Novosibirsk's Burger Records sold quickly to new owners

In January, both Novosibirsk locations of the popular burger joint Burger Records — the courtyard spot on Kommunisticheskaya Street and the stall at «Gastrokort» without its own seating — were put up for sale. They were offered for purchase either separately (for 2.2 million and 900 thousand rubles, approximately $24,000 and $10,000 at current rates) or together for 2.9 million rubles (about $32,000). New owners for the popular Novosibirsk brand«s outlets were found quickly, and they turned out to be different. Maria Tishchenko found out why the founder of Burger Records decided to sell the Novosibirsk business, as well as who the buyers are and how they plan to run the burger joints.

Return of a Legend

The new owner of Burger Records in the courtyard on Kommunisticheskaya, 45 is Otiya Sulava (Otik) — this outlet was taken off sale almost immediately after the ad was posted.

For Otiya Sulava, this is not his first business: he owns a company that provides security for establishments. Moreover, he founded the charitable foundation «Parus Dobra» (Sail of Goodness) in the city. He told NGS journalist that he himself loved going to this burger joint during its «heyday,» and intends to restore Burger Records to its former glory.

«It was a top establishment, and I want it to become that again. So that it»s not a chain fast-food spot where you grab some combo, but a place with tasty burgers and vinyl records,« Otiya noted.

First of all, he promised to focus on product quality, and in the future, if possible, he wants to renovate the premises.

Co-founder of the bar The Rooks Igor Kamenев, whose establishment is in the same building, shared with NGS journalist that he and the new owner of the burger joint have joint plans — they want to strengthen the cooperation between the two brands that once made the courtyard on Kommunisticheskaya so popular.

«We want to make a hatch so that you can sit in Rooks, order a burger from Burger Records, and have it lowered down to you. I think we can do this by May,» Igor Kamenев said.

New Addition to the Menu

The outlet at «Gastrokort», according to brand founder Dmitry Lesovoy, was sold in just three days almost right after the New Year holidays.

«I think that»s incredibly fast. It shows that the brand and establishments inspire trust and a desire to develop them,« he believes.

The new owner is Novosibirsk resident Artem Sergeyev. He said that he has a project in another field, but for the last three years he has dreamed of having his own burger joint. He went to various places, tried them, but wanted to come up with something of his own, interesting for people.

He also went to Burger Records: he knew it was a good burger joint, he said. Over the past year, Artem browsed ads for selling establishments, and when he saw the ad for selling the outlet at «Gastrokort», he didn«t hesitate for long.

«In the near future, I want to introduce a new burger to the menu — in the next few weeks,» the entrepreneur shared his plans.

«Establishments Created Through Creativity»

Creator of Burger Records Dmitry Lesovoy told NGS journalist that the decision to sell the outlets was made in December 2025.

«It was sad and difficult to make this decision. The Burger Records trademark is registered and remains mine, also outlets in Thailand, on Phuket, operate under this brand, and negotiations are underway to open new establishments. As the owner, I decided to exit this form of business — owning and managing food service establishments,» he explained.

Dmitry Lesovoy also admitted that his main field of activity is energy (he received a specialized education at Novosibirsk State Technical University, NSTU), and in October he agreed to an offer to engage in the development of a plant for producing electrical products.

«I»m currently focused on this direction, all my attention is here,« he said. »The second important factor — in the Novosibirsk region, legislation changed the conditions for obtaining patent taxation, and economic conditions worsened. I always wanted the network to develop and have more outlets, but the current configuration of tax changes doesn«t facilitate that.»

Dmitry is also considering the option of launching a franchise sale for the burger joint: that over 10 years of work, he has accumulated enough experience, and, according to him, he constantly receives requests from other cities about wanting to open a similar establishment.

«Perhaps I»ll take this up in spring-summer. As for opening or owning physical outlets — definitely not,« he said. »Over 10 years of Burger Records, I remember the guys and team who made a huge contribution to the brand«s development: Sasha Tarkov, Angelina, and Ksyusha — big hello. They have long since moved on to develop their own directions.»

He believes that overall these were very interesting 10 years: the establishments survived more than one crisis, became iconic in the city, and won three 2GIS awards. He noted that for him, these are very personal projects.

«These were establishments created through creativity, love, a desire to create, and from the heart. They taught me a lot, changed me significantly, it was a wonderful experience. Now they are transitioning to the management of new teams who are full of enthusiasm and desire to develop and improve. I»m sure this will only benefit the brand and establishments. From this moment, the brand has become independent and embarked on its own journey.«

But if Burger Records outlets have only changed owners and will continue to operate, many other establishments didn«t even survive the holidays and began closing already in early January.