Jerry's Beefburgers
San Leandro, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
Another roadside delight, Jerry’s Beefburgers has been serving hot hamburgers in San Leandro since 1953. Check out the red-and-white walk-up stand and the big roadside sign advertising Jerry’s Special with a super burger, drink, and fries. The giant burger cutout probably settles the question for any hungry motorist still trying to decide where to stop.
Jerry’s is one of the oldest continuously operating independent burger stands in the East Bay. Back in the 1960s, special promotions offered beefburgers for only ten cents and reportedly drew lines of neighborhood customers. Prices have changed since then, but burgers, shakes, and crinkle-cut fries are still passed through the little service window.
UPDATE: Jerry’s remains open and the vintage roadside sign survives. The property was offered for sale in 2026 with the potential for future housing development, but the restaurant holds a lease extending through August 2029. For now, the burgers are still cooking beneath that familiar sign. 09-26
Jim-Denny's Hamburgers
Sacramento, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Check out the streamlined sign outside Jim-Denny’s, a tiny box of a diner that served hamburgers and chili in downtown Sacramento for generations. The red-and-white porcelain sign, script lettering, and pointed shape have a little motion built into them, even while hanging above a building containing only ten counter stools.
Jim-Denny’s opened in 1934 and later moved to 12th Street near the old bus depot. Its location just a few blocks from the State Capitol brought plenty of politicians through the door, including Ronald Reagan during his years as governor. With only ten seats, everyone from state officials to neighborhood regulars had to share the same little counter.
Jim-Denny's Hamburgers
Sacramento, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The diner became known for its chili, burgers, and the enormous Hubcap Burger. That oversized creation received national attention in 2010 when Adam Richman tackled it on the television show Man v. Food. Jim-Denny’s closed in 2020 but was revived by Sacramento chef N’Gina Guyton in September 2023, once again putting burgers and chili across the old counter.
UPDATE: Jim-Denny's
in downtown Sacramento made some menu
updates a few months ago. Many thanks to Dave van Hulsteyn for update. 08-05
UPDATE: Jim-Denny’s closed its 12th Street diner on July 2, 2025, following a dispute with the property owner. The tiny building remains vacant and its classic sign still hangs outside. The Jim-Denny’s name and menu continue through a food truck and a kitchen residency at New Helvetia Brewery on Broadway. 09-26
Giant Burgers
Oakland, CA Photo courtesy Kallisti
Here’s one of the old roadside signs for 1/4 lb. Giant Burgers in Oakland. The stacked yellow, red, and blue panels make a colorful little tower above the street, advertising a burger that probably sounded enormous back when thin fast-food patties were the usual offering. Even the local pigeons seem to appreciate the sign.
The Giant Burgers story began with Hambrick’s Drive-In in 1954. Marvin Hambrick expanded the idea into the 1/4 lb. Giant Burgers chain in 1966, eventually operating more than ten locations around Oakland. The restaurants later separated into independently operated stands, which explains the variations in names, signs, and menus found around the East Bay.
Several Oakland locations have disappeared or changed businesses, but a couple still serve burgers under variations of the old name. The surviving stand on MacArthur Boulevard in the Laurel District continues to display its wonderfully weathered roadside sign.
UPDATE: The MacArthur Boulevard location remains open and the vintage sign survives. Other Oakland Giant Burgers locations, including those on Telegraph Avenue and International Boulevard, have closed, although portions of their old sign structures have remained standing. 09-26
Pick's Hamburgers
Cloverdale, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
Fancy the roadside marquee outside Pick’s Hamburgers in Cloverdale. The flashing script neon and old drive-in building have been catching the attention of Highway 101 travelers for generations. The story began here in 1923 with Reed and Bell’s Root Beer Stand, an early A&W outlet.
The Pickard family took over around the early 1950s, renamed it Pick’s Drive-In, and made hamburgers, milkshakes, and its sweet red relish local favorites.
UPDATE: After a yearlong restoration, the stand reopened as Pick’s Roadside on January 10, 2026. The vintage sign was restored, a matching neon replica was created, and burgers, shakes, and root beer floats are once again being served at this century-old roadside stop. 09-26
Joe's Cable Car Restaurant (Demolished)
San Francisco, CA Photo courtesy Scott Strickland
Here’s the wonderfully busy sign for Joe’s Cable Car Restaurant on Mission Street. A cable car silhouette, flashing arrow, neon lettering, and the promise that “Joe Grinds His Own Fresh Chuck Daily” gave passing motorists plenty to read before pulling into the lot.
The restaurant opened in 1965 as a small walk-up stand shaped like a cable car. Joe Obegi bought the business in 1968 and gradually expanded it into a full sit-down restaurant filled with neon, miniature cable cars, blinking lights, and other colorful decorations. Fresh beef chuck was ground on-site each morning, and burgers could be ordered by weight from four ounces all the way up to a full pound.
Joe’s gained a national audience after appearing on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2008. Guy Fieri’s visit brought even longer lines to a place that already had a loyal San Francisco following.
UPDATE: Joe Obegi retired and closed the restaurant on March 16, 2014. The cable-car-shaped building was later demolished for a mixed-use development, and its famous signs and decorations were sold to private collectors. 09-26
Jerry's Beefburgers
Jim-Denny's Hamburgers
Jim-Denny's Hamburgers
Giant Burgers
Pick's Hamburgers
Joe's Cable Car Restaurant (Demolished)
