It all started one day when the toddler of Burlingame couple Berry and Keith Lakstigala threw a small tantrum outside an empty storefront while they were strolling down Broadway toward Preston’s Candy & Ice Cream.

Berry, summoning her patience, looked up into the storefront and was struck with the idea to transform it into the restaurant she and her husband, Keith, had long discussed: a family-friendly, old-school diner, with modern smashburgers at the heart of the menu.

Thus, Patty’s Diner was born. The diner, which opened around three weeks ago, does just that, serving smashburgers, shakes and more, all amid retro-styled digs. Berry brings with her a long background in the restaurant industry, including stints with brands like Super Duper, Tacolicious and Slice House, while Keith previously worked in medical device sales.

“The coolest part is that we’re doing it together,” Keith says.

The menu’s got an array of smashburgers — some topped with barbecue sauce and bacon, others served Southwest-style, with Pepper Jack cheese, jalapeños, avocado and house-made chipotle sauce. People can upgrade or substitute a Wagyu patty ($4) or an Impossible vegetarian patty ($3) onto their burgers, and choose between single- or double-patty options. Hot dogs, loaded fries, house-made chili, salads, shakes and a kids’ menu are all on offer, too.

The couple takes pride in their locally sourced ingredients, and uses Ghirardelli chocolate and Straus Family Creamery soft-serve ice cream for their milkshakes.

And no, nobody from the restaurant is named Patty — the name is just a play on the burger patties they serve, Berry says.

Keith says he enlisted his 83-year-old father to help curate the poster collection around the restaurant and array of retro model cars on the shelves above the bar, and they’ve been getting positive feedback from the community about the nostalgia the decor evokes.

They’re hoping the diner becomes a destination for kids’ sports teams, movie nights and birthday parties, and are in the process of securing permissions to sell beer and wine.

Details: Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Mondays at 1184 Broadway, Burlingame; Instagram: @pattysburlingame

Sprinkles Cupcakes shops reopen in San Ramon, Palo Alto

After Sprinkles, a chain that’s become synonymous with the gourmet cupcake trend, shuttered Dec. 31, two locations — with a third on the way — are back serving Bay Area customers.

The reborn locations, in Palo Alto and San Ramon, were separate franchises from the others that were closed down, according to Shaylee Valladares, shift lead manager at the Palo Alto Sprinkles location.

The locations reopened on Feb. 12, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

“Valentine’s Day is like our Black Friday,” Valladares says.

General manager Andrea Shields says they’re working to rebuild operations at their two locations, but they also plan to open the Burlingame location that was in the works before the December closure sometime this year.

They’re also exploring adding new flavors and are accepting customer suggestions. You can reach them on Instagram at @sprinklesnorcal.

The Beverly Hills-based brand, started by Candace Nelson in 2005, was acquired by KarpReilly in early 2013, and at the end of 2025, all 21 of its stores and 25 Cupcake ATMs were closed. These two locations appear to be the only ones coming back, as of now.

Details: Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily at 393 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, and 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road, Suite 1612, San Ramon; order.sprinkles.com

Raising Cane’s opens a second San Jose restaurant

A second San Jose restaurant location for cult favorite Raising Cane’s opened Tuesday on North Capitol Avenue in San Jose.

This location is frying up fresh chicken strips (“fingers” in Cane’s parlance) until after midnight every day — until 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2 a.m. the other nights of the week. Breakfast and early lunch will start at 9 a.m. daily.

Indoors, the restaurant honors local schools (James Lick, Independence, Piedmont Hills and San Jose high schools) and hometown legends (Jim Plunkett, Doobie Brothers and more) with vintage photography, posters and newspaper clippings.

Founded in Baton Rouge, the Raising Cane’s chain is known for maintaining a strict menu focus — just chicken fingers with one signature dipping sauce, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw and Texas toast. Customers may purchase a single chicken finger, a few as a combo or loaded on a sandwich, or in large party packs.

The beverage menu, also concise, includes sweet tea and “unsweet” tea, both freshly brewed throughout the day; lemonade that’s freshly squeezed daily; and fountain soft drinks.

Details: 440 N. Capitol Ave., San Jose; raisingcanes.com

Send restaurant news tips to Linda Zavoral at lzavoral@bayareanewsgroup.com, Kate Bradshaw at kbradshaw@bayareanewsgroup.com or John Metcalfe at jmetcalfe@bayareanewsgroup.com.