Davis will soon have a fast-food restaurant selling burgers for $1.99. Campus Burgers is filling the former Falafel Corner space at 720 Second St.
The chain has two locations in San Jose, one in Berkeley and one in Gilroy. At least one more is planned, in San Diego.
It specializes in smashburgers, which you can order by the dozen, if desired. There’s also fries, shakes and sodas. And its eateries are often open until midnight.
From the looks of the burgers, it doesn’t seem like they will be winning any Davis Burger Battle contests. Two doors down is the popular Tommy J’s Grill, which is my favorite. For smashburgers, it’s Outpost Burger at 330 G St. But they will be popular with students and penny pinchers for sure.
Prices are $1.99 for a plain burger (all come with grilled onions and campus sauce), $2.99 for cheeseburgers, and $3.99 for double cheeseburgers. Sodas are $2.99, shakes are $4.99, and fries will set you back $5.99. One option is a five-patty cheeseburger for $10.99. That gives me heartburn just thinking about it.
You can order a box of a dozen burgers, or several dozen for a party.
→ New owner: In April, I wrote about a fundraiser for the owners of The Paint Chip. Maia Sturges has been dealing with medical expenses from brain cancer treatment. She and her husband Brian have owned the store since 2006.
This month, the store changed hands, back to its founder and the building’s owner, Clint Winger. Winger said the store was on the brink of closing as the family juggled care for Maia.
In 1986, Winger opened the store around the corner, on Third Street, where Zia’s Delicatessen and Manna Korean BBQ are today. It sold Benjamin Moore Paints then. A few years later, he moved it to its current 4,500-square-foot spot at 217 F St., and changed the concept to a craft and custom framing shop.
He’s been working hard to build up inventory for back-to-school needs and the upcoming holidays. The previous owners were having difficulty keeping the store well-stocked.
“My plan is to revitalize the entire store, especially the retail side,” Winger said. (Its framing service has always done well.) He’s adding some new items, like a wide selection of balloons for special occasions.
Winger, who turns 70 next month and lives 3.5 hours north in Weed, wasn’t planning to run the Paint Chip again. But he knows how important it is to the community. He has nine great employees who keep the business going, including his daughter and son-in-law, who recently moved their young family to Davis from Texas.
“It’s not going anywhere,” he said, noting that it’s open seven days a week. “It’s been one of the main questions from customers, with the stock getting so low.”
→ Back to the grind: In March 2025, I wrote about Davis’ 30-plus-year-old skate park getting revamped. Well, it’s almost ready.
