This popular restaurant in north Macon is reopening with a new location & new name
The Macon community helped this north Macon eatery get back on its feet after a robbery. Now, the restaurant is rebranding to reflect its appreciation for the community and opening in a new location.
Keene’s Kafe will now be known as Bear Burgers, and the new restaurant will be open for business in 2024.
Bear Burgers will be located where Nu Way is currently located at 1602 Montpelier Ave Suite 105, Macon, GA 31201.
Keene’s Kafe announced on Facebook their last day on Sept. 29. The owner, Jonathan Keene, posted a video Wednesday officially announcing the restaurant’s rebrand to Bear Burgers with the tagline “Bear Down on the Best Burgers.”
The restaurant will feature its popular mac ‘n’ cheese burger and bison burgers.
Keene wanted to rebrand his restaurant because of the help he received from the Middle Georgia community nearly three months ago when his business was robbed, he said.
After Keene announced in July that Keene’s Kafe was robbed, the community and other business owners pitched in to help Keene get back on his feet.
“I really thought that my dream was over, but because of the community and local business owners and all of you guys ... as of right now, we will be open tomorrow,” Keene said in a Facebook video. “That means that the criminals that tried to do something evil didn’t win.”
With the new location, Keene said he doesn’t want it to just be a restaurant. He wants it to be a comfortable place with a friendly atmosphere where people want to spend their time.
“Now is the time for somebody to step up and give the community a great location to eat, a great location to hang out, a great location to have events, a location that just spills out love and light and positivity but also reflects us as Middle Georgia so that’s what I want to do. That’s what I’m going to do,” Keene said in a video.
Keene promised to invest some of the profits the restaurant makes back into the Middle Georgia community to help it improve.
“Because of you guys, now Middle Georgia is gonna have a staple restaurant to love and enjoy for years and years and years to come,” he said.
This story was originally published December 5, 2023 at 12:50 PM.
