At Burlingame's Maverick Jack’s, it’s community first: The beloved burger spot will celebrate 10 years in business this June

As straightforward as the recipe sounds, it seems to be working — the Burlingame Maverick Jack’s location, situated within the former Broadway train station, will celebrate 10 years of business in June. Mallie also has another Maverick Jack’s location in San Mateo, which is a rebranded iteration of his first restaurant, Jack’s Prime. 

But there’s another, quieter element to the way the Burlingame burger spot has integrated into the community. Mallie has made it a point to give back in a variety of different ways. 

“We launched in 2016 and kind of just became like a real neighborhood spot,” he said. “We integrated ourselves into the community very quickly.”

That includes partnering with the county’s adult education program, Bay University. Individuals with learning and intellectual disabilities come to Maverick Jack’s to work with the staff, learning different elements of the restaurant business.

“There are not a lot of businesses putting their hands up to kind of take that time and take the investment in communities,” Mallie said. “We just felt that it’s something that’s worth doing, and it’s made our staff so much better as a staff, because there’s just an empathy and a patience that comes about from working with people with special needs, and a joy.” 

The goal of the program is to eventually get students situated with employment, Jenna Smith, a teacher with the Burlingame High School chapter of Bay University, said. That goal is one Mallie has truly embraced. 

“We are increasing their work stamina, and they are becoming more fluent in their job. The goal is we try to find them competitive employment,” she said. “Maverick Jack’s has just been this amazing partnership, with Micheal taking one of our students every year, and they fully embrace that kiddo into their restaurant.”  

Mallie, whose own son has Down syndrome, said the program is close to his heart and a win-win for students, who receive transferable skills, and the restaurant, that gets employees excited to learn and enjoy what they’re doing. 

“I think everyone needs the dignity of work, and oftentimes people don’t see ability there, when there clearly is,” he said. “Our type of business tends to be a first job for a lot of young people, and we wanted to extend that out to folks who are in the special needs community.” 

Mallie’s commitment to the Down syndrome community is truly authentic, Smith said, from annual fundraisers to inviting the students in her class to a movie screening. 

“He’s a parent, he lives this life every day, and he sees the value in his son — it humanizes the students for him,” she said. “They are not just a charity. He recognizes they can be contributing members of society, and have a lot to offer the world by being out in it.” 

The San Mateo Maverick Jack’s location now offers a similar program in partnership with Bay University, Mallie said, and the Burlingame restaurant is also involved with other community service opportunities, including the Burlingame Community Education Foundation and food drives for the UC San Francisco Down syndrome community. 

“When you’re part of a community, you do give and take, and the business kind of benefits from that,” Mallie said. 

In honor of its upcoming 10th anniversary, Burlingame Maverick Jack’s has reinvested in the space, repainting the building, and will be hosting a VIP dinner for its most loyal customers. There will also be a raffle, with all customers placing online orders entering into a contest to receive a free monthly burger, shake and fries for 10 months. 

In addition, the restaurant will have a live music and a classic car show June 5 and a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 6, Mallie said. 

“I think people who run good restaurants and are able to stay in business, they do keep things fresh and reinvent themselves, while still staying true to what we do,” he said. “So that’s the challenge, and that’s what we’re really trying to do to celebrate this 10 years in business here.”