Hodad's Closes Every September 30 for Bossman, and Has Been Grilling Since 1969

Overview

Hodad's is closed four days a year: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and September 30.

That last one is Bossman Day.

Mike "Bossman" Hardin ran Hodad's and died in 2015. His family closes the restaurant for him every year on the thirtieth of September — a working burger joint in the busiest stretch of Ocean Beach, turning off the grill for a day because of one person. Their site calls him "the famous Burgermeister, Mike 'Bossman' Hardin" and "a friend to anyone whoever met him," and notes he was a member of the MESS LORDS, a group that supports American service members.

The family also runs a foundation in his name, which exists to "carry on the legacy and spirit of love & giving demonstrated by Mike 'Bossman' Hardin."

That's not a marketing story. That's a family business.

And it goes back further than most people realise.

"In 1969, Byron and Virginia Hardin began serving their AMAZING Burgers in San Diego" — on the beach, at the end of Santa Monica Avenue in Ocean Beach. They moved to the Newport Avenue building in 1991. Downtown opened in 2011. Petco Park stands followed in 2012.

And it's still the same family: "Hodad's is now in the hands of third generation family members, Shane & Lexi Hardin."

Their own name for all this is the best line on the website: "the unlikely '50+ Year OVERNIGHT SUCCESS STORY.'"

What to Order

The burgers, and the Guido is the one people come back for:

• Guido Burger — $18.00. Pastrami, ketchup, pickles, Swiss, grilled onions and spicy brown mustard. Pastrami on a burger is the move
• Blue Jay Burger — $18.00. A bacon cheeseburger with blue cheese sauce and grilled onions
• Double Bacon Cheeseburger — $28.00. Double beef, bacon, cheese. This is the famous one and it is a lot of food
• Single Bacon Cheeseburger — $17.50
• Mini Bacon Hamburger — $12.00 · Mini Bacon Cheeseburger — $13.50

The full burger ladder — standard toppings are mayo, mustard, onion, ketchup, pickle, tomato and lettuce unless you say otherwise:

• Mini hamburger $8.00 · mini cheeseburger $9.00
• Single hamburger $12.00 · single cheeseburger $13.00
• Single bacon hamburger $16.00 · single bacon cheeseburger $17.50
• Double hamburger $17.00 · double cheeseburger $19.00
• Double bacon hamburger $24.00 · double bacon cheeseburger $28.00

If it's your first time, order a single, not a double. The mini is a real burger, not a slider — $8 and plenty for a light lunch.

Not beef:

• Chicken — $13.00, either a fried breaded breast patty or a grilled dark meat burger
• Veggie Burger — $13.00 · Vegan Patty — $13.00, described as all natural and organic
• UnBurger — $7.00. Their words: "a cheeseburger without the meat." Cheapest thing on the menu and a genuinely useful order for a kid
• BLT — $16.50 · Tuna — $16.50 · Grilled Cheese — $8.00
• Chicken Tenders, four — $6.00, listed as "The Tater Chip Strip"

Add-ons: basket with fries +$3.50 · basket with onion rings +$4.75 · extra cheese $1.25 · blue cheese $4.00 · extra bacon $5.00 · extra beef $3.50 · extra pastrami $6.25

The Fries Are Sized for a Table

This is the part people get wrong, so read the serving sizes:

• Small french fry — $11.25, serves 3–4
• Large french fry — $18.00, serves 5–6
• Half onion rings — $11.00, serves 3–4 · full — $22.00
• Half frings — $15.00, serves 3–4 · full frings — $30.00, serves 5–6

"Frings" is half fries, half onion rings, and $15 for a half order feeding three or four is the smart group order. Do not order a large anything for two people.

They Brew Their Own

This surprised me, and it's a real list. Hodad's has house beers on tap, with ABV and IBU published:

• Surf Punk — Baja Lager, 4.5%, 13 IBU — $7.50
• Boss Brew — Blonde Ale, 5%, 20 IBU — $7.50
• Hodaddy Hefe — Hefeweizen, 5%, 10 IBU — $7.50
• Mango Boss — Blonde Ale, 5.5%, 15 IBU — $7.50
• Throwback Brown — American Brown Ale, 6%, 30 IBU — $7.50
• Czech Please — Bohemian Pilsner, 4.8%, 25 IBU — $7.50
• Turtle Town — Hazy IPA, 7.5%, 15 IBU — $8.50
• Hesher — Hazy IPA, 6.2%, 20 IBU — $8.50
• Shubie — Hazy IPA, 6.5%, 18 IBU, brewed with The Pink Boots Society — $8.50
• Local IPA — West Coast IPA, 7%, 55 IBU — $8.50

Also on: Oktoberfest $7.50 · Summer Shandy $7.00 (their Surf Punk lager with lemonade) · Michelada $8.50 · Karl Strauss hard cherry cola beer, 5%, gluten free — $7.50

Four of them — Turtle Town, Throwback Brown, Surf Punk and Local IPA — are sold in 16oz cans and four-packs to go.

Wine is $8.00, red, white or pink.

And the milkshakes: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or Neapolitan — $8.00 · malts — $9.00.

A Boss Brew and a Guido is about $26 and it's the order I'd make.

How to Visit

Ocean Beach

• 5010 Newport Ave, San Diego, CA 92107 · 619-224-4623
• Open daily 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

Downtown

• 945 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101 · 619-234-6323
• Open daily 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

Both: email hodads1502@gmail.com · online ordering and gift cards through their site · large orders and catering by arrangement · merch through their shop

Closed: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Bossman Day — September 30, annually

One billing note: a 3% surcharge is added to guest checks, and their menu says prices are subject to change without notice.

Good to Know

• They're closed September 30. Every year. Now you know why.
• Order a single. The double bacon cheeseburger at $28 is a shared plate for most people.
• Half frings, $15, feeds three or four. Best value on the menu.
• Get the Guido if you want the one that isn't just a very good cheeseburger.
• The UnBurger is $7 and solves the "my kid doesn't want meat" problem.
• Try the house beer. Boss Brew or Turtle Town, $7.50–$8.50, and you can take cans home.
• 3% surcharge on the check — not a tip, so factor it in.
• Both locations keep the same hours, 11 to 9 daily.

The Takeaway

Get a Guido, a Boss Brew and a half order of frings, and sit down where three generations of one family have been feeding Ocean Beach since 1969.

What makes Hodad's worth the queue isn't the television episode or the reputation — it's that Byron and Virginia Hardin started it on the sand at the end of Santa Monica Avenue fifty-seven years ago, their grandchildren are running it now, and once a year they close the whole operation because they miss Bossman. The burger is excellent. The reason it's excellent is the family.

For more spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Hodad's? Two locations: 5010 Newport Ave in Ocean Beach, and 945 Broadway downtown. Both open daily 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

How old is Hodad's? Byron and Virginia Hardin started serving burgers in San Diego in 1969 — fifty-seven years ago. The business moved to its Newport Avenue building in 1991.

Who owns Hodad's now? Third-generation family members Shane and Lexi Hardin.

Why is Hodad's closed on September 30? It's Bossman Day, in memory of Mike "Bossman" Hardin. They also close for Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving.

What should I order? The Guido Burger at $18 — pastrami, Swiss, grilled onions and spicy brown mustard. Burgers start at $8 for a mini hamburger.

How much is the famous double bacon cheeseburger? $28, with double beef, bacon and cheese.

Is there a vegetarian option? Yes — a veggie burger and a vegan patty at $13 each, a grilled cheese at $8, and the UnBurger at $7, which is a cheeseburger without the meat.

Do they have their own beer? Yes, a full list of house beers from $7.50 to $8.50, including Boss Brew, Surf Punk, Turtle Town and Hodaddy Hefe. Four are sold in cans and four-packs to go.

Is there a service charge? Yes, a 3% surcharge is added to guest checks.

How big are the fry orders? Large fries serve 5–6 and small serve 3–4. "Frings" are half fries, half onion rings — a half order at $15 feeds three or four.