Oakland chef and accused abuser revives Berkeley burger restaurant

Chef Charlie Hallowell, who faced numerous accusations of sexual and verbal abuse at Oakland’s Pizzaiolo, has opened another restaurant. 

In an email to supporters, the Pizzaiolo team revealed that it had revived the defunct Berkeley restaurant Station Burger. Renamed The Station, it’s meant as a permanent home for Pizzaiolo’s pandemic-era side project, Back Alley Burgers, a pop-up that wound down in late 2023.

“We heard you loud and clear: ‘Bring back the burgers!’” the email reads, promising a menu of smashburgers, crispy fries, shakes, and ice cream cones. The Station does not appear to have a website, but its Instagram account noted that Thursday was opening day.

Another post from earlier this week depicts Hallowell biting into a burger, indicating his involvement with the new business. 

Representatives of The Station did not reply to a request for comment. 

In 2017, Hallowell faced accusations of abuse from more than two dozen workers, including a female employee who alleged he said he wanted to have sex with her as she presented a proposal for a wine program.

Following the accusations, Hallowell, who got his start under Alice Waters at Berkeley’s renowned Chez Panisse and opened the wood-fired Pizzaiolo in 2005, apologized publicly. He stepped away from his restaurant group, which also operated Penrose and Boot & Shoe Service — both of which later closed. The scandal broke at the height of the #MeToo movement; one year later, however, Hallowell was back in the kitchen, armed with a 12-point plan for holding himself accountable that included encouraging employees to soak him in a dunk tank once a month.

Other stabs at a comeback followed, including the 2024 purchase of a building in Oakland’s Laurel district with the intent to open a restaurant. That project appears to have not materialized, but business has rebounded at Pizzaiolo, which holds a four-star Yelp rating and routinely draws long lines.