Urbun opening delayed due to building issues

Urbun Natural Burger may not make its intended summer opening due to unforeseen building issues, according to owner David Mainiero.

Mainiero, 23, has halted construction of the eco-friendly burger joint at the former Kentucky Fried Chicken location, 695 S. Coast Hwy.

“It’s mostly because of difficulties we’ve discovered with the building’s construction and design,” he said.

The problems raised concerns about permits, and they’ll need to address that before moving forward, he added.

As for when the restaurant will open, Mainiero said he intends to have a new timeline in the next couple of weeks.

Mainiero and his father, David Mainiero Sr., are both being sued by Mainiero Sr.’s former business partners in Florida.

Mainiero said he wasn’t involved with his father’s business ventures except for a couple of months this year, when a conversation started about making Urbun Natural Burger into a BurgerFi location.

Mainiero Sr. was a partner in BurgerFi, which has three restaurants in Florida. He’s also known for opening other Florida restaurants such as Vic & Angelo’s and The Office.

Both concepts, Urbun and BurgerFi, offered similar menu items such as veggie burgers, grass-fed hot dogs, custards, and Mexican Coca-Cola along with craft beers and wines.

Mainiero said the brief franchising negotiations might be why he was named in the suit; however, he said he’s not concerned about it.

Instead, he said he feels he’s been used as a pawn in the dispute that involves his father and his father’s former partners.

Mainiero still hopes to be open by the end of the summer but said it wouldn’t be accurate to confirm such a timeline now.

According to city records, Mainiero’s architect, Anders Lasater, withdrew the project and the plans from the city.

Mainiero said they plan to resubmit the plans with the appropriate changes.

Joanna.clay@latimes.com

Twitter: @joannaclay