Owner Darren Preston closed his plant-based smashburger concept at 326 23rd Street on June 6 — the third distinct Oakland address for Malibu's Burgers in six years, and the second full-service location to close, even after a late pivot to include meat and cheese on the menu.

Malibu's Burgers served its last customers on June 6 at 326 23rd Street in Uptown Oakland, closing a full-service room that had been open 18 months and ending owner Darren Preston's years-long effort to find a lasting home for his plant-based smashburger concept.

The 23rd Street space, the former Hi Felicia restaurant, opened December 7, 2024. It was Preston's second full-service location and his third distinct Oakland address in a run that began at 3905 Piedmont Avenue in December 2020. That original room ran three years before Preston announced in late November 2023 that it was closing. "The space was always a little too big for us, and the market is changing," he told Eater SF. "We need to be somewhere that can sustain more foot traffic." Piedmont shuttered in December 2023.

From there, Preston moved to a leaner format: a takeout-only spot at 372 24th Street in the former Lumpia Company space, which opened January 12, 2024. One operator, a narrowed menu, no dine-in. "This lets me focus without running such a big operation," Preston told Eater SF. By December 2024 he was ready to expand again with full-service ambitions restored, landing the 23rd Street spot.

The concept that anchored all three locations was the Tasha Grande, a plant-based smashburger priced at $20. Earlier this year, in a bid to bring in customers put off by the all-vegan menu, Preston introduced meat and cheese options — a significant shift for a restaurant that had built its following on vegan fare. It wasn't enough to change the math.

Preston came to restaurants from outside the industry entirely. His background runs through apparel — he co-founded ICS Clothing LLC in 2009 — and a youth mentorship nonprofit he led through roughly 2019. He told Berkeleyside he funded the move into food by working three jobs, including full-time Uber driving. Chef Lourdes "Lulu" Marquez-Nau, also known as the owner of Casa Borinqueña, worked as chef at the 23rd Street location.

The June 6 closure comes as TrueBurger also shuttered its Broadway location after roughly 11 years — The Dissent covered that separately. Malibu's launched riding genuine momentum in plant-based fast casual, bent its concept to survive, and still couldn't make it work.