Joseph, Z Burger, Wisconsin Avenue

Joseph and I talked across the counter at Z Burger. He seemed sort of confused as to what he was supposed to be doing, and at first insisted he had nothing to say and tried to convince one of the cooks to do the interview instead. But she, smiling broadly, told him he would do great and pushed him back to counter. With a constantly furrowed brown and Eastern European sounding accent, Joseph ended every sentence with a tentative look, as though waiting for approval that he had said the right thing.

“Thank you for come to the Z Burger. My name is Joseph. I work here almost four and a half years. Business is going very well. We also have lots of activities including the biggest event for us was the President Obama birthday. Our store give all day donation included free meal: burger, shake, fries. One very big cake, the size of 11x11. Probably $10,000 only the cake. Z Burger have a traditional every Fourth of July we make a burger competition and it’s very exciting. People come from every part of US including winner from Canada. 

             And now we have extend from one location on Wisconsin we have here before to have this in Tenleytown, also one in Glover Park, Georgetown, another one in White Marsh Baltimore, and we open a couple more in Southwest. Very soon, just a couple of days, we open one in Columbia Heights 14^th and Park. That location very good. And this business normally is fast food, but we pay more attention for fresh ingredients, fresh products, fresh meats. Also we have 75 types old fashioned shakes.

In our belief for the teenager to have to graduate from the high school include you. Future and more important is looking ahead forward for the good education for the best university for the kid’s future and the better for the country. ‘Cause education brings the future.

Z Burger's Legendary Shake List

Since I mentioned before in the interview, our store have 75 old-fashioned shakes. Very rich, very high quality ice cream. Most of the sale here is the chocolate category: chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, mud pie, which is the chocolate with coffee and oreo, rocky road, heath bar. And with the vanilla we have more s’mores, strawberry, strawberry cheesecake, strawberry banana, fruity, which is more healthy, especially for the teenagers or the kids.

I ask him what flavor is his favorite. Before he can answer, his coworker, a young lady stacking burgers who has been listening curiously to our interview, says with a smile “S’mores. His favorite is s’mores.”

“S’mores. As Melina just mentioned. He smiles. Also peach mango. President Clinton, when he was here a couple years before, he chose apple pie. Because it’s very old-fashioned, and it’s very tasty. We have a chance here to, our store to serve President Clinton, Attorney General Eric Holder, and others.

"Education brings the future."