Hamburgers are the new handrolls

After a rocky start to the year, smash burger joint Hamburger Project is doubling down

By Olivia Peluso

10:24 AM PDT on October 15, 2025

The classic smashburger. Photo: Olivia Peluso/ Gazetteer SF

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Divisadero St. smash burger restaurant Hamburger Project soft-opened its second location at 598 Guerrero St. on Tuesday night with free burgers and milkshakes. It was also a soft launch for the return of chef-owner Geoffery Lee.

The team said they expect to officially open sometime next week with a menu of smashburgers, fries, and milkshakes and bar seating.

The burger spot is replacing the Handroll Project, owned by the same team, which seemingly vanished overnight in August. Handroll Project occupied the windowed, heavily-trafficked location for three years.

In August, the restaurant stopped accepting reservations on Resy and orders on DoorDash. Then without a word, the pink facade was gone and the signage on the windows started advertising the Hamburger Project. Until Tuesday, there had been no announcement on either business’ social media accounts, but Handroll Project is listed as temporarily closed on Google.

Handroll Project opened in 2022 and was welcomed with open arms by handroll-obsessed diners. Chef Lee of Michelin-starred Ju-Ni spearheaded the project with his business partner Tan Truong.

The same team opened the original Hamburger Project at 808 Divisadero last year. It had a tumultuous start: Food influencer Kat Ensign’s lukewarm review in December 2024 set off a DM flurry between Lee and Ensign that led to Lee’s resignation in January, though he seemed to continue working at the restaurant. The highly public incident thrust the fraught relationship between chefs and influencers into the spotlight.

Lee was present at the Hamburger Project’s soft opening on Tuesday, happily handing out free burgers, a reminder that there is life — and burgers — after influencer drama.