San Antonio bar and venue Jaime's Place brings in Burger Foos pop-up to run its kitchen

West Side outdoor bar and music venue Jaime's Place has invited pop-up food business Burger Foos to permanently take over its kitchen starting this Thursday.

The Burger Foos menu will totally replace the existing food options offered at the nightspot "built for the barrio and beyond," according to owner Jaime Macias. Burger Foos will operate the kitchen during the bar's regular hours of 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Macias said he never intended to get "into the weeds" operating a kitchen at his establishment, yet that's what happened. He was forced to apply for a food and beverage license when he launched in 2020, during the pandemic.

"Bars were not considered an essential service, but restaurants were," he explained.

Since the pandemic, Jaime's Place has been able to shift focus back to its original concept as a bar and venue, finally obtaining its liquor license in early spring. After that, Macias decided to start looking for someone to take over the kitchen.

Burger Foos, run by Jerry Ortiz, is a West Side-originated pop-up that's served its Wagyu beef burgers at Chiflada's, Guadalupe Plaza and Jaime's, among other locations. The venture got its start serving outside Eccentric Tattoos, where Ortiz's wife Gina works as an artist. She also came up with the rough draft of the logo design — a burger holding a spatula — which was later redesigned by Gemini Vato.

Macias said he approached Burger Foos because the pop-up's brand aligns culturally with the West Side pride and community focus for which Jaime's Place is known.

"I'm from that neighborhood," Ortiz said. "So that's why I didn't hesitate to say 'yes.' This is who I need to be."

Burger Foos cooks its beef patties on a 500-degree grill, smashes them down into their own juices and serves them with melted cheese and grilled onions. In addition to burgers, Ortiz plans to serve bacon-wrapped hot dogs, brisket nachos, brisket tacos and more. A vegan option is even in the works, he added.

The Burger Foos menu will make its debut Thursday in tandem with a poetry slam by Zona San Anto, followed by karaoke from 8:30 p.m. until midnight. Jaime's Place will also give away a pair of tickets to its upcoming Los Yesterdays show, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 12.