Local Chandler Restaurant Closes After 13 Years

A local restaurant has closed for goodPhoto byTim MossholderonUnsplash

Often, before a restaurant closes, there are signs, even if the restaurant never forermly announces the closure. Perhaps the food has started to fall off, or the atmosphere has dipped. This is especially apparent for long-time restaurants, as what once was good has, for one reason or another, started to slip. That’s exactly what happened with one local restaurant in Chandler, as, after over a decade of serving the public, it has officially closed.

On September 9, BLD Chandler announced that, after 13 years, it was officially closed. It made this announcement after the final days, so there wasn’t any opportunity for individuals to stop in for a final meal. However, the eating experience, according to some visitors, had gone downhill of late. Reviewers on both Yelp and Google complained about extreme fly problems – to the point of needing napkins to cover their food when not actively eating. 

It is yet to be determined if this is an official “closing” or a rebranding. In the goodbye video, the staff states they will be back under the same roof, with the same bartending staff, with only a few tweaks. Either way, the longtime local favorite is officially no more. 

The restaurant had handed over its kitchen for much of the last week, bringing in food truck operators to create several taco dishes. In fact, over the past several months, the restaurant started to bring in all kinds of food trucks to handle cooking. This was likely one of the first signs of possible issues, as instead of the from-scratch menu, it began relying on burger and taco trucks for food from the kitchen, despite being best known for its donut tower. 

Other former menu items included a number of omelets, not to mention several favorites, such as fried chicken and Belgian waffles, steak and eggs, BLD tacos (not counting the food truck tacos) biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak, and Cajun shrimp and creamy grits. Protein shakes and other sides were available for breakfast, while the lunch menu included a breakfast hatch burger, bistro burger, black bean burger, Zona burger, and its namesake BLD burger. 

Located at 1920 West Germann Road in Chandler, the space will likely not sit for long, though when a new restaurant will move in is hard to tell. For the time being though, guests who have enjoyed the breakfast and lunch menu at BLD will now need to head elsewhere.