Former Best Burger In Iowa Winner Closes After Less Than 2 Years In Business

The restaurant industry is a hard one.

We've seen restaurants come and restaurants go. It's a cycle that never stops.

Now, according to the Des Moines Register, a restaurant that held quite the title in 2024 is shuttering.

Once deemed Iowa Beef Industry Council's Best Burger In Iowa, JJ’s Tavern + Grill (which is at 1975 N. Ankeny Blvd., Suite 117 in Ankeny) has announced that they are permanently closed.

JJ's Tavern + Grill opened in November 2023 and the next May, won the Best Burger contest from the Iowa Beef Industry Council. Besides burgers, JJ's also had different mac and cheeses, pastas, and dinner entrees like seared salmon and chicken (or steak) deburgo.

As for the award in 2024, JJ's won after over 7,500 burger lovers submitted restaurant nominations for over 500 restaurants, and a group of judges reviewed the top 10 submissions to pick a winner.

Of course, after the award was announced, JJ's saw an influx of customers.

In JJ's closure post, there's no mention of what's next, but they do say it's "just the close of a chapter".

This year's Best Burger In Iowa award went to Halftime Bar & Grill in Pleasantville.

The economy is decidedly rough and restaurants struggle. That's why we see so many of them open and close like revolving doors. According to data from the National Restaurant Industry, there's a 30% failure rate for restaurants. One in three restaurants won't survive their first year. Add in that the average cost of starting a restaurant alone is $375,000.