The owner of Best Burger, Andrew Toy, is known for always greeting customers with a warm smile, making everyone feel welcome. His polite mannerisms shine through, especially when he thanks you after you finish ordering. Even during the busiest lunch rush hours, Andrew and his team remain focused and composed, creating a calm atmosphere that stands in contrast to the chaos often found at places like Chipotle.
“Every time I go to order food at Best Burger, I notice that Mr. Toy [who is usually at the register] always greets his customers with such a warm and welcoming smile which makes me feel content when eating at his restaurant,” said senior Leslie Aguilera.
Senior Emily De Leon added, “He is a great guy who treats customers with respect and kindness all the time,”
Growing up, Andrew Toy was exposed to the restaurant industry due to his parents owning a restaurant in San Francisco. Toy loved being around his family and spending time helping them around in the restaurant. He would come home from school and be recognized by customers. “Hey, you’re Toy’s kid,” people would say to him, which always brought a smile to his face. The kindness and hospitality that people gave him as a child is something he realizes he appreciates, and now finds joy in giving back to other people.
Throughout his high school years, Toy didn’t really know what he wanted to do with his life. He was more of a ‘free spirited kid’ and would goof around saying, “Tomorrow is tomorrow, and today is today.”
Getting a degree is something he was planning on doing but he didn’t know exactly what to do after he was done with school. However, the same boring routine of going to school everyday is what made him feel burnt out and unsure of his post-high school plans.
Not being ready to begin college, he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. He was on the reserve side of the military, though when he joined, the Gulf War broke out in the early 90s. Because of this, he was put on active duty for about 2-3 years.
After joining the Marine Corps, he became mature, and felt more of a leader and confident in himself. This leadership helps him run and manage the restaurant today. “He isn’t stern but he knows how to talk to people,” said Kieun Toy, Andrew Toy’s wife.
He then decided to go to college to major in business and also attend culinary school as well to improve his cooking skills. His mother found this “ridiculous” since his father never went to school to learn how to cook.
Even though he enjoyed cooking, running a restaurant had never been on his mind. Toy’s in-laws were the original owners of Best Burger. Toy helped them open the restaurant up, and in the year of 1993, they offered to leave him in charge of the business and he’s worked there ever since for the past 31 years.
He was a very hard worker at Best Burger for many years, until he had kids. He decided to step back a bit to connect with his new family better. Working in a place where he could set up his own hours and take vacations when needed helped him spend more time with his family. This flexibility allowed him to participate in activities with his family like coaching his eldest son’s soccer team.
When his first son, Jordan, attended San Rafael High School, Toy would participate in the PTA (Parent Teacher Association), as well as in the football games. He would make burgers, help out in the band, and do boosters. Now that his children are out of school, he isn’t as involved with the SRHS community as much, but is still very fond of the school and helps whenever needed.
The SRHS community means a lot to Toy, not only because many students are customers but also because he values the connections he is able to make with people. “I may not remember the face, but I can recognize the order,” says Toy.
The workplace he’s created is very family-oriented. The co-workers he has hired are a part of what he would consider family, with how much they’ve all helped each other and have gotten to know one another.
Donnine Pipkin from the counseling office, is able to see how very community oriented the restaurant and Toy are. “They are an awesome family, and still very connected to San Rafael High School,” says Pipkin.
Even though managing a restaurant wasn’t Toy’s dream job, every skill he learned throughout his life in the Marines, college, and culinary school have helped him be able to successfully run Best Burger. Working around people and being exposed to a different variety each day is something he enjoys about working at Best Burger.
Serving new and familiar faces brings a lot of fulfillment to Toy’s life. He views his restaurant as his entire identity since without it, he couldn’t have gotten to know the community that he loves. Toy stated that in the future when he is ready to move on to a new adventure, he hopes to pass his restaurant to his children.
