StormBurger will open its first Long Beach location inside the former Church’s at Cherry Avenue and South Street on the Northside. And, particularly if you aren’t privy to their spirit and concept, it feels like another chain-like space moving into a neighborhood wrought with corporate food and stereotypes from outsiders. But the Storm Burger family is, well, anything but corporate.
Chef John Herndon—partnered with founding Inglewood-based Chef Myron Moore, who acts as the space’s director of operations—headed the once-phenomenal Umami Burger. With it, he brings a sense of ownership about the L.A. landscape, L.A. food, and how everyone in the region—no matter where they’re from—deserves clean, quality food.
“I am a firm believer that everyone in a community deserves to know where their food came from, how it is made,” Chef John said. “Those kids in there?” he asked, pointing toward the food truck they have outside in the interim. “Long Beach kids, often cooking for the first time, learning how to clean and slice vegetables. We’re proud that they’re learning about what they put in their bodies.”
Food with details that matter in the long run. Like house-made ranch. Buns with ingredients you know from Cadoro, an Inglewood-based bakery that has been around for generations (and you can find them at places like Modica’s in DTLB). A chuck, brisket, and steak trim mixture for patties from third-generation butcher Rocker Bros. in Inglewood.
In other words, it is a pure win for North Long Beach.
North Long Beach perpetually fights stereotypes—and StormBurger not only grasps that but wants to battle with them.
I remember talking to then-Vice Mayor and 9th District Councilmember Rex Richardson back in late 2017. He was cutting the ribbon for a Starbucks at South and Downey. “Can you believe Starbucks has been around for decades and this is the first store the Northside has ever seen?” he asked. “We’re starting to see investment happen here. And I hope the local folks see this as a signal that North Long Beach is open for business.”
The now-Mayor’s comment about paying attention to those “disinvested from the get-go” had long struck a chord with me. It made me more cognizant that a neighborhood I already loved had long been mired by not just disinvestment, but abandonment, red-lining, a disproportionate amount of liquor stores with its population given the rest of the city, and a deeply corporatized foodways that eschewed quality-centric food in favor of mechanical fast food.
Surely, spaces like the Uptown Commons have helped alleviate that. And there are Northside staples like Sal’s Gumbo Shack, Robert Earl’s BBQ, and El Kiosko.
“My dad died when I was a teen—and he was a great dad,” said Francis William Avoce of StormBurger. “And even though I was a teen, I saw the shift in our family. And that makes me think about the single mom who is tired, picked up the kids, they’re hungry, and she’s on her last $30 until the next check comes. If we miss an order of fries or she feels robbed, we failed her.”
What StormBurger Long Beach is all about.
That sentiment is such a proud identifier for the StormBurger brand, which is also opening another location in Compton near the Andre “Dr. Dre” Young Performing Arts Center. They openly recognize that each neighborhood throughout L.A. is distinctly its own, which is why they’re already getting to know the neighborhood by having a truck present for as much as they can while construction moves forward on the brick-and-mortar.
“We often have to use the truck for events—we have one this week, in fact—but outside of that, we try to have the truck here present as much as possible,” said Chef John.
This means the ability for the community to get to know the brand, offer suggestions, and actually connect it as part of their own.
“I am beyond excited that StormBurger has chosen Uptown,” said 9th District Councilmember Dr. Joni Ricks-Oddie. ” I had the opportunity to stop by their food truck and speak with Myron, one of the owners. He shared that his goal was to hire local and support our community… Storm Burger has a philosophy of giving back and investing in the neighborhoods where they reside. And that spirit is matched by a proud community full of people who love where they live. I appreciate that StormBurger has seen in North Long Beach what my residents and I see, an area that is ready and open to investment, and residents who want to support businesses that invest in the community. I am looking forward to their partnership as we continue to build a thriving Uptown.”
A look at what they offer at their food truck…
Quality. Affordable. Genuinely tasty. I appreciate Chef John’s forthrightness in saying they aren’t out here to create the best burger. No. They’re here to prove that quality, clean food can be offered at incredible value.
Double Classic StormBurger: Two 1/4lb. beef patties | American cheese | Lettuce | Tomato | Pickle | Onion | Storm sauce
Double Jalapeño Lightning Burger: Two 1/4lb. beef patties | Fresh jalapeño | Pickled jalapeño | Swiss cheese | Grilled onions | Lightning sauce
Double Bacon BBQ Burger: Two 1/4lb. beef patties | Bacon | American cheese | House-made onion straws | BBQ sauce
Spicy Chicken Deluxe Sandwich: Hand-breaded fried chicken | House kale slaw | Swiss cheese | Tomato | Thunder Sauce | Spicy mayo
Fried Chicken Strips with fries
Storm Burger will be located at 5801 Cherry Ave. Currently, their truck is parked there daily unless they have to use it for an event.
I’m excited something new coming to N.Long Beach. I live only a couple of blocks from there.