The many fans of RickyBobby in the Lower Haight got some terrible news last month when the popular, three-year-old burgers-and-tots spot announced it was closing for good. But the bright side is that the place won't be empty for long, and a former neighborhood chef is going to be reopening it as The Lodge on Haight Matt Nudelman of the former Greenburger's down the street.
Per Hoodline and co-owner Tim Felkner, the idea is not far off Rickybobby's: They want to "combine healthy and comfort food classics made from local, organic ingredients in a quick service environment." Well, minus the "healthy" part.
There will be a burger with Canadian bacon, the Greenburger's staple Buffalo mac 'n' cheese, a vegan Sloppy Joe, and fried chicken.
They're aiming to open by early April, if all goes well, and get a beer and wine license which is still in the works. Nudelman tells Hoodline, "For me, personally, being near or back in the Lower Haight was definitely important. Tim agreed that it would just be awesome and we just got super lucky when 400 Haight became available."
Also, they're hiring: email here.