it all started with a butcher

Some restaurants begin with a recipe.

Shooby’s began generations ago with a butcher.

Our family’s story started when our grandfather founded Shalhoob Meat Company in Santa Barbara. His reputation was built on one simple philosophy: if you’re going to serve great food, it starts with great meat.

That commitment to quality has been passed down through every generation of our family.

As we grew up in the family business, we learned far more than how to cook. We learned how to select premium cuts, understand marbling, appreciate texture, and respect the craftsmanship that goes into producing exceptional meat. Those lessons shaped the way we think about food today.

Years later, we transformed our family business into a barbecue restaurant. We focused on scratch-made food, premium ingredients, and doing things the right way instead of the easy way. The community embraced it, and we were honored to be voted Best BBQ in Santa Barbara for nine consecutive years.

But we couldn’t stop thinking about burgers and fried chicken sandwiches.

Everywhere we looked, we saw restaurants using frozen patties and chicken breast, pre-made sauces, commodity ingredients, and shortcuts that sacrificed quality. We knew there had to be a better way.

So we went back to what our family knew best.

Instead of asking, “How do we make another burger restaurant?”

We asked, “What happens when a family of butchers builds a burger from the ground up?”

That question became Shooby’s.

Every burger starts with our own proprietary blend of premium Certified Angus Beef that’s freshly ground in-house on a custom grinder. Grinding our own meat gives us complete control over quality, freshness, texture, and flavor—something simply impossible with factory-produced frozen patties.

Our chicken sandwiches are made with premium Mary’s Chicken, All Natural, fresh never frozen, and raised with the same commitment to quality that we expect from every ingredient we purchase.

Our fries are hand-cut from fresh Kennebec potatoes instead of coming frozen in a bag.

Our pickles are made in-house.

Our sauces are crafted from scratch.

Our milkshakes are hand-spun using real ice cream and premium ingredients—not syrups and powders.

Every ingredient has a purpose. Every recipe has been refined. Every process has been designed to create food we’d proudly serve our own family.

Shooby’s isn’t about being fancy.

It’s about doing things the right way, even when it takes more time, more effort, and costs more money.

We believe you can taste the difference when people refuse to cut corners.

Our hope is simple: that every guest who walks through our doors experiences what happens when generations of butchering knowledge, a passion for scratch cooking, and an obsession with quality all come together in one meal.

From our family to yours…

Thank you for supporting Shooby’s.

We can’t wait to serve you.

REAL FLAVOR. NO SHORTCUTS