Mike ‘Bossman’ Hardin was more than just hamburgers and Hodad’s. He was a friend, father and favorite son of this eclectic beach community, nestled on the western edge of Point Loma. When news broke of Hardin’s death on Thursday, Feb. 5, residents of Ocean Beach started a makeshift memorial in front of the restaurant on Newport Avenue by leaving flowers, photos and messages. By Friday morning, news had spread, and mourners from all of San Diego were paying their respects. “Mike’s generosity and kindness had such a huge impact on Ocean Beach. It won’t be the same without him,” said Chanti Kalagian, a native of Ocean Beach, who taped a sign on Hodad’s window that read “RIP Bossman. OB will miss you, Mike!”
“I wanted to show my support,” Kalagian said. “He was a friend to everybody. I can’t believe it.”
Hodad’s Burgers, with venues in Ocean Beach, downtown and seasonal at Petco Park, were closed Feb. 6 in honor of Hardin and Feb. 7 in tribute to a co-worker who died in an auto accident.
Hardin, 56, was found in a suburban Fresno hotel Feb. 5 after he went to Northern California to visit his daughter. According to the autopsy results, Hardin died of natural causes.
Hodad’s, which was already a local institution, gained national attention in 2007 when the restaurant was featured on the Food Network show “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives,” hosted by Guy Fieri. That led to Hardin and other “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” alumni working together with The Messlords – a nonprofit group of chefs who travel around the world to cook for U.S. troops in spots like Japan, Guam, Egypt, and Dubai.
Begun in 1969 by Hardin’s parents, Byron and Virginia, who purchased both the business and its name, Hodad’s was originally located on the beach at the end of Santa Monica Avenue. In 1991, after several moves, the restaurant opened at its present location on Newport Avenue in the heart of Ocean Beach.
“Hodad’s started out as just a hamburger stand on the beach, no décor or anything,” said Hardin last summer in a Peninsula Beacon story marking the restaurant’s 45th year. “Part of our success is that people see how genuine it is.”
The eatery features historic photos, walls covered with license plates from all over the world and surfboard-shaped seats. It also features a line out the door and down the block just about every day in the summer. A giant menu board over the customer counter proclaims, “99 Gazillion sold,” and it may be right. “Hodad’s has such a positive energy,” said Jill Varney, an Ocean Beach resident who came out to see the memorial in front of the restaurant. “Mike and his staff were always very kind to all their customers. It’s such a tragedy he’s gone. It’s really sad.” The name Hodad’s is derived from the 1950s beach term for surfer wannabes who were into cars, music and counterculture style, but it had become synonymous with describing Hardin, who was as original and unconventional as his restaurant. – Dave Schwab and Martin Jones Westlin contributed to this story.