Best Burger Place • In-N-Out Burger 5100 Stockdale Highway; 2310 Panama Lane; 800-786-1000; in-n-out.com
Favorites Photo by Mark Nessia
• Juicy Burger • Moo Creamery
Best Business Lunch • Luigi’s Restaurant and Delicatessen 725 E. 19th St.; 322-0926
Favorites • The Sequoia Sandwich Co. • Uricchio’s Trattoria
Best Chinese Restaurant • Bill Lee’s Bamboo Chopsticks 1203 18th St.; 324-9441; billlees.com
Favorites • P.F. Chang’s • Great Castle Chinese Restaurant
Best Coffee Shop • Starbucks Coffee Co. Various locations including 9000 Ming Ave.; 665-8065; starbucks.com
Favorites • 24th Street Cafe • Dagny’s Coffee Co.
Best Cupcakes • Sweet Surrender 6439 Ming Ave.; 835-8530; sweetsurrenderbakery.com
Favorites
Steve and Dawn Baumgarten, owners of Log Cabin Florist
Best Florist and Best Customer Service: Log Cabin Florist
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hen you’re there to make your customers happy, your business will survive a long, long time. Just ask Dawn Baumgarten of Log Cabin Florist, whose business was not only awarded best floral shop, but overall in best customer service. Baumgarten has been at the shop for about 30 years, but she bought Log Cabin 10 years ago from its previous owners. “Our customer service is probably our No. 1 focus,” she said. “We care about our customers, about their experience and follow through to make it the best product purchase possible.” This requires taking weekly trips to the coast to get the best selection of flowers, which sometimes means getting them from the field. “You can’t get fresher than that,” Baumgarten said.
• Smith’s Bakeries • Cupcakes N Crema
Best Deli • The Sequoia Sandwich Co. Various locations including 1231 18th St.; 323-2500; sequoiasandwich.com
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With a 79-year history, Log Cabin’s employees have a passion for what they do. The management team recently returned from training in Michigan. “We need to keep up to speed to anything current happening in the floral industry, in trends, designs and management styles,” Baumgarten said. To keep in contact with their customers, Log Cabin interacts on Facebook by posting photos of floral arrangements and community events. “We have over 40,000 customers, and we are in contact with them on a weekly, bi-weekly basis to offer them reasons as to why we are the best in Bakersfield.” 800 19th St.; 327-8646; logcabinflorist.com Continued on page 74
• Caesar’s Italian Delicatessen • Luigi’s Restaurant and Delicatessen
Best Drive-Thru (no indoor seating) • Sonic Drive-In Various locations including 6701 White Lane; 827-9100; sonicdrivein.com
Favorites • Country Boy Drive-In • Andre’s Drive-In
Best Happy Hour • Tahoe Joe’s Famous Steakhouse 9000 Ming Ave.; 664-8723; tahoejoes.com
Favorites • Lengthwise Brewing Co. • Elephant Bar
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