Steve’s Burgers has an array of dishes to satisfy appetites

By Nicolette Olson
Staff Writer

In the late 1960s, Steve, George and James Andrews immigrated from Greece in hopes of finding success in America. In the early 1970s, the brothers opened the first of five Steve’s Burgers in Torrance.

“There are now currently five Steve’s Burgers in the South Bay area, which are run by the Andrews family,” owner and manager of the El Segundo location Helen Andrews said. “I run the El Segundo Steve’s Burgers with my husband, Takis Spanos; my father, George Andrews; and the 15 employees we have working for us.”

Aside from burgers, Steve’s Burgers serves various Greek dishes such as the Greek gyro sandwich.

“It’s fun to add culture into Steve’s Burgers because it allows us the opportunity to be more unique and provide the customers with more options,” Spanos said.

Unlike other chain burger joints, Steve’s Burgers does not have a drive through. It serves fresh food from suppliers, has relatively low prices, and encourages friendly service.

“I really enjoy the cheeseburgers because I can get two quarter pound burgers for $5. I also like the pastrami sandwich and the chicken salads,” sophomore Emily Chung said.

Steve’s Burgers is located on 314 Main St. in El Segundo.

“I’ve been working at Steve’s Burgers for about a month,” employee Nick Dixon said. “The one thing that I always do is make sure that the customers are comfortable and enjoy their food. Steve’s Burgers’ employees aim at being personable.”

The El Segundo Steve’s Burgers recently donated funds to the local El Segundo High School basketball team. Helen Andrews said when Steve’s Burgers becomes more stable as a business, they will be more involved with giving back to the community.

“We recently hosted a community-oriented event with the cheerleading team of El Segundo High on March 1 of 2011,” Helen Andrews said. “The girls had a good time and enjoyed a meal at Steve’s Burgers.”

In the long run, the chain plans to develop new recipes incorporating different cultural foods, including Greek, American and Mexican-style dishes.

A large amount of Steve’s Burgers customers come from El Segundo High School as well as from Costa.

“At Steve’s Burgers we believe to be a part of the community you have to involve the community,” George Andrews said. “We want to involve the youth of neighboring communities in more ways. We plan on hiring teenagers from El Segundo High or Mira Costa High School. I believe it will be another great way to involve the youth.”