LOGANSPORT, Ind. — A Logansport landmark has closed its doors for good.
Mr. Happy Burger, which had served residents of Cass County since November 1961, was closed as part of an announcement last Friday by the Penguin Point Restaurant Group, which purchased the Logansport restaurant last year. Penguin Point announced its remaining restaurants would close on Sunday.
According to our partners at the Pharos-Tribune, the restaurant was reportedly not open this weekend for customers to stop in for one final bite. Instead, a sign posted on the door Monday officially announced the closing.
"We would like to thank the people of Logansport that have supported and shared their lives with us. It is with great sadness that we have made the difficult decision to close. Thank you all," the sign read.
Bob Shanks founded Mr. Happy Burger in 1961, amid the rise of fast food restaurants. He sold the restaurant at the age of 89, telling the Pharos-Tribune, "I need to slow down."
Initially, the restaurant was going to be renamed, but conversations with Shanks changed that.
"The reason it needed to stay Mr. Happy Burger is, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it," Pat Hilton, CEO of the Penguin Point Restaurant Group, told the newspaper in 2022. "But it’s also way deeper than that. Logansport needs Mr. Happy Burger forever. For me to be a small part of keeping it here is an honor."
13News visited Mr. Happy Burger in 2015 as part of Kevin Rader's "Only In Indiana" series. Customers at the restaurant that day commented on Shanks' personality as he greeted every guest who came through the door.
"He's a man of faith," said one customer.
"He's always impressed me," said another.
