Burger King Closes in South Davis, Starbucks set to Move in Next Year

In 2016, Starbucks will be moving into Burger King’s current storefront in the El Macero shopping center. Plans were submitted by Engstrom Properties, a West Sacramento development firm, to the City of Davis in November. Burger King closed on November 30.

Since 1985, Burger King has been satisfying both the hunger of Davis residents and those passing through, at its convenient location right off of the Mace Boulevard freeway exit. Speaking of passing through, Burger King’s owner, John Benedict, is responsible for bringing one of the first drive thrus to Davis, now over thirty years ago. Benedict states, “It started as a bicycle drive thru and later we were able to get a drive thru approved for vehicles. It is a little Davis history that a lot of people don’t know about these days.”

Davis history is important to Benedict. He is both proud to have served the Davis community for so long and grateful to have an opportunity to move out of his Davis location and open a second Burger King storefront in his hometown of Vacaville. “Market demands in Davis have shifted and Engstrom Properties has given me the opportunity to move out of the Davis location years before my lease expired. I will always be proud of our run in Davis and am excited to open a second Burger King property in my hometown of Vacaville.” Also important to Benedict are the people who work for him. “I wanted to make sure that no one lost their job in this transition. Over half of my current Davis employees wanted to move to my Dixon location. And for the rest of my employees who wanted to remain in Davis, I contacted the Burger King owner in northwest Davis who agreed to employ all of them.” Benedict currently owns a Burger King in Dixon and Vacaville.

In the same way that opening a second Burger King in his hometown of Vacaville is a homecoming for Benedict, the changes to the El Macero shopping center are also close to Mark Engstrom, Co-owner of Engstrom Properties’ heart. “I’ve been a part of the Davis community for over thirty years and I care deeply about our neighbors, friends and colleagues. I am happy that John is now able to build a second location in Vacaville and that we can bring a coffee shop back to the El Macero shopping center as a place for neighbors to gather.” And the feeling is mutual. Benedict echoes Mark’s sentiments, “I’ve really enjoyed working with Mark through the years. We’ve worked together as business owners in the region for decades and I am excited about the opportunities ahead for both of us.”