Burgermeister, the staple burger chain that's held it down at 86 Carl St. for the past two decades, announced yesterday that it would close down at the end of July and reopen as a second location of Beit Rima, offering "Arabic comfort food."
Since converting the Church Street location of Burgermeister into the original Beit Rima in January, 28-year-old proprietor Samir Mogannam and his father and co-owner, Paul, have seen phenomenal success. The restaurant draws lines out the door at prime weekend hours, and just made the Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurants list.
The announcement, made yesterday via Instagram and reported by Eater SF, marks the closure of San Francisco's last Burgermeister outpost. A location in North Beach shuttered in January; the remaining Burgermeisters are in Daly City and Berkeley.
Paul Mogannam is the original founder of Burgermeister. With an eye on retirement, he's slowly transferring the business to his son, who's pivoted to serving dishes inspired by the family's Jordanian heritage. (Rima is his mother, and the restaurant's name is Arabic for "Rima's House.")
The offerings at the Cole Valley location will be similar to those of the Church Street restaurant, with counter service and a menu of casual mezze — like fattoush, baked halloumi, shakshuka, and hummus — running from $7-12. Larger plates like braised lamb shank with peppers and hand-rolled couscous ($26) and chicken shish tawook ($16).
If all goes well, Samir Mogannam told Eater that he hopes to reopen the Cole Valley location as Beit Rima in September.
