Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burgers closed today

Today is a sad day for me.  By the time this entry posts, Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burgers will have closed at its original location for the last time.  AnnArbor.com has the story, beginning with the video of Waiting on line for a final Blimpy Burger.

Hear why some people were willing to wait up to two hours for a last bite of Blimpy Burger.
Two-hour wait for a Blimpy Burger? See and share photos from Ann Arbor icon's last days
By Ben Freed Business Reporter
Posted on Tue, Aug 13, 2013
Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger will close Wednesday at 8 p.m., owner Rich Magner said. The iconic burger joint known for its greasy food and gruff staff was forced to look for a new location after the University of Michigan purchased the building and surrounding properties to make way for a new graduate student dormitory.
This hits even closer to home than Borders bankruptcy and closing.  While, "I spent more than a decade hanging out, browsing, drinking coffee, and buying books" at Borders, I didn't know the owners and employees.  I do know the Magners and their employees.  Rich's second son is the same age as my son, and the two of them were in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts together.  The two of them were even accepted into Western Michigan University together, although my son ended up not going to Kalamazoo with his friend.  I hung out with both Rich and his wife Chris throughout most of the 90s, when I lived in Ann Arbor, and continued eating at their hamburger stand throughout the next decade when I'd come into town.  In retrospect, they were my closest friends among all the parents of my children's friends.  I didn't realize how much I missed them the past few years after I moved out of Washtenaw County until I started reading about the original location closing.

That's the bad news.  The good news is that Krazy Jim's will open again, unlike Borders which is dead and gone.
Magner told AnnArbor.com that he is in the early stages of negotiating a lease for a new location for the restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor but that there will be a hiatus that could last several months before a reopening.
I wish Rich success in finding a good location and a long career ahead of him in keeping his family business open.  He and his family deserve it.

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