Beloved Lou’s Burgers is serving up burgers, fries and memories for the last time in 65 years

A Sacramento landmark is turning off the lights and grills, at least for now.

Lou’s Burgers has been a mainstay in the North Highlands for 65 years.

But now it will just be part of people’s memories as its owners close the popular burger restaurant.

“It’s a messy burger, but it’s worth it,” Harold Chevin said.

Chevin and other burger fans said standing in line for hours to place one last order is also worth it.

Saturday was Lou’s last day of work.

“The burgers are pretty good,” Joe Jimenez said. “As I grew up on them, they were unlike any place I had ever been.”

Lou’s Burgers first opened seven locations in 1958.

“I worked here from 1971 to 1975 or so,” Jimenez said.

It is the only Lou’s Burgers restaurant remaining in Sacramento and this location was the place to be seen for Highlands High School students and proud alumni.

“It was a bring-your-date place [or] “Come to lunch at school with your girlfriends, it was fun,” said Lauren Sheppard, Class of 67.

Sheppard and other graduates proudly wore their lettered jackets while mingling with friends. There were meetings among the crowd.

“We only serve burgers here,” Laila Kitchens said. “We didn’t know the community cared.”

Kitchens, yes, that’s the last name of the burger joint, and her husband Robbie Kitchens picked up the spoon 14 years ago, carrying on the family tradition of serving up burgers and shakes.

But with the rent increasing, the owners said it was time to close the kitchen.

“I’m not going to give in to these prices because I’m not going to charge them extra to line my pockets,” Kitchens said.

While the kitchens will miss cooking grilled pies and French fries, what they will miss most is making memories.

“Someone posted on Facebook this morning that they don’t come here to eat, they come here for the real memories,” she said.

Sheppard, 75, said she had a Low Burger for the first time when she was 10 years old.

“I had to come on the last day, so I’ve been here 65 years,” Sheppard said.

The family said they doubled the number of burgers they usually serve on Saturday, eating 350 dozen hamburger buns.

The family also said if they found another location they could afford, they could open it again.