Join Us in Building Softies, the Restaurant (July 2025)

Hey, we're Softies. (Yes, that's supposed to sound funny...)

We started as a burger pop-up back in August 2022, trying to make familiar, fun food that felt fresh and inspired with Korean/Asian references. The whole idea was that it would be a fun (key word!!) side hustle - once a month, for friends and family, to make a few hundred bucks here and there.

Here's us at our first event ever in Anaheim, CA (August 2022) - Sam almost puked, and Josh shed a tear after service. Embarrassing, but kinda sweet?

In the beginning, we had the specific intention of never opening a restaurant (ha!). The commitment was too big, too scary, and too risky. Remember? We wanted to keep things fun.

But our business kept growing without our intending it to. New opportunities kept coming, and luck swung in our favor more than we deserved. Our bodies/brains kept riding the momentum without understanding what that would mean for us (we've learned that sometimes, the best plan is no plan).

Here's our trusty team making 450 burgers at our first-ever Smorgasburg service (May 2023), being looked at by several unamused guests.

As the days became weeks, and then months and years, there came a point when we realized we had to make a decision - do we 1) continue lugging our two griddles around town in a borrowed pickup truck, setting up six-foot tables in back alleys and parking lots, 2) say goodbye to Softies as a whole, or 3) graduate into something bigger?

We are answering that question this July, by opening our first brick-and-mortar location at USC Village.

Up until now, we haven't needed or wanted much help. We've always been willing to bear the burden physically/mentally, refusing to take favors without giving back ten-fold. But every time we thought we were doing the lion's share of the work, we were reminded that Softies always has been/will be built by a village.

Restaurant openings are expensive, and we need money to make money. We've poured 99% of our pop-up savings into this opening already (close to $40k), but can use a bit of help to pay for things like:

We hate to ask for favors, and your support in helping us get here is already enough, but we'd be incredibly humbled if you choose to contribute to our restaurant opening. It'll propel us to continue doing what we love, and what we think we do best: serving people.

As a thank you, we've partnered with PIPIP to build an exclusive merch capsule so that you get a special keepsake in return.

Yes, most of your contribution will help fund the restaurant opening, but this is a small way that we can give back if you want to commemorate this moment with us (instructions on gift redemption below). We've centered this capsule around two main ideas:

All Contributions:

Contributions of $50 or more: The Keepsake

Contributions of $100 or more: The Accessory Pack

Contributions of $200 or more: Individual Apparel

Contributions of $300 or more: The Apparel Pack

Contributions of $450 or more: The Apparel Pack + Tote

Contributions of $500 or more: The Full Set

All merch will be shipped in September 2025 (or for pickup at the restaurant). PLEASE NOTE - we are unable to ship internationally.

In order to receive your physical gift (for either shipping or pickup), please email your donation receipt, along with your requested merch pieces/sizes, to softiesburger at gmail.com (GFM redacts the email, sorry!) and we will coordinate with you in the coming weeks. Given our time constraints to produce this set and our inability to receive email info from GFM, please contact us by July 1st, 2025 to lock in your gift!

Thank you so so much for all of your support, from near and from far. This work can be lonely at times, but it's nice to know that you're coming along for the journey. It's a lot of work, but remember, we're going to keep it fun.

We are so excited to welcome you into our new home.