Famous Hamburger Joe's in Surfside Beach is set to serve its last cheeseburgers this month, with owners Tony and Julie Cherney closing the restaurant as they retire after a decade behind the counter. The restaurant, a fixture at 1410 U.S. 17 Business for about 20 years, announced the closure on Nov. 2, and the contents of the building will be auctioned off later this month.
According to MyHorryNews, the Cherneys wrote in their closure announcement, “With their retirement, we will be closing Famous Hamburger Joe's Surfside on the 15th of November.” That same outlet's full article consistently cites Nov. 15 as the closing date, though a separate search-result headline for the piece listed Nov. 14 — a discrepancy that has not been resolved. Tony and Julie Cherney had owned the Surfside location for the past decade, running it as a separately owned sibling to the original Hamburger Joe's up the coast.
A Decade Behind the Grill Comes to an End
Shift manager Michael Sheppard, who has worked at the Surfside restaurant for 10 years, said the news caught even longtime staff off guard. “I'm still letting it sink in,” Sheppard told MyHorryNews. “We just found out today. There's a lot of mixed emotions.” Sheppard also said customers reacted with surprise and sadness upon hearing the restaurant was shutting its doors for good.
As for what happens to the building itself, Sheppard said he understands the property has already been sold, though he does not know what will come to the site next — and the restaurant's own closure announcement did not address the property sale. WMBF News reported that Tony and Julie Cherney are encouraging the Surfside community to stop in before the doors close for the final time.
Liquidation Auction Set for Later This Month
Once the restaurant closes, its contents will go up for sale. The Myrtle Beach Auction Company has scheduled a liquidation auction for 1 p.m. on Nov. 19, with pre-bidding opening Nov. 3 at MyrtleBeachAuction.com. Items up for bid include tables and chairs, commercial coolers and refrigeration units, a refrigerated beer tap system, bar equipment, televisions, wall décor and restaurant memorabilia, per the same MyHorryNews report.
The closure won't touch the original Hamburger Joe's in North Myrtle Beach, which has operated separately for 37 years and is not affected by what's happening at the Surfside location, according to the station's report. The two restaurants have long shared a name and a reputation for cheap, no-frills burgers, but they've operated as distinct businesses under different ownership.
Part of a Broader Shift in Surfside's Restaurant Scene
Hamburger Joe's isn't the only longtime Surfside Beach eatery to call it quits in recent years. Anthony's Pizza & Pan Pasta closed its doors on June 26, 2023, after owner and operator Richard Cicero said he was “finally retiring,” according to The Sun News. That restaurant also later announced it was selling off its equipment, mirroring the path now underway at Hamburger Joe's.
For now, the Surfside community has just under two weeks to say goodbye before the restaurant serves its final customers on Nov. 15. What eventually replaces Hamburger Joe's at 1410 U.S. 17 Business remains an open question, with no buyer or site plans made public as of this report.
