A popular SoCal smashburger pop-up is opening its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in San Clemente, according to an announcement on the company’s social media pages. Small’s Smash Club, from professional snowboarder-turned-burger-slinger Jordan Small, is prepping for operations at 641 Camino De Los Mares, Suite C100.
The concept will take over the former TJs Wood Fire Pizza location. Small tells What Now OC that permitting is complete and construction will wrap up next month, and it’s been a fairly simple transition since much of the infrastructure for an eatery was already in place.
Before launching the brick-and-mortar, Small’s Smash Club built its following through consistent pop-ups at local breweries like Everywhere Beer Co, RŌM Beer Co, Frisby Brewing, Lake Arrowhead Brewing, and South OC Brewing Co. It serves signature smash burgers, beef tallow fries, onion rings, and ice cream cones, alongside craft beer and wines. A liquor license application is listed as pending, and Small expects it to be approved any day.
Small, who grew up in SoCal and has spent many years as a professional snowboarder, says the burger business happened almost by accident; he just started smoking a lot of BBQ in the backyard on a Traeger grill during the COVID quarantines.
“We eventually tried a smashburger at a pop-up, and it was a hit, and we have stuck to that ever since. The dream was always to build the brand with pop-ups and eventually get our own spot, so this is definitely a dream come true for us!” he shared. “We are beyond excited to bring our first brick-and-mortar location right here to our hometown of San Clemente!”
