In a Facebook post, the owner of Redrum Burger says the restaurant is closing on Sunday, He did not give a reason, but owner Jim Edlund thanked devotees of the restaurant for 33 years of business.
The post from Saturday reads: “Redrum Burger formerly known as Murder Burger will be closing at our Davis location at 978 Olive Drive as of Sunday, August 4th as of 10 pm. We have had a great run at this location but like they say ‘All good things come to an end.’”
What makes this interesting is Mr. Edlund and Murder Burger became a campaign issue in the 2016 Nishi vote which would have re-worked West Olive Drive.
Following the defeat of Measure A, Mr. Edlund posted on Facebook: “Measure A was defeated by almost 700 votes in the last and final recount. Nishi is now dead and buried for now.”
He then said, “Our lease runs through 2025, so we will be around for a long time.”
During the campaign, they said that the passage of Measure A would force them to close if the voters passed it.
At the time Mr. Edlund said, “There have been a lot of rumors and misinformation circulating about this, some of which is being sent out directly by the Yes on Measure A campaign.” However, he claimed, “Redrum Burger acknowledges recently receiving emails about potential new lease terms, but no formal lease proposal has been received.”
He wrote, “Without receiving a formal lease proposal, any declaration that there are negotiations with Redrum Burger is misleading. A formal lease proposal is the starting point of negotiations.”
He wrote, “For 2+ years Redrum Burger has tried to find a way to work with the Nishi developers to avoid the loss of our restaurant. There have been discussions about the loss of the restaurant but the 
Nishi developers have never made a formal lease proposal to Redrum Burger.”
Even at the time, there was some dispute as to what the developers were offering.
The campaign told the Vanguard, “In these final hours before the June election, there is misinformation being floated around regarding Redrum Burger. To be clear, the Nishi Gateway has on multiple occasions offered Redrum Burger a space at the Nishi Gateway as the property’s first tenant and at Redrum’s current rent. Redrum Burger was first approached in 2011 about the long term trajectory of the Nishi project. This is an indisputable fact. Nishi would love to house the famous ostrich burger for decades to come.”
According to them, “The Nishi Gateway offered Redrum a long term lease at its current rent. Redrum has rejected these fair terms and hasn’t even proposed an alternative. This information is not reaching Redrum’s customers, because Redrum is actively deleting comments and blocking people that correct the record.”
The campaign stated, “This public misinformation campaign is disappointing and confusing. If Yes on Measure A passes, Redrum can have a few thousand potential new customers, a modern facility, and safer bike access for its South Davis customers, at the same rent it currently pays. It’s just not true to say Measure A forces Redrum to shut down.”
They continued, “It was not our decision to make these negotiations public, but there is a major social media offensive underway to convince people who would otherwise support our campaign to vote ‘no’ based on a false premise. We have no choice but to correct the record.”
Did Redrum Burger lead to the loss of Measure A? That’s an interesting question. We believe that the biggest factors were traffic impacts on Richards as well as the lack of affordable housing. But, in a close race, the impact of the potential loss of the “iconic” hamburger joint probably factored in with those concerned about traffic and overall impacts.
There were also some accusations that Redrum was overplaying their hand at the time.
Kemble Pope told the Vanguard, “In my humble opinion, this one is a red herring. Redrum will certainly be affected, but they’ve turned down all offers of help. I’ve gathered a bunch of information from a few sources, shared it on their FB page, and Redrum has not disputed any of the following.”
From a source at the Yes on A campaign, “If Redrum closes its doors after Measure A passes, it is their own choice. They are not in any way being forced to close. Quite the opposite. It will likely be 2 years until any construction begins. But, their building is old and in disrepair, and they have a chance to upgrade their location at the same rent. They shouldn’t pass up the opportunity. The property owner has been in discussions with Redrum for over three years!”
From the property owner to the owner of Redrum Burger: “Jim, I’d like to offer you space in one of our buildings at the Nishi site for the same rent and equal space that you have now. A new facility for you on the Nishi property. Dan, my project manager is copied herein.”
So here we are, three years later, and Redrum is closing anyway. They have every right to do that, but after they turned their store into a campaign issue in 2016 and then promised to be open until 2025, it does seem a little contrived.
The truth is probably that they were close to the end of their working career, and Nishi might have been the straw to break the camel’s back. As it turns out, the camel was probably close to retiring regardless, and now they were able to do so on their own time.
Nishi was passed last year as a student-housing-only project. Would it have been better with R&D space and access to Olive Drive? Some people think so. The voters did not.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
No one has really picked up on this yet, but … in my personal opinion — the owner of Redrum basically used his establishment as a reason to oppose Nishi, and then after promising to remain for another decade, just three years later, is leaving anyway. So now instead of road upgrades to Richards, instead of an innovation center, we have only the housing (which we needed and I supported). If you want a good reason to re-think Measure R, here is a great case study.
All it shows is they were probably struggling like so many independent businesses. I’m sure the public’s want to go to the ‘safety’ of chains and an In-n-Out across Richard’s were the main factors. As well as the dilapidated state of the building that the owner was either unwilling or unable to upgrade. They even lost their neon ‘open’ sign a few months ago and never replaced it — making it look closed when it was open, making me wonder if the end was near, as that’s not a smart move for a business that wants to stay one.
I resemble that remark.
A sad day. Even though Murder Burger represents much of the food that I avoid such as deep-fried-anything and meat, I love this iconic Davis business, and it dies as we are continue the era of independent-business sterilization in Davis as rents go through the ceiling and affordable buildings become few in number.
I’ll have to stop by for one final veggie patty before 10pm. Dare I get fries?
I guess I don’t feel that nostalgic for a place I never ate at and who … in my personal opinion … tried to play politics using their business.
Ate there twice over the years… good food, funky ambience, OK service (nothing to write home about), decent prices… never tried the ostrich burger (the other red meat) tho’… always thought it weird when one of the partners left, and took away “the Name”, and it had to go from Murder Burger to Redrum Burger… petty, IMO…
Will remember, but won’t lose sleep… figuring the ‘groupies’ will be around today, so I’ll pass… with the parking, we always car pooled, or biked…
Folk tying this to any version of Nishi (there have been 3) or Measure A votes are, at best, grasping at straws or gnats.
For a small business, 33 years is a pretty good run…
Oh, they definitely did play politics, and it was against what I believed. I just hate to see a small business and Davis Icon make way for . . . an empty shell probably followed by a chain.
One might consider my comment nit-picking, save for the fact that precision in words in general and quotes in particular, matter. So consider three quotes from this article & comments as a kind of “telephone game” resulting in misrepresentation.
1. Mr. Edlund said, “Our lease runs through 2025, so we will be around for a long time.”
2. David Greenwald posted, “and then promised to be open until 2025.”
3. Craig Ross commented, “and then after promising to remain for another decade, just three years later, is leaving anyway.”
My take. Mr. Edlund certainly used his business to attempt to sway political opinion. I believe he was not fully transparent about the negotiations and longevity of his business, but unfortunately, this is how businesses frequently seem to operate as they pursue what they see as their own best interest.
Having said that, it certainly does not strengthen the position of either the Vanguard nor any individual commenter to misquote Mr. Edlund. He implied he could, but did not “promise” that he would be in business for any specified amount of time. 33 years is a good long run and I don’t think anyone but Mr. Edlund knows all the factors that played into his decision to close.
I went by Murder Berg at 9:45pm last night to buy the final burger, and it was dark and no one was there. I had bought the final burger at Nation’s when it closed, and wanted to hold that same spot for MB. At least Nation’s didn’t close early on their last day. Lame.