Wahlburgers in Grand Rapids to Permanently Close

For a few months, the Grand Rapids Wahlburgers was the last one standing in Michigan... now that's no longer the case.

What a bummer. I remember being so pumped to hear that downtown GR would be getting its own burger joint started by actors Mark and Donnie Wahlberg and their brother, chef Paul Wahlberg. The location opened in 2021.

The first Wahlburgers opened in Massachusetts in 2011. The Wahlberg family and their restaurant chain were featured on the A&E show Wahlburgers, which aired from 2014 through 2019. Currently they have restaurants in 24 states, and also in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Wahlburgers serves a variety of burgers, salads, and specialty shakes.

When we learned both Detroit Wahlburgers would be closing this past January, I'd hoped Grand Rapids would be spared.

Unfortunately, the Grand Rapids Wahlburgers shared news of its closure today, August 1, 2023 on Facebook.

Owners say,

We have made the unfortunate decision to close the Grand Rapids location.
There will be an exciting new restaurant concept taking our place at 10 Ionia Ave. in the next few months.

While an exact closure date was not shared in the post, with many asking in the comments when the last day would be, the Grand Rapids location is showing up on Google as "permanently closed".

In addition, Wahlburgers' website shows zero Michigan locations.

At one time, six Wahlburgers locations had been planned for Michigan.

So... what new restaurant do you want to see move in?

We asked, and here are more than two dozen you'd like to have in West Michigan.