Yvonne Benson swung open the mustard-yellow colored door to the new Yeanie’s Burger and Social restaurant at the corner of Dorchester Ave. and Savin Hill Ave. last Saturday and inside, the eatery’s chef and co-owner, Yeanie Bach, handed Benson a menu.

“I already know what I want!” exclaimed Benson, who has been eagerly awaiting Yeanie’s “soft opening” for weeks after she saw painters covering the building’s exterior in an “eye-catching” yellow. The color was so striking that Benson asked the paint crew if it was the primer or final color. 

Bach and her husband, Phi Pham, say they chose the bright yellow because it’s their two-year-old daughter’s favorite color. And, they say, it has proved to be an effective marketing strategy.

“We want people to see something is coming. You can’t miss it. When I say, ‘Oh, my restaurant is on this street,’ everyone knows,” said Bach. 

The corner storefront was once home to Venice Pizza, a neighborhood staple for decades until its longtime owners closed up shop in 2019. “The Venice” re-opened under new ownership in 2021, but that venture proved to be short-lived and closed abruptly in 2023. The prominent space has sat empty ever since.

When Bach and Pham were approached by their broker to consider a new use for it, they knew they’d be replacing a community staple, but were ready to bring something new to Dorchester.

Their answer is Yeanie’s – which features a diner-inspired menu and layout with countertop dining, and 1950s-inspired “comfort foods” like burgers, fries, and milkshakes. Pham said the idea was inspired by the “daddy-daughter diner dates” they enjoy together,

Bach and Pham have owned five restaurants together, including Banh Mi Oi in West Roxbury. However, offering American classics is a new venture for the couple that allow Bach to test her culinary abilities.

“People have expectations of how burgers should be, and there’s a lot of recipe and development we went through,” said Pham.  

Since emigrating to America in 2012, Bach has studied American culture, and while she didn’t intend for Yeanie’s to be a fusion restaurant, she’s still adding her touch to classic dishes. One surprising side dish is Mom’s Spaghetti, a Filipino type sweeter than traditional American spaghetti. Like the yellow exterior, Bach’s daughter influenced this addition to the menu. 

Wings were added to the menu at Bach’s request, she said, because she’s always sad when her husband takes her to a burger joint that doesn’t offer them on the menu. Yeanie’s offers a smoked barbeque “Rue” sauce and a Passion Fruit Habanero sauce that was a “labor of love” to create. 

There were five iterations of the sauce before Bach perfected it. We broke it down to its acidity, pH and layers,” said Pham. Customers described the sauce as the perfect balance between sweet, sour, and spicy. 

As important as offering flavorful food is, the couple wants to provide a community space for people to come together. The open kitchen layout mirrors old-school diners, where Pham says connection was encouraged. He finds it to be “severely lacking” these days. 

Pham wants Yeanie’s to be a place where people can gather after work, talk to the chefs, and eventually visit for breakfast. “I would love to see families and young kids coming in. I’d love to see daddy or mommy days with a burger and shake.

That’s my vision for Yeanie’s,” said Bach. 

Michael Kaplan and his daughters enjoyed a meal inside Yeanie’s Burger and Social on Feb. 1.
Nicole Belcastro photo

On Saturday, that vision played out in front of the proud owners as Dorchester resident Michael Kaplan dined with his two young daughters. “They can be picky sometimes, but they gobbled it up,” he reported.

Customers of all ages trickled in as the day went on, and all had praise for Bach, with customers saying the burgers and shakes surpassed Five Guys and Shake Shack for them. 

At the end of his meal, Matthew Williams declared that Yeanie’s was something special. “If you can have fries without sauces, that’s a good sign,” he said. 

By 5 p.m., Yeanie’s had sold out for the day— part of their planned soft opening. The eatery expects to open with more permanent hours later this month.