Burger Heaven To Close Final Store After 7 Decades In NYC: Report

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Longtime New York City restaurant Burger Heaven, which operated eight locations at its peak, will close its last remaining outpost on the Upper East Side after nearly eight decades in business, according to reports.

Burger Heaven's location on Lexington Avenue and East 62nd Street will close following a final service on Friday, Feb. 28, the New York Times first reported. The business was founded in 1943 and eventually grew into a local chain during its 77 years in business.

Business owner Dimitri Dellis told the New York Times that today's customers prefer to grab-and-go or order-in rather than sit down to eat at a restaurant like Burger Heaven. Unlike many of New York City's small businesses that are closing due to rent hikes and other pressures, the family that runs Burger Heaven also owns the Lexington Avenue building.

Burger Heaven was originally founded as "Beefburger" on West 57th Street in 1943 by Evans Cyprus, but was forced to re-brand due to a trademark dispute, Eater New York reported. Some of the lunch counter's regular customers included Barbara Walters, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her son John F. Kennedy Jr., according to the report.

The demise of Burger Heaven began around 2009, when the business still operated six locations, Eater reported. By 2012 that number dropped to three and in recent years the Lexington Avenue location was the only holdout.