Restaurants
Paul Wahlberg stops by Morongo Casino to open a location of the family fast-food chain, Wahlburgers
Billboards along the 10 Freeway that usually feature big pop stars headlining casinos were covered with hamburgers July 23.
That’s because Wahlburgers, a celebrity restaurant by three Wahlberg brothers — Mark, Donnie and Paul — was making its Inland debut at Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon.
The restaurant features what Paul Wahlberg called family cooking and aims to reflect the tastes and values of his native Boston, where he still lives. The chain was made famous by the reality series “Wahlburgers,” which aired from 2014-2019 on A&E.
This is the third Wahlburgers restaurant in Southern California, along with USC Village and West Hollywood locations. And there is a restaurant and a kiosk in the Grand Bazaar Shops across from the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip.
Paul Wahlberg, a professional chef, visited the Las Vegas restaurants before arriving at Morongo last week to prepare for Wahlburgers’ grand opening July 23.
Morongo’s Wahlburgers, part of a franchise, is west of the main entrance in space that was created by a major expansion launched in 2019. It was once a parking lot and later became the Sideline Bar & Grill, which opened in June 2020.
It has a long bar with slot machines surrounded by tables and a catwalk for DJs and live music. The walls are decorated with widescreen TVs and posters for Mark Wahlberg’s movies and Donnie Wahlberg’s long-running cop series “Blue Bloods.” Before acting, both were in the music industry, Mark as rapper Marky Mark and Donnie as a member of the 1990s boy band New Kids on the Block.
Paul Wahlberg, 57, is older than Mark and Donnie. They have six other siblings and were raised in a working class environment.
He got his start in the restaurant business at 17, first working for a catering company and later at a restaurant called Trolleys near Boston Garden.
Paul Wahlberg was at the center of the “Wahlburgers” reality series, which depicted him as trying to maintain his own vision for the restaurants while dealing with input from Mark, Donnie and their strongwilled mother, Alma, who died in April.
Fascination with the series brings a lot of customers to “Wahlbergers,” Paul Wahlberg said in an interview before an 11 a.m. ribbon cutting ceremony July 23.
“It’s a lot of Donnie and Mark questions. ‘Is Mark going to be here?’ ‘Is Donnie going to be here?’ ‘How’s your mom?’ We get a lot of that.”
He said Alma Wahlberg is going to be greatly missed.
“She had such an impact on all of us. It’s great being in business with my family. I learn so much from them every day.”
He is proud of Wahlburgers’ menu and described his strength as pleasing customers.
The menu features seven burgers priced $9.95$15.95, with Our Burger, his favorite, being the most popular. It features a signature “Wahl sauce” as well as “government cheese,” processed cheese for welfare recipients.
“Government cheese is there to remind us where we came from,” Paul Wahlberg said. “We came from very humble beginnings.
“It’s great American cheese, and it just melts perfectly on the burger,” he added. “It’s delicious.”
He is also proud of the fries, “fried crispy and super tasty,” and chicken sandwiches, both seared and crisp.
He said he likes to drop in on Wahlburgers locations.
“It’s always good to check in. And people really like the experience of seeing us. I’ll walk in, I’ll bus tables, I’ll do whatever has to be done.”
Paul Wahlburgers’ Morongo visit was short. He headed out after the opening.
“Always moving. Always stuff going on. I’ll be back here soon enough.”