KRONEN 01
Kronnerburger,
Oakland
KRONEN 01
Kronnerburger,
Oakland
Kronnerburger Staff Meal
Photography By HENRY HARGREAVES, words by HENRY HARGREAVES
in Conversation with CHRIS KRONNER
FROM BACKROOMS TO TRAIN STATIONS
Our focus is burgers, and the namesake burger is dry-aged grass-fed beef served very rare. We started as a pop-up in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. The initial space was in a windowless box in the back of a nightclub, with dodgy electricity and a barely functioning bathroom. Somehow it went really well...
We opened the current location in 2015. This building was the old waiting area and lunch counter for the trolly trains, when we still had the Key System of transportation here. The area out the back was the train yard. The other nice thing about this location is I live across the road.
"We opened the current location in 2015. This building was the old waiting area and lunch counter for the trolly trains."
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KRONEN 02
WHAT A STAFF MEAL SHOULDN’T BE
I make an effort to make a substantial and delicious staff meal. In my first kitchen job, the staff meal went from something that was reasonably thoughtful, to frozen hotdogs and pizza. It was shameful, as it was a big busy restaurant and people who worked there were really pissed off!
I wouldn't serve food to people who work here that we wouldn't serve to our guests.
"Tonight the meal was based around a sample we were sent of an experimental beef alternative...There is a vegetarian server who, for the first time, was able to know what beef tastes like without actually eating it."
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KRONEN 03
THE EXPERIMENTAL KITCHEN
We often try testing potential dishes during staff meal or just having fun with food in the kitchen. The bartender the other night was trying loaded cheese fries. Basically fries with bacon and cheese curds, then every condiment added and baked to perfection! Or roasted tomato sauce with onion ring nachos. They are partly gross, but also pretty fun, and doing things like this helps the staff unwind. They are generally a pretty social group of people and often hang out together after work so there is always a good buzz during the staff meal. Friends are also welcome to join, tonight an old friend Alex, was in town. He came in to DJ and then stayed around to eat with us all.
"We don’t always get the opportunity to sit down as a group together... but when we do I see how much the staff are into it and it makes me want to do it way more often!"
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KRONEN 04
TONIGHT'S FEAST
Tonight the meal was based around a sample we were sent of an experimental beef alternative. We don’t necessarily want to sell it but we wanted to try it and I think its good for the staff to be educated about these options. There is a vegetarian server who, for the first time, was able to know what beef tastes like without actually eating it. We also had a Kronnerburger variation we call the ‘Otherburger,’ a patty melt, kale salad with sun-chokes, cashews and heirloom tomatoes, onion rings, fries, cheese curds and gravy, carbonated margarita’s, whiskey shots with pickle backs and wine!
We don’t always get the opportunity to sit down as a group together, especially as people often get cut throughout the night, but when we do I see how much the staff are into it and it makes me want to do it way more often!