Burger-chan at Greenway Plaza is closed, but maybe not for long

HOUSTON – There is good news and bad news.

The bad news: Burger-chan at Greenway Plaza announced Friday that it was the last day of business because the location was permanently closing.

The good news: The customizable burger restaurant may be back sooner than you think.

According to the announcement on the website, the news came as a shock to customers because owners Willet Feng and Diane Wu Feng decided not to publicly announce the closure. They said they did not want the staff to be overwhelmed and crushed due to an influx of people rushing in to get their final fix.

The coronavirus pandemic took a massive toll on the business and because of its underground location, sales dropped by about 80% and the restaurant has not been able to break even in several months.

While coronavirus was reason enough to consider closing, the couple said there were other factors that made them pull the plug.

“There were days when someone asked how our day was and we couldn’t fully answer without tearing up,” the couple wrote. “There were days when so many things went wrong and so much felt out of our control that we just felt like we were drowning. There were days when our daughter needed our presence and our attention, but we were so spent, we had nothing left to give.”

The couple said they will be taking time to help their daughter as she starts virtual Kindergarten. Willet Feng will likely do more private dinners, film YouTube videos and maybe even do some pop-ups, while Diane Wu Feng, who is a teacher by trade, will help their daughter and possibly do some math tutoring, according to the website.

However, despite the setbacks and time away, the couple said Houston hasn’t seen the last of them.

They had planned to open a location in the Galleria area in Fall 2020, but now they are looking to open in early 2021.

The couple said fans of the burger restaurant should stay tuned as “burger-chan burgers may still be available here and there.”