American Burger Emporium Closes in Woobury

The next time you’re looking for a burger, beer and bunch of fries, you’ll have to head someplace other than the .

The restaurant in the Woodbury Village complex at Valley Creek Road and Bielenberg Drive closed at the end of the business day on Saturday, Oct. 15.

“It’s really bitter-sweet,” said owner Eric Sandrock, who lives in Woodbury and has attended since he was in the fourth grade. “(American Burger) Emporium was just not going to be a concept that we were going to continue.”

The Woodbury American Burger Emporium “didn’t have the volume needed to be profitable,” Sandrock said.

The restaurant opened on Presidents' Day in 2008, Sandrock said, and closed about a year after a national television show broadcasted from the location.

But his focus has been on his American Burger Bar locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Those restaurants “took off faster,” he said.

Several Woodbury residents have contacted Sandrock to say they’re sad to see American Burger Emporium close, he said, adding that he’s grateful for the support the restaurant received from area residents over the years.

“That’s the hard part,” he said. “People really stuck by us in Woodbury.”

The American Burger Bar in St. Paul has the same French fries, and Sandrock made sure the Mount Rushmore burger remained on the menu. It offers table service and liquor.

On Wednesday, Sandrock told Patch that his sign was coming down and crews from Panda Express were working on renovating the space.

“When you try them, you’ll be shocked,” he said. “This is not the Panda Express at the mall.”