Big Dog Deli closes

Big Dog Deli, a canine-themed deli restaurant on Springfield's northwest side, has closed after roughly a year in business.

The 3459 W. Kearney St., Ste. 100, restaurant owned by entrepreneur Mark Burgess announced the closure on Facebook. 

"After much consideration, we've made the difficult decision to close the deli," the post reads. "We want to sincerely thank every customer who supported us this past year. We truly wish we could have kept it going, but we're grateful for the opportunity to have served this amazing community."

In an email, Burgess said higher food costs and employee pay contributed to the closure.

"It's just coupling those together makes our pricing so high, no one can afford to eat with us," he said, noting employees deserve to get paid more than they once did in the market. "Everyone loved our food and we had a lot of loyal clients, but the numbers will just not pencil and food costs just keep increasing."

Big Dog Deli opened with a June 2025 soft launch, selling sandwiches with dog-themed names, such as build-your-own-sandwich options called Mutts, according to past reporting. 

The business operated in 1,250 square feet.