Crowdfunding Campaign Fails to Save Mo Better Burgers From Closure

One of Los Angeles’s longest-running mom and pop stands meets a sad ending today. At 5 p.m., Mo Better Burgers will serve their last burger. In January, the owners put together an IndieGogo campaign, and planned to use the funds to renovate and expand hours of service.

Larchmont Buzz spoke with the mother-and-daughter owners, Tami Bennett and Eve Fouché about the closure. “We are heartbroken and devastated,” said Fouché. “We never saw an end and we never gave up. This has been a part of our lives. I grew up in the business and my mother has been in it since she was in her mid-30s. We are saddened that we were unable to…develop this location to serve our neighborhood more.”

In 1991, Bennett opened Mo Better Burger Meaty Meat on Fairfax near Pico, after taking inspiration by Spike Lee’s 1990 film Mo’ Better Blues. A financial advisor, Bennett opened the iconic burger stand, which even remained open during the LA Riots. Bennett sold the business in 1998, but jumped back in with a burger pop-up at Indulge Cafe in 2008, and in the last iteration, brought on Fouché, changed the name, and opened right across from the South La Brea Umami Burger in 2012.

Even though Mo Better Burgers had ample support from LA locals like Magic Johnson, Tone Loc, and Kerry Washington, the crowdfunding campaign only raised $5,680 of the $300,000 needed. The owners have no current plans to stay in the restaurant business.

• Last Call for Burgers at Mo Better [Larchmont Buzz]
• Mid-City’s Mo Better Burgers Asks $300,000 For Expansion Efforts [ELA]
• The Story of Mo Better, a Mid-City Burger Legend [ELA]