David’s Burgers has closed its Ottenheimer Market Hall food court outpost in downtown Little Rock’s River Market District for the month of December. The initial announcement appears to have been posted to Facebook on Dec. 4.
On Dec. 6 the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that the status of David’s Burgers in the River Market was “iffy” and that a reader who works at the Central Arkansas Library System said the closure was apparently permanent. A “live human being” did not answer the phone when the newspaper tried to call.
David’s has not responded to an email sent Friday seeking comment. Brian Oaks, senior vice president of the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau — the organization that manages the River Market — said he’s spoken with David’s owner, David Alan Bubbus Jr., who confirmed the River Market location was closed temporarily due to staffing shortages and that employees from the River Market store had been moved to other locations. Oaks said the burger spot plans to reevaluate after the new year to determine a timeline on reopening in Ottenheimer Hall.
The isn’t the first time David’s status in the River Market has come into question. Ottenheimer Hall didn’t reopen to the public after its original pandemic closure until May 2021, but David’s did not return to the food court until June 2022, citing staff shortages.
David’s opened its River Market location in 2016.