Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Toohill.
Jennifer, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
We opened Bob’s Atomic Burgers July 21st, 2012 and it’s been an adventure for two individuals who knew nothing about owning and operating a business. Opening a burger joint was Bob’s pipe dream from childhood like the ones he went to in Milwaukee WI. He shared his dream with me back in early 2000 when we drove by our future establishment which is located across from the Coor’s tour parking lot. I laughed but thought it would be a great idea. Neither of us took a business classes in college and Bob never worked for more then a year in a kitchen. Luckily I did have experience in the restaurant industry and knew how difficult it would be to open a restaurant. I was waiting tables at Boulder Beer and told my friend who worked in the kitchen Bob’s idea and if we ever did it one day would he help us with running the kitchen. He said Yes! And he still is our kitchen manager. In 2010 we were struggling finically and Bob’s back was killing him from his job doing carpentry. Bob is a carpenter. I was a very part-time personal trainer. Our career choices did not allow us to make a comfortable living in Golden. We needed to figure out something else to do. We starting talking about how Golden was developing and we should follow through on Bob’s burger idea. Our place we passed years ago was vacant. Awesome but what about the money it takes to open a restaurant. No way could we obtain a bank loan. So we called our dads. They both had visited Golden and knew it was becoming a hot spot. They loaned us a small amount of money. It was the most stressful times in our lives. Bob built houses not commercial restaurants. We had to get an engineer to draw up plans. Which was a huge expense that we didn’t expect. I was working as much as I could as a personal trainer and our daughters were 3 and 6. And we had no money! But we did it! And our opening day was bigger than we ever expected. The first three months, our friends worked for us and then we started hiring local Golden teenagers. And some of them are still with us. Staffing is a huge part of owning a business. Both of us worked for other people all our lives and that helped us with how we treat the young people that work for us. We are a family at Bob’s and that has helped with our success. Another reason for our success besides our amazing burgers is we give back to our community. We have held over 100 fundraisers over the years donating 10-30 % of our total sales. Most of our fundraisers are for our local schools and food pantries. Our biggest one is for Bgolden. which helps feed hungry families in Golden.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it was not a smooth road. I am not a bookkeeper and neither is Bob. We struggled with finding someone to help us with our books. Also, not having enough money from the beginning. Winter months were rough and then spring was up and down because of Colorado crazy weather. You have to make money in the summer to help you through winter and early spring. After eight winters and COVID, We got it.
We’ve been impressed with Bob’s Atomic Burgers, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Bob’s Atomic Burgers is a counter service restaurant in Golden CO. Our burgers are old fashion and cooked on a flat top grill. Costumers can create their own burgers with varies toppings like fried eggs, grilled chiles, and fried onion strips. We also offer free veggie toppings – lettuce, tomato, onion, fresh jalapeños, pickles, and banana peppers. We also offer quinoa, black bean, grilled and fried chicken sandwiches. You can top your sandwich off with one of our yummy whole-made sauces.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Our kitchen manager has been with since day one. He helped us with creating our menu and food preparation. And our staff! Who is like our family. Most of our staff have been with us for years. They help us with decision making whether it’s the daily special or how to handle opening after COVID. We ask for feedback from them as well. How to handle certain situations with customers and pricing on new food items.
Contact Info:
- Email: jbtoohill@gmail.com
- Website: https://bobsatomicburgers.net/
