EASTHAMPTON — Restaurant chain Local Burger plans to open a fourth eatery next month when it takes over the former Riff’s Joint space in Easthampton.

Local Burger, with locations in Northampton, Haydenville, and the New Hampshire town of Keene, serves burgers and milkshakes with an emphasis on food made with local produce. Some 1,800 people reacted to the company’s announced on its Facebook page late last week that it will open in the old Riff’s in the Eastworks building at 116 Pleasant St. Riff’s closed in September.

Joe Igneri, the father of Local Burger owner Jeff Igneri, said in an interview that he expected the new restaurant to be open sometime in early January.

“We’re doing some renovations, putting the menu together and just making sure everything is put together,” Igneri. “We wish we could open up now.”

Igneri also said that Local Burger had been in negotiations with the former owners of Riff’s, Richard and Tammy Lyman, for the last few months to take over the location.

Riff’s closed its doors for good on Sept. 4 after 14 years in Easthampton. The restaurant contained an eclectic assortment of different menu options, including burgers, fries, burritos, quesadillas, tacos, pizzas and more.

Though highly popular, the owners of Riff’s told the Gazette in August that difficulty retaining staff was the primary reason behind the closure. On its final night of operation, so many people showed up for one last meal at Riff’s that the restaurant had to close early.

Like Riff’s, Local Burger has also been in operation since 2009, with the original location in Northampton and later expanding to Haydenville and New Hampshire. It emphasizes using local produce in its menu items, with grass-fed beef from the Chicoine Family Farm in Easthampton. In addition to beef burgers, it also serves turkey burgers, portobello mushroom burgers and hot dogs.

In 2019, Valley Advocate named Local Burger as having the best local hamburgers in the Pioneer Valley. The restaurant named as having the third-best hamburger’s that year was Riff’s Joint.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.