Misael and Amai Alvarado owned five burger restaurants in California.

"We moved here because there's nothing like this," Misael said. "In California, there's too much competition."

The Alvarados' restaurant, Tommy's Burgers, is set to open April 1 at 4969 Park Ave.

Tommy's will specialize in California-style burgers.

"We put the meat on the char-broil, not on the grill. It's juicy," Misael said. "This is different."

The Alvarados found the Park Avenue spot by googling. That led them to Barry Maynard of Gill Properties, who brokered the deal for both sides, along with Frank Dyer III.

The location has gone through a few iterations over the years. It began, according to Maynard, as a Huddle House. It then became a CK's, and later an E's 24 Hour Cafe. More recently, the Waffle Iron relocated from Collierville to the spot. Then, it was El Palacio.

Tommy's offers an extensive menu, serving breakfast, including breakfast platters and sandwiches, hot cakes, burritos, and omelettes. In addition to the burgers, they will offer sandwiches, such as tuna, Philly cheesesteak, patty melt, Polish sausage, and fish. Dinner plates include fish and chips, fried chicken, jumbo shrimp, and a ribeye sandwich. They will also have Mexican dishes like fajitas, tacos, and quesadillas.

There will be milkshakes, too, and Boba drinks.

The burgers at Tommy's are topped with Thousand Island dressing. There is the chili cheeseburger, bacon cheeseburger, jalapeno cheeseburger, and a burger topped with pastrami.

Misael's recommendation? Go for the pastrami burger.

"Nobody has pastrami burgers around here," he said. "It is really good."

The Alvarados have done some small renovations to the space and have painted the outside a bright, inviting yellow. They plan to add a patio out front.

The restaurant is set to be open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Capacity is around 52. Misael said he expects to employ around 10 people.

"Nobody has this menu here in Memphis," he said of Tommy's. "I was living here for five years, and I didn't see anything like this."

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