Between the Bun closes. And it's not because of online critics, owner says

Between the Bun is no more.

Owner Scott Sims closed the hamburger and hot dog restaurant at 2222 W. Southport Road on Sunday after about 13 years in business in various iterations.

Sims cited a lack of desire, fueled by constant construction that stymied business.

He’d given customers notice, counting down the days of specials over the past week.

“Thank you to everyone who has dined at BTB over the last 13 years ... even those who didn't like it,” he wrote in a social media post after the close of business Sunday. “Thanks for giving me the opportunity to serve you and your communities. Thank you for putting up with my temperamental obnoxious social media persona. My bipolar personality,” he said. “Much love to everyone.”

Sims has a reputation for pushing back at online critics he deems unfair.

In February, he posted on Facebook that he was seeking employees who weren't slackers and would show up, drawing swift criticism, threats not to patronize the shop and predictions of its demise.

But that didn’t play into the decision to close the restaurant, Sims said.

“I kind of take that s--t in stride. That would be a very minimal reason,” he said. “I've never been one to be bullied.”

Construction cost the business thousands

Sims said he has had challenges getting enough employees since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The biggest factor, though, was road construction, he told IndyStar.

It's what prompted Sims to move Between the Bun from its original location in Greenwood to Southport Road. Sims had known there would be more projects in the new location, but he said he wasn't prepared for the number or length of the projects.

“When I moved to 37th and Southport, I knew that construction was coming. I didn't know that they were going to have to redo it and I didn't know that they were to start 100 projects at the same time and never finish one before they moved on to the next,” Sims said, estimating the construction cost him $200,000 in sales since September 2021. “I underestimated the size of that project coming through.”

There was once a construction project right at the restaurant entrance that cut off traffic for about two weeks and caused periods of water and gas shutoffs and internet outages that disrupted business, he said.

“Since they’ve really ramped up in September 2021, you're talking about $200,000 I've lost in sales,"  he said. “Of the 13 years, I spent probably eight or nine of that in construction.”

He made the decision to close last Wednesday, when the restaurant’s manager informed him that a nearby street had been closed and another project was coming to even further restrict access to the building.

“I said I'm just going to make this our last week. I didn't want to keep throwing money at something that, though it has been really successful for the better part of 15 years, I didn't want to leave with less than I walked in with.”

Between the Bun sale falls through

The closure came shortly after a deal to sell the restaurant fell through when potential buyers ghosted him, Sims said.

Sims, 50, had put the business up for sale in August. His lease was up in September.

The last week of business was the busiest ever for Between the Bun, which gained a reputation for extreme burgers such as the caramel apple burger, seasoned with Sims’ secret spice blend. Sims made sure to offer that fall favorite burger – topped with pepper jack cheese, a slice of a Granny Smith, bacon, a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar – on the last day.

“Since caramel apple burger lovers weren't going to be able to get their fix for the month of October, I brought them back for the one day,” he said.

Not only did lots of customers show up, many former employees swung by, “wanting to be there for the last hurrah,” he said.

The restaurant sold more than 200 bottles of seasonings and sauces Wednesday through Sunday.

Those seasonings and sauces are the foundation of Between the Bun. Sims initially sold them at flea markets and other local events. Then he began cooking burgers with them, selling them at pop-ups and later at a food truck before he and his then-wife Trisha opened a restaurant in an old house in downtown Greenwood in 2013.

Critics continue to have a lot of say about the owner

Visitors to the Between the Bun Facebook page had nothing but good things to say about the restaurant.

However, over at an Indianapolis foodie group Facebook page where members have regularly taken shots at Sims and the restaurant, most posts expressed no sympathy for Sims who, in his initial announcement of the closure, described the group of workers he needed to pull from as “an unrecognizable entitled labor pool.”

One of the members responded to the news of the closing:  “Maybe if he didn't have such a reputation for being an arrogant as*hole, more people would have gone. Meh good riddance.”

Some posters were outright gleeful about the closure.

“Oh no, a business that relied on exploitation of labor and unethical leadership practices failed," one post said.

Others doubted that construction would have pushed Sims to close.

“He could re-locate again. The best burger out of hundreds of options in the city wouldn't be deterred by construction,” a post said. “He blames every other possible thing, including the labor pool and social media with the construction, but never the one common denominator, which is himself.”

Sims expected such reactions. He'd ended his initial announcement last Wednesday warning “the troll and troublemakers”: “I hope you realize I am about to have a ton of free time on my hands and the internet can be so much fun....and informative. Keep that in mind when you leave a dumbass comment.”

A couple of days later, he specially named the foodie group, saying its members liked to talk down small independent restaurants.

“Don’t worry wanna be foodies,” Sims said. “We’ll be back! We love you too!!”

What's next for Scott Sims

Sims eventually lost interest in continuing with the restaurant.

“I started in sales, and I was a people person. But I'm just tired. That's the big thing, I'm just tired,” said Sims.

“The restaurant business is really tough, and it's a lot tougher these days. It's kind of just trying to balance everything. Customers are different. Employees are different, with the labor pool,” he said. “I didn’t lose my creativity. But I lost my desire to be creative simply because I was tired. And that’s what my business was built on."

He’ll take a break over the next few months.

Outside of maybe selling the bottled seasonings and sauces at a few markets and festivals, Sims will be taking it easy business-wise. That means hanging out more with his 15-year-old daughter, who he said has been a latchkey kid since about age 9.

On Monday he ticked off a list of things he's excited to do in the coming weeks. They include attending the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival, and, for the first time, the Irvington Halloween Festival. And he’ll be third row when comedian Adam Sandler does a show at Gainbridge Fieldhouse next month.

Since he typically worked 60- to 80-hour weeks, including Saturday and Sunday, he hasn’t been able to get to that kind of fun often.

“I’ve missed so many weekend festivals and fall festivals,” he said. “I want to enjoy a little bit of life.”

Between the Bun: Owner explains 'blunt' Facebook job post that drew a swift backlash

Sims does plan to write a cookbook with some of the Between the Bun recipes.

Followers will want to keep an eye on the Facebook page to see where he will be next, but shouldn't expect much until next year, he said. He might consider another food truck or pop-ups.

“Between the Bun is still going to be around, just not a restaurant – maybe a different concept or a different business. But it's still the end of an era to me.”

Proud that his restaurant made it through the pandemic, Sims said he did shed some tears after ushering out the last workers Sunday and sitting alone going over awards and news stories about his business and food.

“Part of me feels like a failure, because I gave up and I'm just not one to give up. But then I say 13 years is a long time and there were a lot of restaurants that didn't even make it the first two," he said.

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter: @cherylvjackson.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Polarizing Indianapolis restaurant Between the Bun closes. Here's why