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Tim Taylor, left, and Mike Burling pose in front of graffiti left over from the days of the Ice Pick at the building on Third Street in Muskegon they are transforming into a restaurant to be called Hamburger Mikey.

(Lynn Moore | MLive)

MUSKEGON, MI - A former punk rock club will be transformed into a takeout hamburger joint this summer and the owners intend to be part of the renaissance of the downtown Third Street corridor.

Mike Burling and his wife Mary Jane Burling purchased the former Ice Pick property at 1129 Third St. four years ago and are transforming it into a restaurant called Hamburger Mikey specializing in hamburgers and fries.

That's pretty much it - burgers and fries, except there will also be grilled cheese sandwiches.

Keeping it simple - and fresh - is the goal for Hamburger Mikey, which will offer limited seating.

"We wanted to simplify it," Mike Burling said. "That's what was attractive about the concept."

Managing Hamburger Mikey will be Tim Taylor, the Burlings' son, who has extensive restaurant experience, including working for the former Mia & Grace restaurant across an alley from the new Hamburger Mikey's spot.

The building at 1129 Third St. that is being renovated into the Hamburger Mikey restaurant.

He also worked as a manager for whistle punk. pizza, which the Mia & Grace owners opened next to their restaurant. Jeremy and Jamie Paquin closed both Mia & Grace and whistle punk. to pursue other opportunities, but Jeremy Paquin, a long-time friend of the Burlings, is helping refine the recipe for Hamburger Mikey's hamburger.

Customers will have the choice of a single-patty Mikey burger or a "Fat Mikey," which will be two hamburger patties. They also will have lots of toppings to choose from as well as various sauces. Those who order grilled cheese sandwiches - vegetarians, for example - also will have a variety of toppings to choose from.

And the fries will be fresh, cut by hand. The whole idea is similar to that of the popular Five Guys Burgers and Fries chain restaurant, Taylor said.

Meat will come from the Meat Block and buns from Aunt Millie's. There will be no freezers on the premises because everything will be served up fresh.

Mike Burling said he believes Hamburger Mikey will fill the need for quality takeout food in the downtown area. He expects customers will range from neighborhood residents to downtown workers to students at Baker College and the soon-to-open Muskegon Community College downtown campuses.

The Burlings currently own a popular shaved ice business that can be found at the Muskegon Farmers Market. Mike Burling said he has wanted to operate a restaurant for some time.

After purchasing the building in 2012, the Burlings fully renovated the upstairs apartment where Taylor stays. They have ambitious plans for the building, including a brick and glass block facade with a huge window at which inside diners will be able to sit along a high-top bar.

The goal is to provide a "cool little hamburger joint hangout," Taylor said.

Inside, they will be painting over the graffiti-filled walls left over from the building's past life as a punk music haven for more than two decades beginning in the mid-1980s. Taylor said photos of the old Ice Pick club will be hung inside as will photos of the days long before then when the building housed a drug store.

Built in 1913, the building is an "iconic" one - a relic from the past Mike Burling said he wanted to preserve. In all, he said about $230,000 will be invested in the building and new business. The city commission recently agreed to freeze property taxes at the pre-rehabilitated rate for the next nine years through the issuance of an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Exemption Certificate.

The building is located on a block of Third Street that has undergone a transformation in recent years. It includes the Curry Kitchen restaurant, an Asian market, tattoo shop and the new location for the Muskegon Family YMCA.

No firm opening date has been set, but it's expected to be some time in August.

Lynn Moore is a reporter for MLive Muskegon Chronicle. Email her at lmoore8@mlive.com and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.