Since 1980s, people flock to Angelina County Airport for famous café burger

ANGELINA COUNTY, Texas (KTRE) - The Angelina County Airport Café hamburger is locally famous; some of those who’ve tried it say it’s one of the best they’ve ever had.

Livingston resident Tammi Ogletree says she and her husband get on a plane just to get their hands on it.

“My husband is a pilot. Feels good outside, he’s like, ‘let’s fly to Angelina County Airport and have a hamburger.’ It is one of the best hamburgers literally that you will find anywhere around.”

The Café has 246 reviews on Google with a 4.7-star rating. While they do serve other items, too, how did the county airport of all places come to have such a well-reviewed burger?

“Somebody got the idea that they could do a coffee shop,” says Angelina County Airport Manager Gary Letney.

The café is run by the airport, and Letney says in about 1985 there were roughly 22 commercial airport pilots and 15 federal employees.

One employee decided to run a coffee shop on site, and she later had a grill put in to start making burgers.

“We’ve tried to kind of duplicate the type of burgers that she did, and it’s always been a hit,” says Letney.

Letney says 70 percent of those who order lunch get the burger, but the café isn’t necessarily there for profit. It has a way of making money, though, that even extends to the runway.

“We sell a lot of fuel because of the café. Like Saturdays, there may be 30 planes come in just to eat burgers; well, 15 of those are going to buy fuel,” says Letney.

With six café employees and plenty of repeat customers, Letney says he hopes the café can one day expand its space, but for now, they’ll keep making the burgers that continue to fill the space they already have.

The Angelina County Airport Café is open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

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