple of Roberta’s business. Keri tells me that 85 percent of their customers are regulars, most of whom come in every day. They easily become a big extended family, people who genuinely care for each other. It’s not hard to start loving Roberta’s after sharing a delicious meal with them seven days a week.

Keri mentions that there are a few elderly people who often come to Roberta’s, and if they don’t come in for a few days, she will give them a ring to make sure all is well.

There is always something happening in Roberta’s. They should really consider charging admission because for the price of a cup of coffee, you can have all the entertainment in the world listening to the priceless conversations between the gentlemen at the coffee bar or the friendly banter of the waitresses and their customers, or rather, of friend and friend.

Roberta has been here for 30 years. What keeps her here are the people. It’s her comfort zone.

“There are people I’ve known since my first day here. Some have come and gone. But there are still a few that have been here since the beginning.”

The restaurant fits perfectly in its downtown setting. It remains old-fashioned, taking cash only, and serving only the best comfort foods. That is what Roberta takes pride in and she’s not about to change it any time soon. Roberta’s is a home for many people. The everyday patrons attend as if attending church.

The same few seats are worn, as the same people occupy them day in and day out. When the waitresses are prepping the restaurant before opening their doors at 7 a.m., they know not to just put silverware at every table, or refill the salt, sugar and pepper shakers, they also place waters at these reserved seats for their regulars.

Roberta remarks that these regulars can get quite feisty if they don’t get their regular seat. Perhaps these regulars have earned their seats. They are just as much a part of Roberta’s as their delicious ham-and-egg omelets, their crispy and tender French toast and their friendly service.

In talking with Roberta, you can sense her pride in the restaurant. She is a part of its history and it is a part of hers, but it doesn’t stop there.

“When 9/11 happened, we were very busy. I felt so guilty to be keeping my doors open during such a tragedy. But then I realized that people were coming here because it brought normalcy to their lives. To not stay open would deprive them of that.”

In terms of great food, genuinely good service and overall homey atmosphere, Roberta’s is a success. Roberta is quick to remind me that it is her waitresses and cooks who add their own contributions to make it successful. Keri chuckles as she tells me that people say they come for the entertainment, but I think they come here because it’s their home away from home.

Everything moves a little slower at Roberta’s, and for that one meal that you spend there, you gain a few friends and a story to tell. So, if you’re in downtown, your stomach needs nourishment and your brain needs stimulus, try Roberta’s Village Inn, if not for the entertainment, then for the French toast.

Mona Shumate (“Mona from Pomona”) shares a laugh with Jim Beckman, a Village Inn regular, while serving him breakfast at the coffee bar. Beckman stops by the Village Inn at least once a week for breakfast. / photo by Lauren Pollard

photo by Lauren Pollard

photo by Lauren Pollard

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