Feb 15, 2007
Uberburger bites the dust 'The most expensive burger in town' is burnt by business woes but plans to make a comeback soon
By FOOD CORRESPONDENT, Teo Pau Lin
TEN months after its high-profile opening as the first gourmet burger restaurant in the region, Uberburger is toast.
The 100-seat eatery in Millenia Walk closed last Wednesday due to poor business.
Co-owner Murray Aitken said that last September's International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings - which were held in Suntec City next door - were mostly to blame.
He said that the eatery, which opened last March, 'is a great concept and had great promise at the start'.
But during the 10-day IMF-World Bank meetings, 'there was a 90 per cent drop in business due mainly to the road closures and restricted access to the shopping mall', he said.
Mr Aitken, who is president and chief operating officer of the holding company, Corduroy Lifestyle, added that it lost $110,000 in September alone.
There was slight improvement from October, but the pick-up was comparatively low, 'compared to the neighbouring malls that launched campaigns to draw back the traffic after the convention', he said.
Between October and last month, Uberburger was still racking up about $55,000 in losses per month.
'To minimise further losses, the board of directors has decided to cease operations at its present location,' he said.
Corduroy Lifestyle owns two other eateries - Corduroy & Finch in Bukit Timah Road and Corduroy Cafe in VivoCity.
The 5,000-sq-ft Uberburger, which was set up at a reported $1 million, made a splash in the food scene when it opened, touting a $101 wagyu burger - the most expensive in town.
However, its 14-burger menu also offered more affordable items, from a $9 diced chicken breast burger to a $29 steak tartare burger.
It also made a statement with its interior design. Styled like a noisy games arcade, it had a sunken bar, flatscreen TVs that aired music videos and bright red and yellow screaming from every wall.
Still, some tenants in Millenia Walk interviewed yesterday said that the IMF-World Bank meetings were unlikely to be the chief cause of its closure.
Bab Noodles, which is a few units away, saw business drop by up to 40 per cent during the period.
But restaurant manager Regine Ng said it took only a week or two for sales to return to pre-IMF levels.
In fact, business at Devi Fusion restaurant, which is right next door to Uberburger, has boomed over the past three months.
'The economy has picked up. Our sales in January have gone up 15 per cent compared to last January,' said restaurant manager Vinod Jakhmola.
Last August, Corduroy Lifestyle was embroiled in two lawsuits involving its partners.
Uberburger's minority stakeholder Lemonfarm sued the company for not putting in an agreed sum of $600,000.
KMC Holdings - an investment company owned by the family of boutique hotelier Loh Lik Peng - sued Mr Aitken for not repaying a $200,000 loan.
Both lawsuits were later settled out of court, said Mr Aitken yesterday.
He and partner Adrian Wong bought over Lemonfarm and KMC's shares, and brought in a new shareholder, investment company Star Concepts.
Mr Aitken stressed that Uberburger's closing has 'absolutely nothing' to do with the lawsuits.
He also dispelled rumours that the two remaining Corduroy restaurants are shutting down, too.
'They are doing very well. In fact, we are opening three more Corduroy outlets in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur later this year,' he said.
Uberburger's 15 employees have since been redeployed to the two Corduroy restaurants.
On its demise, customers like bank officer Ronald Ho, 33, said Uberburger's concept was ultimately to blame.
'It was supposed to be a gourmet place, but it looked more like an American diner with ESPN on TV and loud rock music,' said Mr Ho, who ate there once.
'It just didn't connect with me.'
But it's not the end of Uberburger yet.
Mr Aitken said there are plans to open outlets in new locations, although details are not confirmed.
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'It was supposed to be a gourmet place, but it looked more like an American diner with ESPN on TV and loud rock music. It just didn't connect with me'
Bank officer Ronald Ho, who dined at Uberburger once.
He blames its demise on the outlet's concept
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