Fayetteville’s Burger Life to close May 19

Hyper competitive lease rates have helped put two local restaurants out of business.

Burger Life in Fayetteville will close May 19, a little more than two weeks behind its sister restaurant, MarketPlace Express, which closed May 3.

Burger Life was located near the Malco Razorback Cinema off of Joyce Avenue and near the Northwest Arkansas Mall. MarketPlace Express in Rogers was located in the Pinnacle Hills area, near the John Q. Hammons Convention Center.

Dave Godwin, managing partner of Springdale-based Restaurant Management Group, said the investors continue to scout out new locations in Washington and Benton counties with plans to reopen two Burger Life restaurants in the months ahead.

“We had hoped to renew the leases with the owner of these two locations. But given the competitive market we just could not come to terms,” Godwin said in a phone interview.

The owner of these locations is Leonard Boen, a Little Rock developer who runs MPG Properties.

Godwin said the Restaurant Management Group has no plans for any changes to its three flagship operations, the MarketPlace Grills in Springdale, Fort Smith and Conway.