Celebrity Profile: Jim’s Burgers

Everyone probably thinks a celebrity is a person who either sings, an athlete, or famous movie star. Well they are wrong; a celebrity can be found anywhere around the city. To me, a celebrity is a well-known person, someone who doesn’t forget where they come from and go back to help out their community.

To me, a celebrity is the owner from Jim’s Burgers because Jim’s has been there for over 43 years. The owner decided to establish Jim’s in East LA in 1973 because he saw how the community was tight, and close. And can spread the word of how great the restaurant is. He also decided for the restaurant to be specifically located in Indiana and Olympic avenues because there one of the main streets in the community. It’s a convenient location that it was in. So the sign of Jim’s burgers can attract travelers off the 5 freeway.

One amazing thing we found out about Jim’s was that it was created by Greeks. When the first Jim’s was establish there was a big boom where everyone else started to own their own burger restaurant. The owner said that after most Greeks retired their sons didn’t wanted to take over their family business so that’s when Latinos started arriving and they bought the first burger business.

The name of Jim’s come from the Greeks. Jim’s Burgers has had four different Mexican owners but the main owner of the actual building is a Greek entrepreneur. He doesn’t want to sell that building he doesn’t want to stop selling burgers or want anyone else to turn that place into something else since it’s been there for over 40 years. It’s a big part of his life.

If Jim’s was located in another community it would still be popular because there not a lot of burgers restaurants in other places. I decided to interview this celebrity because Jim’s is a block away from my house and I usually go every Friday and the manager already knows me and knows what I am going to order.

If this place was gone, the whole community would be disappointed. It was the first restaurant that was managed by a Latino person in the community. So the community loves the service the restaurant gives because they don’t treat you as a customer, they treat you as a friend. And that’s hard to find in other restaurant in a different city. That’s why this Jim’s Burgers is important and part of the Mexican culture here in East L.A.

–Diana Morales