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One of the original restaurants at Westside Provisions District on Howell Mill Road closed over the weekend.
Erik Maier and Kelly Wallace announced on social media the June 11 closure of organic burger restaurant Yeah Burger after 12 years at the development, thanking patrons for their support over the last 12 years and providing a glimmer of hope that the burger joint may eventually reopen elsewhere in Atlanta. The pair also own grain bowl and smoothie spot Upbeet at the Iron Works complex across the street.
The closure of Yeah Burger at Westside Provisions District follows a rough two years in business for Maier and Wallace, which appears to have started with the temporary closures of both Yeah Burger locations on Howell Mill Road and in Virginia-Highland in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic.
Five months later, in August 2020, Maier and Wallace permanently closed Yeah Burger in Virginia-Highland after nearly a decade in the neighborhood. Farm Burger, another Atlanta-based organic burger chain, took over the Virginia-Highland space last summer.
The reopening of Yeah Burger on Howell Mill Road in November 2021 included the contentious debut of a much-hyped “100% plant-based” menu. The move didn’t go over well with longtime regulars of the burger joint, hurting profits, and forcing Maier and Wallace to return to serving some meat on the menu just three months later.
According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Shake Shack filed plans in May with City of Atlanta to replace Yeah Burger at Westside Provisions District. This will make the fourth in-town location of the New York-based burger chain, and the seventh location in metro Atlanta. A location of Shake Shack recently opened outside the gates of the 12th Street entrance to Piedmont Park in April. There’s also a location in Buckhead and along the Eastside Beltline trail in the Old Fourth Ward.
Eater reached out to Maier and Wallace for comment on the closure of Yeah Burger and to representatives at Shake Shack for confirmation and details on the upcoming Howell Mill Road location.
