The Organizational Culture of…Umami Burger

I visited Umami Burger Pasadena, a hipster burger restaurant in old town Pasadena. As I was being seated, I could not help but notice how open and sleek the restaurant felt. The doors were wide open and the front of the restaurant was covered with all windows. Even the kitchen in the back was open – there were no dividing walls in sight. The white and silver colors definitely made the restaurant feel modern, while the plastic fork covered lights gave the restaurant an aura of hipster. The paintings on the wall were abstract and incredibly simple, nicely integrating with the rest of the feel in the restaurant.

Every Umami Burger Restaurant has the same menu, except for a signature burger that is unique to each location. I decided to dive in and have the signature burger unique to this location – Le Cordon Bleu Burger designed by the local culinary arts students at the Pasadena College of Culinary Arts. It was an expensive, yet delicious delicatessen burger.

Interestingly, I visited the restaurant on a unique day – Halloween. Out of the 12 working employees, four of them wore costumes, which were simple and not over the top. They were also handing out candy to the children and adults walking by. The way the employees interacted with one another was filled with positive energy – they were laughing, joking, and seemed to be having a lot of fun doing their jobs. From the cooks doing a tag team job, to the server smiling while walking over to serve someone food, the overall feel of the restaurant was inclusive and welcoming.

After observing the organizational culture, it definitely feels like the employees consider themselves privileged to be Umami Burger employees. Perhaps they even feel like they are part of a family. This restaurant is definitely the epitome of hipster, especially since the server ended our meal by offering us a dessert menu written on a chalkboard.

Will I return? Probably…but maybe next time I’ll pre-eat.