Top S.F. burger spot closing after nearly a decade
WesBurger 'N' More, whose burgers the Chronicle once hailed as among the best in the Bay Area, will close its doors at 2240 Mission St. after nearly ten years of business.
Owner Wes Rowe announced the closure on Instagram Tuesday, inviting customers to 'have a last burger or five' before the final day of business on July 15. Until then, Rowe is primarily focused on celebrating the legacy of the business.
'I love the city a lot,' Rowe told the Chronicle. 'I don't really want to harp on too many negative things about closure and kind of pile along the same way that I feel like a lot of people do when they close.'
Rowe, originally a photographer, started WesBurger in 2013 as a monthly popup. That turned into a weekly occurrence, and in 2016, he opened on Mission Street serving burgers and other items seven days a week.
WesBurger is best known for its smashburger, but also offers a menu of fried chicken, mac and cheese (that was featured among the Chronicle's best), beer and a range of sides — with fries notably left off the menu in favor of tater tots.
Following the tradition of the Wednesday weekly popup, Rowe will be at the restaurant on Wednesdays leading up to the closure and continue to put out specials for customers. He also envisions a big party in the last few days of the restaurant for the community to 'try all the tots and drink all the beer.'
Tuesday's announcement might have felt sudden for the public, but Rowe's decision to shut down had been simmering for a while, he said. Many things have changed for the restaurant since 2016, including the rise of delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats, which decreased their dine-in crowd.
Although this iteration of WesBurger is closing down for good, Rowe thinks the brand is strong and may have a future. Since announcing the closure, he has been approached by a few people hoping to take over the business — and for the right person, he might consider.
'For now, I'm gonna let it breathe and go back to normal life for a little bit,' Rowe said, 'but I don't think that this will be the ultimate end of WesBurger.'
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