Zombie Burger is headed for the graveyard at Jordan Creek Town Center.
The location at the West Des Moines shopping mall is set to close June 27, marking the end of a long run of novelty burgers with names like the Walking Ched (with a macaroni and cheese bun), Undead Glenn (an all-vegan take) and Trailer Trash Zombie (with cheese curds and fried pickle).
Orchestrate Hospitality, Zombie Burger’s Des Moines-based parent company, opened the Jordan Creek location in West Des Moines in 2015 to test a fast-serve, food court version of Zombie Burger + Drink Lab, which opened in the East Village of Des Moines in March 2011.
The original location at 300 E. Grand Ave. will remain open. Orchestrate also owns restaurants such as Centro, Django, and Bubba in Des Moines, as well as Gateway Market in Sherman Hill.
In a news release on June 17, Orchestrate Hospitality President and Co-Owner Paul Rottenberg said that the restaurant’s final day of service will coincide with the end of the company’s lease. After the Jordan Creek location closes, Zombie Burger gift cards will be honored at the East Village restaurant, according to the release.
“This was not an easy decision or one we took lightly,“ Rottenberg said in the news release. “We’ve enjoyed being a fixture of Jordan Creek Mall for the past decade. However, with the conclusion of our lease, interest from other parties to re-imagine the space, and new growth opportunities in Orchestrate’s wider business portfolio, the time was right.”
Earlier in June, Orchestrate opened West Side Social Sports Grille and Game House in the former Smash Park space Pella with food, drinks, and plenty of entertainment, including pickleball and darts.
In November 2023 Orchestrate chef and co-owner George Formaro said business at the mall “does OK,” but did not hit the sales targets hoped for when the restaurant opened.
But Formaro loved the energy at the mall and said the location there reminded him of his youth.
“I have a soft spot in my heart for malls, and watching them die over the last decade has been painful to watch,” Formaro said at the time. “I’m happy to be a part of that mall, and as simple as that sounds, that’s an important thing for me.”
Zombie Burger’s closure comes about two months after 5 Borough Bagels closed its Jordan Creek location earlier than owners Sarah and Toney Chem planned. It opened on Halloween 2024 serving bagels and breakfast sandwiches on the second level of the mall near Center Court.
Jordan Creek spokesperson Randy Tennison said the mall is working to find new tenants for both spaces.
Philip Joens covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184 or pjoens@registermedia.com.
This story was updated to add a video.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Zombie Burger to close Jordan Creek Town Center location after 10 years in business
Reporting by Philip Joens, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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