Eagle Rock's Venerable Burger Joint 'The Bucket' Closes After 78 Years

It has stood in Eagle Rock since 1935, as its sign proudly declares, surviving economic booms and busts, recessions and the Great Depression, but after 78 years of business, The Bucket appears to be closed for good. The small but lively burger joint at 4541 Eagle Rock Blvd. is now empty and completely cleared out.   

Eagle Rock Patch got an email tip Tuesday saying that the place had closed and the owner was "clearing out the place this weekend, trying to make the 1st of the month deadline." 

Sure enough, the business was not only closed Tuesday, but its entire interior and patio had been cleared out—grills, refridgerators, counters, tables, chairs, cash register, everything. A nearby business owner who asked not to be named said The Bucket had been closed for about a week, and that the owner, George Eckley, was indeed busy clearing out the place over the weekend.

A short posting on The Bucket's website confirmed the closing, saying: "We are sorry ...but due to the loss of our lease we will be closed indefinitely."

The nearby business owner and the email tipster also said they had been told Eckley was unable to come to a new lease agreement with the building's landlord. The business owner added that he had been told the landlord had different plans for the property and wanted to redevelop it. 

According to the nearby business owner, Eckley had owned The Bucket for the last five or six years. Patch reached out to Eckley to comment on our story but did not get a response. Patch has identified the LLC that owns The Bucket and its surrounding parcel of land, but efforts to reach the landlord for comment have so far been unsuccessful.

Over at Jake's Barber Shop, which is a few doors down from The Bucket, customers and employees were all talking about the longtime restaurant's sudden closing on Tuesday. Jake's owner, Carlos Deanda, said The Bucket was a place where many longtime Eagle Rockers would gather to gossip about the neighborhood.

"We here at Jake's are all sad about The Bucket closing," said Deanda. 

What do you think about The Bucket closing? Tell us in the comments.