TV Restaurants

Is AJ's Burgers Still Open? Restaurant Stakeout Update (New Rochelle, NY)

Restaurant Stakeout, Season 3 New Rochelle, New York

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, AJ's Burgers is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed September 7, 2026.

What the source shows: The restaurant's own live website displayed a dated operating notice (a short break with a stated return date of September 11), confirming it as a currently operating business. How we decide a status →

About this show's format: Described as staged/scripted by Wikipedia's article, citing a 2012 realityblurred.com report. Surface this note on every record.

What happened after Restaurant Stakeout?

Season 3's "You Can't Be Everything" took Willie Degel to AJ's Burgers, a family-style burger, Italian, and barbecue restaurant on North Avenue in New Rochelle, New York. The title points to an owner trying to personally manage every part of the operation, kitchen, front of house, and back office alike, leaving service to suffer whenever attention was pulled elsewhere, a strain Restaurant Stakeout's hidden cameras are designed to document. After reviewing the footage, Degel called a staff meeting to address the gaps that overextension had created, then returned to help delegate responsibilities so the restaurant could run consistently without the owner covering every role personally, following up later for a status check.

Wikipedia's article on Restaurant Stakeout describes the series as scripted, citing a 2012 realityblurred.com report that found the show's premise staged for the cameras. AJ's Burgers, known for its homemade burgers, house-baked bread, and BBQ ribs, has continued operating at 542 North Avenue for well over a decade since its 2013 appearance, including a visit from former New York Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera featured in the restaurant's own marketing. The restaurant's own website displayed a current, dated operating notice in September 2026 confirming it as an active business, and a Yelp business listing for the address shows continuing review activity through a July 2026 update.

The episode Restaurant Stakeout, Season 3

Episode 3
Aired
Title: You Can't Be Everything · What was featured: Burger, Italian, and BBQ restaurant's owner-does-everything overextension

Also in Season 3 Restaurant Stakeout

Season 3: 4 of 13 still open · 2 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 13 Season 3 episodes →

Nearest restaurants By distance from 542 North Ave

All 448 TV restaurants in New York →

Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 3 references

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restaurant_Stakeout
  2. ajsburgers.com https://ajsburgers.com/
  3. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/ajs-burgers-new-rochelle-3
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Record rs-022 · checked by Cal Marchetti.