Less than a year after opening Santa Monica’s sleek Bar Monette, chef Sean MacDonald is ready to debut his next restaurant, Burgette. The French burger spot opens on March 15 next door to Bar Monette on Santa Monica Boulevard.

The opportunity to open Burgette came about when Bar Monette’s neighboring restaurant, Stout, closed in 2023. Knowing the restaurant had good traffic, MacDonald acquired the restaurant’s lease and began envisioning a sister restaurant to Bar Monette. He decided to stick with a burger menu to preserve Stout’s steady stream of customers but wanted to offer an experience and ambiance more in line with Bar Monette’s. “I was like, ‘How can I make this more sexy than just burgers and beers?” he says.

Reaching into memories of past trips to Paris, MacDonald devised a plan for the former Stout space that reminded him of the dimly lit restaurants and bars he stumbled across while wandering down side streets. He led the design process, completing an initial blueprint in just three days. The re-conceptualized dining room features dark wood complemented by a wall of hanging copper pots over a curved bar and deep red accents.

The Parisian inspiration continues into the menu where classic American burgers get the French treatment. Take La Burgette, which is MacDonald’s version of the Big Mac. Instead of the expected American cheese and tangy Big Mac sauce, La Burgette is topped with grainy Dijon mustard, cornichons, Worcestershire sauce, and a mix of American and mimolette cheeses.

In addition to La Burgette, find La Viviane on the menu, named after MacDonald’s grandmother and served with spiced tomato jam, bone marrow butter, and French raclette. An Oklahoma-style salmon belly smash burger comes with pickled turnips and sauce gribiche. For non-burger options, look toward MacDonald’s take on a Waldorf salad, a play on green bean almondine, and charcuterie plates featuring selections from the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills. Across the menu, MacDonald plans to source produce from the Santa Monica farmers market. Like at Bar Monette, Jeff Whittaker will lead the kitchen as head chef and Halleluyah Wallcot will be the general manager.

With the opening approaching, MacDonald is already dreaming of Burgette in action. “I’m excited to walk into the room and [have it] be bustling and people are enjoying themselves,” he says. “I think that’s what I was put on this earth to do — to create experiences for people.”

Burgette is located at 111 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401. It will hold hours from noon to midnight, Wednesday through Sunday starting March 15. Reservation information will be sent to the restaurant’s mailing list before opening.