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Driven out by high-speed rail

Angelo's is an institution in Fresno. The burger joint has been around since the 1950s and once featured drive-up service. The high-speed rail project that will start in the Central Valley needs the property it's situated on. The owners, the Chea family, have been told they must vacate by Sept. 15.

Angelo’s is an institution in Fresno. The burger joint has been around since the 1950s and once featured drive-up service. The high-speed rail project that will start in the Central Valley needs the property it’s situated on. The owners, the Chea family, have been told they must vacate by Sept. 15.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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Angelo’s Drive-In is among the first properties to have to give way for the California’s high-speed rail project. The Cambodian immigrant family that owns the diner says the state is not offering them enough money to begin again.
Read more: High-speed rail project dooms Fresno 1950s burger joint Angelo’s

Open -- but not for much longer

Peter Chea, one of the two sons of owners Kay Lim and Ken Chea, cleans tables at the end of another day. The business is helping put Peter and his brother through college.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

In the shadow of Angelo's

Residents stroll past the Fresno institution. Angelo’s is a neighborhood icon, a tradition for generations of residents.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Personal welcome

Co-owner Kay Lim holds the door open for longtime regular customer Sandy Worstein, who meets family and friends at Angelo’s every Thursday morning.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Family affair

Owners Ken Chea, center, and Kay Lim, right, work daily with their sons Tim, left, and Peter. They couple are paying their mortgage and putting their sons through school with the money they make from Angelo’s.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Service with a smile

Owner Kay Lim pours coffee for longtime regulars Jo Yates, center, and Nadine Goodenough, who meet at Angelo’s every Thursday morning. “We’re going to have to help you find a new place,” said Nadine Goodenough. “But that doesn’t seem like much money, does it?” she observed of the $120,000 that the state has offered for the land and business.   (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Worried

Son Peter Chea, 24, is an economics major at Fresno State. He is worried about how he will pay his tuition after his parents’ restaurant is forced to close.   (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

Saying goodbye

Nadine Goodenough waves to her friends at the end of their weekly breakfast. It may be one of the last times they’re able to meet at Angelo’s.  (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

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