Beloved restaurateur dies in crash, leaving ‘gaping hole,’ MN reports say
Minnesota’s hospitality industry is mourning the loss of one of its own who died in a motorcycle crash, news outlets reported.
David Burley, co-founder of Blue Plate Restaurant Company, owned and operated several acclaimed Minnesota restaurants over the last 32 years. He was known for his annual booth at the Minnesota State Fair and holding “Bald and Free” days at his restaurants, where customers with heads as bald as his own could dine for free.
Burley was riding his vintage motorcycle in Wisconsin on Sunday, April 6, when, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, a driver took the right shoulder of the interstate, hit a guardrail, weaved back into traffic and struck Burley, sending both vehicles into a concrete barrier, KARE reported.
According to KARE, Burley died at a local hospital. The outlet reported all seven restaurants under the Blue Plate name will be closed on April 7.
Mpls St. Paul Magazine described Burley as a tall Australian with a “booming” presence, but otherwise, he was content working behind the scenes in the bustle of his seven restaurants.
“It leaves a gaping hole, for the Blue Plate family, and the hospitality community,” the magazine wrote. “Unless you’re an industry insider, you may not recognize him or even know his name.
“Burley was fine with that.”
Burley’s career started in 1993, when he and his partner and then-wife Stephanie Shimp opened The Highland Grill in St. Paul., according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
“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,” she said in a social media post. “David’s passion and kindness were the foundation of everything we built together. We will profoundly miss his spirit, energy and irreplaceable presence.”
The other driver was identified as Andre Lamont Mathews, 33. Police said charges against him include homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, according to the Star Tribune.
This story was originally published April 8, 2025 at 6:53 AM with the headline "Beloved restaurateur dies in crash, leaving ‘gaping hole,’ MN reports say."
