Wayback Burgers restaurant at Mall at Fairfield Commons closed for now

A restaurant that has operated for more than four years at the Mall at Fairfield Commons is now closed “until further notice” because its franchise owner returned to his native Bahamas, according to a spokeswoman for the restaurant’s corporate parent.

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All restaurants in the Fairfield Commons food court are open and operating except for one: Wayback Burgers, which, when it opened more than four years ago, was only the second location in Ohio for the Connecticut-based restaurant chain. But potential customers of the Beavercreek Wayback are now greeted by a sign taped to the counter that advises diners, “The store is temporarily closed until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

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A spokeswoman for Wayback Burgers offered at least some hope the restaurant could reopen.

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“The Fairfield Mall location is closed until further notice. The local owner moved back to his native Bahamas,” the Wayback Burgers spokeswoman told this news outlet this week. “The Mall has been notified. Wayback Burgers is exploring whether or not it will open under new ownership in the future, but at the moment there is no re-open date.”

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Credit: Mark Fisher

Wayback Burgers now has three other locations in Ohio, including one in the West Chester area. Those restaurants are all open and operating, according to the company’s web site.

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The Fairfield Commons restaurant occupies 955 square feet at the center of the mall’s food court.

The Cheshire, Connecticut-based Wayback Burgers began in 1991 as Jake’s Hamburgers in Newark, Delaware. In 2010, Jake’s Hamburgers changed its name to Jake’s Wayback Burgers.

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As of mid-2019, the franchise-based chain operated 166 restaurants in 30 states throughout the U.S. and several countries around the globe, and it had more than 500 commitments to open new locations over the next several years, company officials said in a release.

Wayback offers specialty burgers and shakes, as well as house-made potato chips, beef hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, turkey burgers and salads.

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About the Author

Mark Fisher

Mark Fisher, a 1981 graduate of Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Beavercreek High School, is a third-generation Dayton-area resident who has worked for the Dayton Daily News since 1983. He covered higher education and K-12 education accountability issues for nearly 20 years before taking over the food and dining beat in 2006.