Buraka owner Markos Regassa said he will temporarily close his food cart when the State Street restaurant closes Oct. 31.
Buraka will close its doors due to city plans to transform the 500 block of State Street into a high-rise apartment complex called The Hub, which the Common Council approved Aug. 6.
Regassa said he will close the food cart until he is able to find a new location for the restaurant.
Finding a new location for the restaurant has been challenging, Regassa said, because he doesn’t want to leave the downtown area.
“We don’t want to go too far away from downtown because our major customers are around the university campus,” Regassa said.
He also said making arrangements to move in a short time has been difficult.
But Regassa said he hopes to find a new location for the restaurant by spring, which would allow him to reopen the food cart for the season.
Regassa added running the restaurant is his livelihood and his “passion,” and he does not want to close it.
“I enjoy what I have been doing for the last 20 years, and I don’t really see just walking away from it,” Regassa said.
Regassa said he wanted to thank the people who have expressed concern for Buraka.
“I would like the thank the people who have been supporting us and who gave us an opportunity to serve them,” he said. “It’s a wonderful community.”
