Rexburg diner permanently closed after 51 years of business

REXBURG – JB’s Restaurant, a staple successful Rexburg for 51 years, abruptly closed its doors Monday.

Manager Demri Trevizo tells EastIdahoNews.com she learned it was being sold. Jake Muller, who owns Red Rabbit Grill and Pizza Pie Cafe, is finalizing a woody pinch edifice owners to bargain nan business.

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Since nan waste isn’t final, Muller declined to supply specifications astir his plans for nan building. But Trevizo says JB’s is permanently closing and a caller tenant will soon inhabit nan space.

“It was a shock. I didn’t moreover get to show my greeting regulars,” Trevizo says.

The logic for nan sale, according to Trevizo, is owed successful portion to nan passing of nan erstwhile owner, Robert Wheaton, past October.

His woman took complete ownership but it was excessively overmuch for her to woody pinch and she listed it for sale.

Wheaton owned JB’s successful Rexburg for galore years. It’s not clear who nan original proprietor was.

The JB’s franchise was founded by Jack Broberg successful 1961, according to an aged newspaper report. It started arsenic an connection for Big Boy Restaurants successful Provo, Utah.

“Broberg chose nan location because galore students astatine Brigham Young University successful Provo came from Southern California wherever Big Boy was popular,” nan study says.

The Rexburg location opened successful 1971.

JB’s dropped its affiliation pinch Big Boy successful 1988.

In 1995, astatine nan tallness of nan restaurant’s popularity, location were 104 locations nationwide. The concatenation was forced to adjacent successful 2019 aft a bid of bankruptcies.

The Rexburg location is nan only remaining JB’s edifice successful Idaho, Trevizo says, and 1 of only a fewer stores nationwide.

Trevizo, who has worked astatine nan Rexburg eatery for nan past 7 years, is “heartbroken” complete nan closure.

“I gave a batch of my clip to this place,” she says done tears. “It really is difficult to spot it go. We had truthful galore regulars that person go family.”

She’s going to miss associating pinch patrons.

EastIdahoNews.com will person a follow-up communicative soon pinch specifications astir nan caller owners plans for nan building.