By Nicholas David

Hamburger Haven held a memorial service on Feb. 18 to celebrate the life of Jose Cen, a longtime employee.

Cen, an immigrant from Yucatán, México, passed away on Feb. 4. He was 44 years old. Cen had been working at Hamburger Haven since 2005. Recently, he contracted a respiratory illness which became pneumonia. Following hospitalization, he succumbed to cardiac arrest.

“We worked here for many years together, but he was also a good friend,” said Jose Chan, who worked alongside Cen for almost 20 years, barring the restaurant’s two-year closure during the pandemic. Chan recalled Cen’s strong work ethic and love for Giants baseball.

The gathering to honor Cen was organized by Roozbeh Falahati, Hamburger Haven’s current owner. Friends and neighbors stopped by to express their condolences to Cen’s coworkers and family members, including his brother Julio Cesar Cen Camaal, cousin Ever Chan Cen and coworker Felipe Chan, who grew up with Cen in Yucatán. Beer and wine were served, with all proceeds donated to Cen’s family.

“He was one of the people that I grew up with alongside the business,” said Falahati, who took over the restaurant from his parents after the pandemic. “He had a good heart, he was a hard worker, and he always had my back.”

Falahati organized a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Cen’s family.

“Jose was a man of integrity and service,” Falahati wrote on the GoFundMe page. “He put his younger brother Julio through school and continued to take care of his mother and father.” Falahati has raised more than $10,000 to contribute toward Cen’s funeral arrangements and transportation.

Cen’s brother, Julio Cesar Cen Camaal, flew in from México when his brother fell sick. At the service, he said, “We greatly appreciate your love for my brother and our family.” His words have been translated from Spanish

In the days following Cen’s passing, The restaurant has kept a small sign up in his honor. The staff members are grieving quietly, but it is mostly business as usual.

“Everyone’s going through it in their own way,” said Falahati, recalling emotional moments in the last month. “We’ve just got to try to keep the show moving as best we can.”

Hamburger Haven is located at 800 Clement St. It is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.