For Mike and Sarah Tayter, opening their second Elevation Burger franchise proved a lot harder than the first. “We started paying rent in January,” Mike says, “and we actually opened May 2.”

The organic burger maker’s original store is in Chalmers Place, a mini-mall on Washtenaw; the new one is in the historic Michigan Theater building downtown. That meant “a lot of surprises in the construction process,” Mike Tayter says. The structural surprises were exacerbated by the city’s sometimes-whimsical building inspection process. “Things that were up to [the inspector’s] discretion that weren’t a problem last time were this time,” he says. On Washtenaw, their tankless water heater was just a water heater; downtown, the inspector chose to classify it as a “boiler,” which meant “we had to build a boiler room at the last minute.”

What’s unchanged are the burgers: as on Washtenaw, the Liberty St. location grinds grass-fed, organic beef on site, with organic shakes and fries cooked in olive oil on the side. Organic, cage-free chicken sandwiches recently joined salads and veggie and vegan burgers at the healthier end of the food chain.

Just as Elevation Burger arrived on Liberty, Five Guys was vacating its spot around the corner on State. “I don’t see them as our primary competition,” Tayter says, “but that said, right after they closed we saw a pickup in sales.” He’s hoping for another boost once the students return.

Elevation Burger, 529 E. Liberty, 585-5465. Daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m. elevationburger.com