Five Minutes With CaliBurger’s Jonathan Wong
The instantly-viral entrance of CaliBurger on to Shanghai’s dining scene has been raising eyebrows among netizens both in China and the States over the past month. The initial branding suggested a shanzhai In-N-Out, but CaliBurger is trying to prove that it’s not just another rip-off of an American concept. After settling a lawsuit with the So-Cal burger brand, they delayed their soft opening so they could change their menu to reflect CaliBurger-specific phrasing. Chef du Cuisine Jonathan Wong talks about the challenge of finding good ingredients in Shanghai, why China needs California-style burgers and when Shanghai can finally expect to sate its burger craving.
How did you get started in the quick service restaurant industry?
I was employed with In-N-Out starting back in 2001. I learned an incredible work ethic and how quality can actually still be served at a quick service restaurant. And I still love their burgers… If there’s anything I brought from my experience with In-N-Out, it’s that customer service doesn’t have to be sacrificed in a quick service establishment – you don’t have to lower your standards just because you are a burger joint.
Why did you and your team decide to bring CaliBurger to China?
CaliBurger came to China because during [board member] John Miller’s many, many travels to this area, he had a hard time finding a good burger. It was really difficult to find something that was made to order, not thrown in with lettuce out of a bag and tomatoes pre-sliced to the size of a RMB 1 coin. The concept, of course, is not new in the States, but we wanted to bring our own flair.
How difficult has it been to find quality ingredients in China?
What has really been the issue is quality control when dealing with the vendors. What we’ve done to solve this problem is go to the distribution markets, contact the farmers that the vendors are getting their produce from and source the highest quality ingredients. It took all summer to actually go to these facilities and see how they’re storing this produce, like if the produce is just sitting out in the warehouse or if they actually have a cold facility for the lettuce
How long did it take you to nail down the recipes?
Honestly, I think that every day we can still improve. We have a good product right now, but if we can find a better recipe for buns, we’re gonna find it. Or if we can switch to a higher cut of beef – which I’m really pushing for by the way. We’re using a really high-quality cut of Australian beef, but if you can get a rib-eye burger, have a rib-eye burger.
Why is CaliBurger not opening as initially said in December?
The hold-up has been due to the ongoing legal dispute – that has been the main hold-up. We are pushing extremely hard right now to have our store up and running in January – once the few changes to our menu have been completed.
And you’re still waiting on potatoes?
We are working tirelessly to make sure that whatever French fry we serve is going to be delicious, hot, crispy and never held under a food lamp. In order for the potatoes to be at their optimum serving status, they need to have very low sugar starch content. While the French fries actually taste great, the appearance is not what we’re looking for. That’s where we get ‘Tiger Fries’.
Tiger Fries? Are they striped?
They have a very, very dark colour because the sugars are being cooked when they hit the oil, so the appearance is not of the quality standard that we would like to serve.
What’s your favourite thing on the menu?
It has to be a Calidouble, 'Wild Style', no pickles. Wild Style is where we add pickles, grilled onions, extra sauce, and we prepare the patty a special way.
98 Yanping Lu, near Xinzha Lu. Web: www.caliburger.asia
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