Zip's Cafe is back serving Zipburgers on Delta Avenue after floodwaters shut down the century-old Mount Lookout restaurant for nine days.

Owner Mike Burke reopened the doors July 26, capping a week of cleanup that included ripping out damaged flooring and waiting for humidity levels to drop before contractors could install replacements. Heavy rain on July 17 sent water rushing down Delta Avenue and into the building, forcing an immediate closure.

Burke, a Mount Lookout native who started working at Zip's at age 15 and has owned the restaurant for more than a decade, called in a remediation company the same day. But the restoration wasn't straightforward.

"A lot of it's a hurry up and wait kind of thing," Burke told WCPO. "While I'm trying to schedule with the flooring guy to replace the floor that is nonexistent, I can't tell him when he's going to be able to work because the humidity's got to drop."

The restaurant posted regular updates on Facebook throughout the closure, keeping loyal customers informed as timelines shifted. Burke announced July 25 that service would resume the following day.

Burke told WCPO the flooding wasn't his first experience with water damage at the building but called it shocking and defeating nonetheless. In a Facebook post the day of the storm, the restaurant wrote that extensive work had been done to shore up the old building, but it wasn't enough for that level of rain.

The closure came during the restaurant's year-long centennial celebration, which launched in July 2025 to mark 100 years of business in Mount Lookout.

Among the first customers back on reopening day were Coral Santiago and Chris Lyle, who live in Puerto Rico and make regular trips to Cincinnati. Santiago had monitored the restaurant's Facebook page all week, tracking the reopening timeline so she could visit before flying home. She told WCPO she considers the Zipburger her favorite burger in the world and never misses a visit when she's in town.

Burke said the reopening drew strong crowds and described it as a good day, adding that he expects volume to build as word spreads that the restaurant is back open.

Some restoration work at Zip's remains ongoing, though the restaurant is fully operational for dine-in service.