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WHAT’S SO FUNNY: Husky Boy’s call is loud and clear

There’s been a controversy surrounding the Husky Boy hamburger restaurant on North Coast Highway recently. Some neighbors have complained about food odors and noise, and they’ve had it cited as a public nuisance.

Never let it be said that we Lagunans aren’t sensitive to our environment.

The noise level from the Husky Boy exhaust system tested at 63.9 decibels and the allowable limit is 60, so routine maintenance should solve that. And owner Jay Carpelo says the air quality inspector told him the element causing the aroma complaints was garlic, and Jay has now taken it off the menu.

Whether that will satisfy his neighbors remains to be seen. Although Carpelo says he has a petition with over 1,000 signatures in favor of Husky Boy, there are apparently 12 people nearby who don’t like the Husky Boy atmosphere.

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My feelings here are mixed. I have a finely tuned environmental conscience — I wince at the thought of Laguna homeowners woozy from short-order odor. But I also have a personal reaction when the Husky Boy aroma wafts my way. I love it.

I’m sorry, I didn’t make myself clear. I LOVE it.

They make a rib-eye sandwich over there, on sourdough toast, that’s a party in your mouth. When I go to the pet store I always walk over to Husky Boy afterward and order two or three of those steak sandwiches, with everything and extra mayo. In the car on the way home, the sandwich smell is overpowering. I insist on it. I close the windows.

So many things are subjective. One nose’s fume is another’s perfume. To me, complaints about Husky Boy’s aroma are incomprehensible, like saying Angelina Jolie is too girly.

You think I would tire of the Husky Boy smell if I inhaled it every day? Perhaps we could test your theory.

In order to help broker a peace between Jay and his critics, I’m willing to swap houses with one of the neighbors. I live near Top of the World school and get no Husky Boy odors unless I buy them and bring them up with me. I could move down, and somebody down there could move up.

Of course the place I move into would have to be better than the one I’ve got. Since I’m going into the odor zone, I’m the one who should get the upgrade.

Patti Jo doesn’t know about my offer as I write this, but she’s always liked the close-to-the-ocean real estate hook, so she might agree. Katie likes our present home but she’s leaving for college in a year.

And I want this issue resolved amicably. Above all, I don’t want to see anything endanger the availability of that rib eye on sourdough.

So if it takes my living by the beach to smooth things over, I’m willing to discuss it. I want us all to be happy.


  • SHERWOOD KIRALY is a Laguna Beach resident. He has written four novels, three of which were critically acclaimed.
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