Irv’s Burgers, the 63-year-old West Hollywood hamburger stand evicted in October by its landlord, has found a new home.
Irv’s is now open at 7998 Santa Monica Blvd. near North Laurel in a space next to Fubar that once was occupied by Biscuit Cafe.
Irv’s, formerly near the northeast corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Sweetzer, was forced to move when its landlord, Standard Oil Investment Management, raised its rent and demanded that it pay for repairs to the structure it inhabited. Standard Oil also owns the adjacent lot, where Beach Nation, a cafe designed by Thomas Schoos, will soon open.
The Irv’s eviction sparked protest from local customers. West Hollywood City Councilmember Jeffrey Prang called the move by Standard Oil a “constructive eviction” and said that Standard Oil should be responsible for property repairs, not the Hong family, which owns and operates Irv’s.
Maybe the burger joint failed because most young gays these days (the neighborhood clientele) aren’t big fans of greasy burger joint fare? There’s a reason the lines at Tender Greens and Fresh Corn Grill stretch out the door sometimes, and the only time anyone ever sees people at Hamburger Haven or that place next to the car wash is late at night when the drunks need something to soak up their vodka sodas.
Sad to see it go, but burger stands are not sustainable businesses in 2014.
Irv’s Burgers, in its original location was designated as historic and as such the landlord is required to restore the burger stand or prove that it would be a financial hardship to do so, thus negating the historic status. The Hong family had nothing to do with the landmark designation of Irv’s as a “Route 66” place of historic significance. The original burger stand opened somewhere between 1946 and 1950 and operated for 50 years before the Hongs began running it into the ground in 2000. It was a post war time capsule and I suspect that the landlords will… Read more »
Designated does not protection give. But happy for them and I wish them well.
Hey? Didn’t the city of Weho designate Irv’s Burgers as historic? What happened?