Sacramento County 1950s burger joint closure is short-lived after last-minute deal
Lou’s Drive-in, a beloved Sacramento County burger joint, won’t be closing after all as the owners settle on a last-minute deal.
Leilan and Robert Kitchens, who have been running the North Highlands drive-in with their family for more than a decade, received the good news Monday evening: Their offer to buy the building at 6629 Watt Ave. was accepted.
The Kitchens planned to close last Saturday, after negotiations with their landlord didn’t pan out, Leilan Kitchens previously told The Bee. Lou’s has been serving burgers and shakes since 1958.
Things moved fast for the Kitchens once they received the green light that their offer had been accepted.
“We had to turn in a good faith payment to the title company on the 31st, which was Thursday, but we still had that act of eviction,” said Leilan Kitchens.
The Kitchens didn’t want to reopen until the eviction notice was cleared — but it was and the family relaunched its business Wednesday. Leilan Kitchens said they settled on $580,000 for the building.
They still need to finalize the sale.
“It’s kinda high,” said Kitchens on the price that was settled. “ But it’s a small price to pay to keep your livelihood going.”
The Kitchens have owned Lou’s for 14 years after purchasing the drive-in from Don Roberge, Robert’s grandfather.
“It feels amazing,” Kitchens said about the opportunity to remain open and buy the building with her husband Robert Kitchens.
“It feels like just a little bit of relief. I won’t actually feel all the way relieved until we sign on the dotted line and this is actually ours.”
You can buy burgers, shakes and more from Lou’s seven days a week.
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