Wimpy’s Hamburgers opens in downtown Visalia
It is the restaurant’s third location, with others in Dinuba and Tulare.
Co-owner Willy Espinoza says they pride themselves on good customer service and a unique experience.
He’s welcoming everyone to try their burgers, fries, and salads.
“More than anything I want people to feel like they’re part of us. It’s family, and we’re excited,” he said.
Wimpy’s downtown Visalia location also serves beer.
Wimpy’s pushes belly-loving burgers to Visalia
Tulare-based burger chain works to expand their locations to downtown Visalia
By Stephanie Barraza
Special to the Sun-Gazette
VISALIA – You would be hard-pressed to find someone that dislikes Wimpy’s Hamburgers.
The original Tulare location is adorned with dozens of pieces of fan art, including hand-drawn sketches, letters, photos, and 1950’s memorabilia focused on the plump and penny-pinching Popeye cartoon, J. Wellington Wimpy, or simply known as “Wimpy.” His character and his famous phrase, “gladly pay you on a Tuesday for a hamburger today,” inspired the name of the restaurant.
One of the many napkins that are pinned to the wall inside, has a hand-drawn portrait of Popeye and his burger-loving friend and reads, “Been stopping here for years every time I come through Tulare.”
Wimpy’s Hamburgers in Tulare, CA.
So for one of Tulare’s most cherished food establishments to be expanding to downtown Visalia, local fans are rejoicing that their favorite burger joint will now have multiple locations across Tulare County.
Ralph Enriquez, who is from Tulare but lives in Visalia, says that when it comes to choosing a favorite restaurant, people tend to gravitate toward specific ones for different reasons, and in this case, Wimpy’s is his favorite burger restaurant for the memories it brings him, aside from the “wonderful, wonderful fries,” of course.
“Besides our love of burgers, we have nostalgia that comes with our favorites,” he said. “In-N-Out will always remind me of ten years of post-Warped Tour while Wimpy’s reminds me of high school friends to family to even introducing it to my wife while dating.”
Willy Espinoza, who co-owns the restaurant with his brother, Duval, says his brother made a proposal to buy the restaurant from its former owner, Aziz Attaran, who ran Wimpy’s for more than a decade.
Since acquiring it, the brothers have managed the restaurant and opened its second location in Dinuba, all in the span of three years.
“I’m a partner with my brother, Duval, who owns Frosty King in Exeter,” said Willy. “A few years ago we spoke to the owner, Aziz, and asked him if he was interested in selling Wimpy’s. A year went by and he called and we were very lucky to buy it from him.”
After opening the second restaurant in Dinuba late last year, the brothers decided to choose downtown Visalia as their third opening of Wimpy’s due to its location and lack of similar burger-focused restaurants.
“We have always liked downtown Visalia,” said Willy. “I know there’s not a lot of burger joints in downtown and we had a lot of customers who asked to bring the restaurant there.”
The Visalia location would take over what was Gumbo Express at 101 S. Court St., a small Chinese restaurant located next to what was once Cellar Door, a bar which was known for its live shows and nightlife.
Willy says the new location will seat about 40 to 50 people, which would include customers seated outside in a proposed patio area. He says a couple of other changes will also come to the new restaurant, including some additions to the menu and modifying the aesthetic from the quintessential “diner look” of the original Tulare location.
“We’re probably going to have the same items and the same menu, but also thinking of selling craft beer,” he said. “We’re also going to try to do a little more modern and rustic look, but we’re still going to have the same bold look to it, like we have in Tulare and Dinuba.”
Willy, who has been in the restaurant business with Duval for 25 years including owning and managing local Mexican restaurant, Los Arbolitos, says they estimate on opening the Visalia location by the end of this year or beginning next year and are also looking to expand Wimpy’s beyond Tulare County.
“We’re working on one in Lemoore,” he said.
With the expansion looking promising, local Wimpy’s goers are also looking forward to share the restaurant for their families to experience in the future.
“Eventually our son is going to join the Wimpy’s fold,” said Enriquez. “The fries are amazing, the burgers are tasty, it’s hometown, and local.”
This Tulare culinary institution ready to bring its killer fries to Visalia
Wimpy’s Hamburger, Tulare’s beloved eatery, will open a new location in downtown Visalia, bringing with it seasoned fries and tasty burgers.
With the downtown Visalia location, Wimpy’s Hamburger will have three locations. A location in Dinuba opened in December.
Willy Espinoza, the eatery’s new co-owner, said opening the location in Visalia will bring an additional choice for those who frequent the vibrant downtown.
“We have always liked downtown Visalia,” he said. “It’s a place where there are a lot of people walking around. There’s nothing like this in the area.”
Espinoza and his brother, Duval, bought the Tulare location two years from Aziz Attaran, who owned the eatery for 14 years.
The brothers, whose family has been in the restaurant business for 25 years, wanted to take on hamburger joints.
“We had the great opportunity of buying the Tulare location,” Willy Espinoza said.
Duval Espinoza first contacted Attaran a year before the transaction was completed in 2016, he said. The first conversation was short, with additional meetings until an agreement was reached.
Attaran agreed.
“They are good people,” he said.
After the purchase was made, the Tulare location maintained the same employees, a move that was promised to Attaran. Under the new management, Tulare’s Wimpy’s Hamburgers is thriving.
Dinuba opening
When the Dinuba location opened, Willy Espinoza said he had the cooks from the Tulare location train the new personnel.
He said he wanted the new location to replicate the seasoned fries flavor — the restaurant’s signature offering.
“It’s a flavor that’s sweet and sour,” he said. “It makes you want to keep on eating.”
Yes, the recipe for the fries is a well-guarded secret. However, there’s no secret to serving tasty food.
The hamburger’s patty is cooked to order, while the fries are served when the rest of the food is ready, Espinoza said. Freshly cooked food has a better taste, he said.
The Dinuba location seeks to replicate what’s in Tulare, including the memorabilia that inspired the restaurant’s name, the drawn-on-napkins customers’ messages posted on the walls and a welcoming atmosphere.
Willy Espinoza said the Dinuba location has been well received.
“The students come here,” he said. “We want to create a welcoming culture.”
Dinuba High School is located just three blocks away. There are also the messages on napkins posted on the restaurant’s walls, including ones from Dinuba high’s soccer team and band members.
There’s also a message from Wasco High School swim team.
A flat-screen television showing Popeye cartoons, whose character “Wimpy The Moocher” inspired the name of the eatery.
Willy Espinoza said the Dinuba eatery is what Attaran started in Tulare.
On a recent Friday, the lunch hour crowd included families, a group of office workers, members of a construction crew and firefighters who walked across the street to the restaurant.
Willy Espinoza worked the grill while two cashiers took orders and delivered food to customers.
The restaurant is run on three principles: customer service, quality of offerings and a clean location, he said.
On to Visalia
The Visalia location, the former Gumbo Express on Court Street between Acequia and Main streets, will be refurbished and is expected to open by next year, Willy Espinoza said.
The refurbishing project will seek to bring a modern touch to an old-style diner, Willy Espinoza said.
The new location will offer alcohol — a chance to pair a burger and a beer.
“We want to do a modern concept,” Willy Espinoza said.
After Checkers closed, downtown Visalia lacks a burger place and the planned Wimpy’s Hamburgers will fill that void, Willy Espinoza said.
“I feel our product is unique,” he said.
Duval Espinoza said the new location will add to the restaurant’s clientele.
“We are taking it to the next level,” he said. “The business is doing well.”
The Visalia location is just the next planned locations. Already, there are plans for seeking locations in Lemoore and Porterville.