About Us

+ How did y'all meet?

Diane: We met at Rice University back in 2004. We both took Asian Studies classes, and I believe the first time we met was in the class “Intro to Asian Studies.” It was not love at first sight. I was pretty studious, so I didn’t think about guys or devote any time to thinking about them. But Willet was pretty persistent--he asked to work on group projects together, he signed up to do a Lunar New Year dance together, and he agreed to study at Fondren Library with me pretty regularly. Over time, we ended up spending a lot of time together, and he sort of grew on me--or wore me down.

+ What's a typical day like?

Willet’s typical day: Get to work at 6, set up burger builder station, assist with breakfast service if needed, prep sauces if needed, hand cut burger toppings (lettuce, tomato, etc), make salads and coleslaw, check quality on everything at the beginning of lunch service, build burgers for lunch service, help clean and break down the line, done by 3 ish. When store #2 opens, probably bring over salvageable prep for dinner service and help out for dinner service.

Diane’s typical day: I am in charge of getting #emojibaby to daycare in the morning, so I am no longer there for breakfast service. I get up around 6:30am, and check to make sure staff has arrived for breakfast service. Between 6:30am and 7:30 or 8:00am, I take care of computer work: reply to e-mails, work on payroll, post on social media, find good chalkboard material (word scrambles, math problems, and quotations of the day), etc. Technically I can drop #emojibaby off at daycare by 7:30am, but I like letting her sleep in so I can get work or chores done. I need that quiet time in the morning. #Emojibaby usually wakes from her slumber around 8am, and she takes forever to get ready and get out of the house. Part of the reason she takes so long is that I let her. She’s only going to be this young for so long, and she doesn’t understand the need to rush to get out of the house by a certain time. Usually when I rush her, she ends up taking longer. We live quite close to work, but daycare is in the Chinatown area. So every morning and afternoon, daycare drop-off and pick-up adds forty minutes to an hour to my commute. It’s worth it to us, though, because her daycare offers instruction in Mandarin Chinese.

After drop-off, I get to burger-chan around 10am and check in with all the front-of-house staff to see where they are in terms of lunch prep. If we are short-staffed, I fill in for a position. If I’m not actively in a position, I act as a manager and oversee lunch service. Since Willet is currently on the line and is less of a people-person, I deal with most customer service issues. Even when I’m not actively needed during service, I still like to assist to make sure service runs as smoothly as possible. I also like to scan the crowd and say hi to our regulars. I keep my ears perked and listen to questions at the cashier station, and bob my head when our staff answers them better than I would. I am constantly amazed and grateful that our staff work so hard on our behalf, and I love it when they talk about our product and about our store to customers. I never take that for granted. Once clean-up is done around 2:30pm to 3:00pm, I take care of odds-and-ends until around 4:00pm or 4:30pm.

Then I go pick #emojibaby up from daycare and head home for the evening. I rarely take any work home with me, but I’ll occasionally need an extra hour or two to knock something out that’s pressing. I’ve learned to embrace the idea of the “split shift.” Rather than work continuously for hours on end, I work a couple hours here, and a couple hours there. Sometimes it’s frustrating that I can’t get everything done immediately, but I have to accept this new way of doing things now that I have a small business and a small child in my life.

+ Why did you choose the hamburger as your signature selling point? Was there a story to this choice? Or perhaps a particular experience with a hamburger that lead to your current choices/success?

Willet: The burger chose me, in a sense. While looking for a spot to open a Singaporean eatery, our friends at Greenway Coffee and The Rice Box urged me to open up down in the food court at Greenway Plaza. The only spot available was Bango Burgers. To open up a concept down there, I’d have to buy Bango Burgers, change the name and concept if desired, and continue serving burgers. To be honest, it was a hard no at first! But locations are hard to come by and every spot I did inquire about was not interested in an unproven concept, or they wanted my sales projections to reflect unrealistic success. Given the relatively low investment and rent to open up shop in Greenway, I eventually started conceptualizing burger-chan (nee Kuma Burgers).


Despite having 10 years of restaurant experience, I was not fully prepared to open my own restaurant. The first month was rough. The menu was far from finalized. Staffing was a nightmare. But I was fortunate - I had made a lot of friends over the years by being a dependable, hard-working coworker. When I thought we’d have to close for a few weeks to staff up after a very challenging soft opening, several friends offered to come in on their days off to help us get off the ground. With their help, advice, and feedback, we survived. If I had to attribute our success to something, it would be hard work and friendships. Those two things alone will get you far in any endeavor.

+ Why are you so personally involved in everything? What influenced you to be so hard-working?

Diane: I’m a workaholic. When I was a math teacher, I spent almost every waking hour thinking about or doing work. I spent countless hours outside of the classroom lesson planning and grading. I’d go in to school on the weekends to get copies done and organize my classroom. Teaching was and is my passion. But once I had #emojibaby, I realized that sort of dedication was not sustainable and unhealthy.

So my plan after having a kid was to return to the classroom on a part-time basis. However, once Willet opened the burger restaurant, it soon became clear that he needed me to take care of all the odds and ends that he didn’t have the time or energy to tackle. So I put teaching on hold, and focused on helping Willet open and run a restaurant. I took on every task that I was capable of accomplishing that didn’t require any culinary expertise. I enjoy playing the supporting role because it gives me the spare time and energy to spend time with #emojibaby.


Willet: I'm personally involved in everything because it's my passion and my vision. The less involved I am the less it will stay true to my vision.

I believe hard work comes naturally with internal motivation and genuine interest. Growing up, I did well in school, but I don't think I was a hard worker. I did what was asked of me in my few office stints, but never went above and beyond. Once I decided to follow my passion, I worked hard to improve. My first job made it apparent I'm not naturally gifted in the culinary arts, and my knife skills were atrocious. But I practiced at home for hours outside of work, honing my knife control. I read up on food - not just recipes, but everything related as well (I.e. Harold McGee, Anthony Bourdain). I worked at restaurants that interested me, but also realized my own growth depended on how hard I worked.

+ What were the drivers for pursuing culinary dreams versus your respective majors and what did your parents think? Are moms and dads okay now?

Willet: As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been really into food. As a kid, I would ask my mom what’s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Frequently. In a sing-song manner. I am sure it drove her nuts. She was constantly under pressure to come up with what we were going to eat. But I really, really wanted to know. All the time.

Growing up, it was never really an option to become a chef and open up a restaurant. I started cooking for myself during college and would ask my mom for recipes, but I was not very talented.

Fast forward a few years and Diane and I are living in Seattle. She’s pursuing a PhD in sociology and I’m looking for an office job. I sent out resumes, went to interviews, but could not find a job that would be a good fit. Then a series of events happened. First, we met Iron Chef Morimoto at a book signing, which definitely was very exciting for me. Then, I was chatting with a caucasian cook behind the sushi line, asking him what made him decide to do sushi. He said he’d been in the industry for some time and wanted to learn something new. He had been at the sushi restaurant for 6 months. He said it’s easy to get a cooking position at any restaurant - they’re always short staffed, and all skills can be learned on the job. This got me thinking: why not acquire some cooking skills while I’m unemployed? I might as well be doing something while I’m looking for the perfect office job. It probably helped that we were far away from both sets of parents…

As far as acceptance, I think it took a while. When we moved back to Houston about a year later, I earnestly tried to find another office job. I know it was hard for my parents to tell their friends what I was doing with my life … probably embarrassing. I remember hearing them say that it’s just a phase. And for a while, I hoped that I could find the “perfect” office job. But it was not meant to be. Every job that seemed promising were sales positions - door-to-door salesman, cold calling, etc. Jobs that involved more skills never replied. Eventually, I asked my parents if I could continue cooking. The answer was not immediate. After some thought, my dad offered to put me through culinary school. Education: it’s always the answer for Chinese parents! I happily agreed to his “condition” and enrolled at a Le Cordon Bleu in Austin, TX.

At this point, I think it’s safe to say both sets of parents have no choice but to accept it. The best we can do is to become as successful as possible so that one day they will be truly proud of what we’re doing. I haven’t yet figured out what level of success as a chef and restaurateur is the equivalent of being a doctor, lawyer, or engineer … but I hope to far exceed that level one day.

Press

Houston Chronicle | Written by Bao Ong, Jody Schmal and Sonia Garcia November 2024 Top 18 burgers in Houston

Houston Press October 2024 Best Of Houston® 2024: Best Burger

Houston Chronicle | Written by Alison Cook, Jody Schmal, Bao Ong, J.C. Reid, Todd Romero, Sonia Garcia and Misha Govshteyn October 2024 The 100 Best Restaurants in Houston of 2024

Eater Houston | Brittany Britto Garley September 2024 The 22 Best Burgers in Houston Right Now

MSN | Written by Alex Keight September 2024 The 40 Most DELICIOUS Burgers In America, Ranked | burger-chan's "The Spicy" Ranked #1

FOX 26 Houston | The Nightcap with Carolina Sanchez February 2024 Yelp's top 100 in H-Town

ondeck January 2024 The Highest-Rated Independent Restaurants in Every State | burger-chan #10 on list of highest-ranked independent burger joints in the U.S.

Yelp January 2024 Top 100 US Restaurants 2024 | burger-chan #27

Houston Chronicle | Written by Sonia Garcia January 2024 Yelp's Top 100 Places to Eat in 2024 features 5 Houston restaurants

chron.com | Written by Erica Cheng January 2024 Five Houston restaurants land on Yelp’s annual Top 100 restaurants list

Houston Food Finder | Written by Phaedra Cook January 2024 Yelp Names 5 Houston Restaurants to Top 100 Places to Eat for 2024

Click2Houston | Produced by Erica Ponder January 2024 5 Houston-area restaurants ranked in Yelp’s top 100 places to eat list

Strictly Dumpling | Filmed by Mike Chen November 2023 Join me in Houston, TX as I take on the ultimate breakfast challenge - building a gigantic 17-ingredient Texas-sized burger!

Austin American-Statesman | Written by Matthew Odam November 2023 'He had a vision': 25 former Uchi staff members run their own restaurants, kitchens

Houston Chronicle | Written by Alison Cook, Bao Ong, Greg Morago, J.C. Reid, Todd Romero and Jody SchmalOctober 2023 The Houston Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurants of 2023

InsideHook | Written by Kevin Gray September 2023 Where to Eat in Houston Right Now, According to Its Top Chefs

Yelp August 2023 Top 100 Places to Eat in Texas 2023 | burger-chan #13

InsideHook | Written by Kevin Gray August 2023 The 10 Best Burger Joints in Texas

Houstonia Magazine | Written by Daniel RenfrowAugust 2023 Houston Burgers You Absolutely Need to Experience

Eater | Written by Brittany Britto GarleyAugust 2023 The World of Omakase and Burgers Will Collide at This Houston Pop-Up Event

CultureMap Houston | Written by Eric Sandler July 2023 Houston's 10 crunchiest, gooiest, and creamiest potato dishes transcend simple sides

KHOU Channel 11 | Great Day Houston with Deborah Duncan July 2023 Get a taste of Burger-Chan, some of Houston's most unique burgers

Houstonia Magazine | Written by Daniel Renfrow July 2023 Which Houston Smashburger Reigns Supreme?

Texas Standard | Interview with Ali Khan May 2023 Where to find some of the best burgers in Texas

Houston Chronicle | Written by Nguyên Lê April 2023 15 of our favorite spots for Houston's Asian Restaurant Month

Houston Matters April 2023 The Full Menu: Dining on a budget in Houston

CultureMap Houston | Written by Eric Sandler March 2023 Houston's best burgers smash the game with exotic add-ons, beefed-up buns, and more

The Buzz Magazines, Bellaire Edition | Written by Russell Weil February 27, 2023 Burger Buddies For the love of hamburgers

FOX 26 Houston | Interviewed by Chelsea Edwards February 2023 Yelp's Top 100: Burger Chan in Houston [YouTube Link]

FOX 26 Houston After Show | Interviewed by Chelsea Edwards February 6.2023 Post-Morning Show Facebook Live Chat

Texas Highways | Written by Ali Khan February 2023 Cheer the Sear of Smashed Burgers

Houston Chronicle January 2023 Three Houston-area restaurants land on Yelp's Top 100 Places to Eat in the US

Yelp January 2023 Yelp’s Top 100 US Restaurants 2023 | burger-chan #47

Houston Food Finder December 2022 The Best New Houston Restaurants of 2022

Houston Chronicle October 2022 What to know about Asia Society's 10th annual night market in Houston

Houston Chronicle October 2022 Best Houston Restaurants 2022: Our food critic's top picks

Eater Houston September 2022 20 Essential Houston Burger Destinations

Houston Chronicle August 2022 Houston chefs chat about aftermath of Good Morning America's national burger competition

Houston Chronicle August 2022 How our new restaurant columnist got to know Houston through 31 dishes

Eater Houston July 2022 The 15 Hottest New Restaurants in Houston, July 2022

ABC 13 Eyewitness News July 2022 'Good Morning America' comes to Houston to find the best burger

ABC News | Good Morning America July 2022 VIDEO: 'GMA's' United States of Burgers heads to Houston

Houston Chronicle July 2022 Bun B's Trill Burger to clash with Fengs' Burger-Chan in Good Morning America special

Thrillist June 2022 50 Top-Notch American Burger Spots You Need to Try Right Now

Thrillist May 2022 The 17 Best Burger Joints in Houston

Thrillist May 2022 15 Essential AAPI-Owned Businesses in Houston

FKN Deliciousness May 2022 FKN DELICIOUSNESS creates THE FKN BURGER at BURGER-CHAN

Houston Matters May 2022 The Full Menu: The best places for burgers in Houston in 2022

Houston Chronicle April 2022 These 8 classic burgers make up Houston’s hall of fame

Eater Houston March 2022 Dine Out on a Budget at These 16 Houston Restaurants

Eater Houston March 2022 18 Essential Houston Burger Destinations

Canvas Rebel March 2022 Stories & Insights: Meet Diane and Willet Feng

Katie Day | MOVEMETOTX March 2022 Crave-worthy Burgers in the Galleria #NeighborhoodSpotlight

Houston Food Finder February 2022 Top Houston Chefs Battle to Make the Best Truffle Dishes in Luxurious Event

FKN Deliciousness | YouTube February 2022 burger-chan is a counter-service gourmet burger concept that draws inspiration from Asian flavors

Resy February 2022 The February Hit List: Mastrantos, Burger-Chan, Musaafer, and More

Houston Food Finder January 2022 The Hit List: New Houston Restaurants to Visit in January 2022

CultureMap January 2022 Where to eat in Houston: 9 fresh restaurants to sample in the new year

Houston Press January 2022 Openings and Closings: Burger-Chan and Underbelly Burger Open, Chi'Lantro Coming

Houston Chronicle January 2022 Alison Cook’s Burger Friday: ‘Umami bomb’ explodes at Burger-Chan near the Galleria

Houston CityBook January 2022 After Closure in 2020, Couple Bets Their Buns on Gourmet Burger Spot's Success

CultureMap January 2022 Cult-favorite Galleria-area burger joint toasts new year with soft opening

Houston Food Finder January 2022 Acclaimed Houston Burger Joint Finally Opens its Brick-and-Mortar Restaurant

Edible Houston September 2021 Pulling Together: Strong and Diverse Community Helps to Navigate Tough Times

CultureMap September 2021 Mega list of 40-plus restaurants and bars opening in Houston this fall

Houston Chronicle August 2021 Burger-Chan plans triumphant return to Houston dining scene after pandemic closure

BlueVine May 2021 How these AAPI entrepreneurs weave heritage into business

CultureMap May 2021 WHAT'S ERIC EATING EPISODE 194: Meet the couple behind Houston's cult-favorite burger spot, plus fresh Anglo-Indian fare in The Heights

Cost of Goods Told April 2021 Blind Taste Test (Inspired by Top Chef) with Chefs Willet Feng, Evelyn Garcia, and Sarah Troxell

Houston Asian American Archive March 2021 Diane Wu Feng and Willet Feng Oral History Interview and Transcript, September 13, 2020

Houston Chronicle February 2021 Alison Cook’s Curbside Chronicles: The egg-salad throwdown and I

Houston Chronicle January 2021 Get ready for Houston sando throwdown from Click Virtual Food Hall

CultureMap January 2021 More than 30 highly anticipated restaurants and bars coming to Houston in 2021

Houston Chronicle December 2020 Houston restaurants we lost in 2020

Eater Houston December 2020 2020’s Saddest Houston Restaurant Closures

Shoutout HTX November 2020 What was your thought process behind starting your own business?

Houston Food Finder October 2020 Virtual Food Hall in Houston Is Delivering Comfort & Culinary Diversity

CultureMap October 2020 Cult-favorite Houston burger joint makes beefy comeback after recent shutter

Houstonia September 2020 Virtual Food Hall Partners with Popular Burger Concept

CultureMap August 2020 Cult-favorite burger joint shutters Greenway Plaza location, but it isn't gone forever

Houstonia August 2020 What We’re Ordering Out: A Seafood Feast, Refreshing Ice Cream

Houston Chronicle July 2020 Alison Cook "Burger Friday": Burger Chan ‘Ordering double cheddar, I will never look back’

Rice Development and Alumni Relations June 2020 Spill the (Coffee) Beans: Owls in the Restaurant Industry (June 4)

Houston Properties Team June 2020 Small Business Spotlight on burger-chan

Eater June 2020 Surrounded by Empty Office Buildings, Greenway Plaza’s Restaurants Are in Serious Trouble

MoveMeToTX June 2020 Neighborhood Spotlight on burger-chan

Houston Chronicle May 2020 11 luxe burgers in Houston for National Hamburger Day

Thrillist May 2020 The Best Burgers in Houston to Enjoy From Home

KHOU 11 May 2020 Cadillac Shaping:Houston -- Feature on Feed the Front Line

Houston Food Finder May 2020 The Restaurants That Teamed Up with Houston Shift Meal to Feed Thousands

Rice Magazine May 2020 So Flipping Good: burger-chan Fuels the Front Lines

Houston Matters April 2020 The Full Menu: The Best Places To Get Take-Out During A Time Of Social Distancing

Houston Chronicle April 2020 In Houston's new normal, a different curve emerges: Outward racism toward Asian Americans

365 Things To Do in Houston January 2020 "My Top 5: Co-owner of Shun Japanese Kitchen Chef Naoki Yoshida":#2: burger-chan

StarChefs Rising Stars Magazine December 2019 "7 Tips for Aspiring Fast Casual Operators"

NTDTV October 2019 喜愛創新 漢堡店老闆將挑戰刈包賽 Video Feature to Promote OCA-Greater Houston 4th Annual Big Bao Battle Food Competition

Houston Chronicle October 2019 Top 100 Houston Restaurant 2019: Burger-Chan

StarChefs September 2019 Photo Gallery: Chef-Owner Willet and Co-Owner Diane Feng of Burger Chan | Houston

CultureMap September 2019 10 juicy burgers on the menu at Houston's best restaurants

CultureMap September 2019 Top 100 Restaurants in Houston #25: burger-chan

KPRC June 2019 Burger-chan opens second Houston location in Galleria area

Houston Chronicle June 2019 Burger-Chan to open second location in Galleria area

Houston Press June 2019 Openings and Closings burger-chan II opening in 2020

CultureMap June 2019 Cult favorite burger joint brings the sizzle to the Galleria area with new location

ON3 Media June 2019 Cost of Goods Podcast Featuring Willet Feng of burger-chan

Houstonia Magazine May 2019 5 Houston Burgers With Insanely Delicious Toppings

Houston Chronicle May 2019 The best burgers across Houston

CultureMap March 2019 Houston's 9 favorite burgers to sink your teeth into

SOLCIETI February 2019 Houston's Burger Chan may be worth having Stank Breath

Food Network January 2019 Best Cheap Eats in Houston

Houston Chronicle September 2018 2018 Top 100 Restaurants

Houstonia August 2018 Hot Diggity: the 10 Best Hot Dog Spots in Houston

KHOU Channel 11 July 2018 The best burgers in Houston

Houston Public Media July 2018 The Full Menu: Houston’s Best Hot Dogs And Hamburgers

Click 2 Houston July 2018 Top 12 Houston spots for must-try burgers

OutSmart Magazine April 2018 John Nechman's 100 Best Restaurants in Houston

ABC 13 News November 2017 Couple leave careers to start popular underground burger joint

Voyage Houston October 2017 Meet Willet and Diane Feng of Burger-Chan in Greenway Plaza

Houston Chronicle September 2017 2017 Top 100 Restaurants

CW39 News July 2017 Houston Press Best of Houston® names Burger Chan restaurant home of the Best Milkshakes

Rice Magazine July 2017 Meat Cute

Culturemap June 2017 9 insanely over-the-top burgers that will blow your mind

Houston Chronicle June 2017 Burger Friday: Burger-Chan in Greenway Plaza

Houston Food Finder May 2017 On The Radar: Hot New Sips & Bites In Houston

Houston Food Finder January 2017 The Best New Houston Restaurants of 2016

Thrillist December 2016 Meet Thrillist Houston's Best Chefs of 2016

Thrillist December 2016 Houston's Best New Restaurants of 2016

Houston Chronicle December 2016 Houston's Best New Restaurants of 2016

Culturemap December 2016 Houston's 14 Best New Restaurants of 2016

PaperCity December 2016 Houston’s Best Veggie Burgers: These Restaurants Prove Meat is Overrated

Thrillist October 2016 The Best Burgers In Houston

Houston Press October 2016 Best Of Food & Drink: Best Milkshake

Visit Houston September 2016 The Best Burger For Every Part of Houston

Houston Chronicle September 21, 2016 2016 Top 100 Restaurants Kuma Burgers On Top 100

Houstonia Magazine September 19, 2016 The Best of the Best: Our Top Restaurants, Chefs, Dishes and More of 2016

Houstonia Magazine September 19, 2016 Houston's 100 Very Best Restaurants

Zagat September 5, 2016 31 New Burgers You Need to Try in Houston

Houston Press July 5, 2016 Building Houston's Perfect Cheeseburger

Houston Chronicle June 20, 2016 Kuma Burgers Stands Out In Competitive Burger City

Houstonia Magazine June 16, 2016 Is Kuma Burgers the Best Burger Joint in Houston Right Now?

Luscious Magazine June 15, 2016 Interview and Photoshoot

Culturemap April 25, 2016 Houston's newest burgers feature serious chef talent and genius ingredients