Blue Plate Restaurant Co. has just announced that co-founder and co-owner David Burley died in a motorcycle accident Sunday, April 6 in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin State Patrol’s initial indication is that he was killed by a reckless driver.
According to the Eau Claire region of the State Patrol, Burley was hit by the driver of a car who was trying to pass traffic from the right lane by using the shoulder. He hit a guardrail, veered back into the right lane, slamming into Burley on his vintage 1949 Vincent RS motorcycle. “Both the [Infiniti G25] car and the motorcycle traveled across the roadway and impacted the median concrete barrier,” according to the preliminary report. The report indicates the 33-year-old man from Brooklyn Park driving the car had used alcohol, but the extent of that is pending investigation.
“My heart is absolutely broken by the devastating news of David’s passing,” said Blue Plate Restaurant Co.’s other co-founder, Stephanie Shimp, in a statement. “Losing him so suddenly is overwhelming—a painful shock that has left me and our entire Blue Plate family grieving a loss too deep for words. David’s passion and kindness were the foundation of everything we built together. We will profoundly miss his spirit, energy, and irreplaceable presence.”
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Burley and his then romantic and business partner, Shimp, co-founded Highland Grill in 1993 by scraping together tip money from Nicollet Island Grill, where they both worked as servers. In the years since, they opened Freehouse, The Lowry, Highland Grill, Longfellow Grill, Edina Grill, Three Squares Restaurant, and Groveland Tap. Their romantic relationship is long gone, but their business relationship continued. Burley’s Australian accent often rang out loudly from their State Fair location, the Blue Barn.
All Blue Plate Restaurants will be closed on Monday, April 7, out of respect and remembrance. “David’s energy, creativity, and kindness have shaped everything we are today,” said the restaurant group in a social media post.
Courtesy of Groveland Tap
Famously, Burley put his cell phone number and email address on table tops and receipts for customers to share concerns or compliments, as the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal (MSPBJ) reported. “Most people don’t want to engage on the phone,” he told the MSPBJ. “I maybe get three or four calls a month. I spend a couple hours a week responding to guest input.”
On a personal note, I’ve known Burley for at least 15 years. I did radio ads for Blue Plate in 2024, and have had dinners and laughed with Burley, I can’t believe he’s gone. He was an adventure seeker: His instagram profile reads “motorcyclist, scuba diver, travel nut, pilot, cat lover”—his love for life and absolute passion for hospitality led to the creation of one of the first and most significant hospitality groups in Minnesota. He will be missed profoundly.
Courtesy of Blue Barn
