Burger King from the 80’s found completely intact behind the wall at Delaware Mall
Who needs a time machine when you have internet?
The web has been teeming with images of a completely intact Burger King that looks like it was transported straight from the 80’s, but which still stands today, untouched by time or renovation. This vintage BK, located in Concord Mall in Wilmington, Delaware, has been closed since 2009, and the place appears unchanged since it first opened in the late 80’s.
Garbage cans still ask old guests to “get your trash in here somehow” in the fast food giant’s signature font, and the place still seems to have its original parquet floor, patterned wallpaper and wall decor in 80s style. The closed restaurant is truly a liminal place on the overdrive.
As for what brought the Internet’s attention to this piece of culinary history, a snapshot of the place, originally taken by local Jonathan Pruitt on April 11, was posted on a local Facebook page in the Delaware area, where, according to Pruitt, it was mild valued at a local level before it went big.
“I did not think about it,” Jonathan Pruitt said in a telephone conversation with TODAY Food. ‘But then, Tuesday morning, people started telling me that it was circulating on the internet and now? I do not know!”
Pruitt, who works in commercial and industrial HVAC systems at the mall and elsewhere, said he is completely shocked at the attention his photography has received over the internet and now, the world. He said he began receiving text messages and phone calls about the image that circulated on the Internet from Tuesday, June 28, when his image was posted on Reddit, where it received more than 52,000 votes, and also on Twitterwhere the image quickly went viral, receiving 23,698 retweets and over 185,000 likes.
“My Twitter account is about retro gaming and nostalgic 80s and 90s content,” user @RealJezebelley told TODAY via Twitter instant message regarding their viral tweet, adding that the image clearly resonated with an aging millennial base on Twitter. “Many of us older millennials turn 40 or have just turned 40. Seeing things from our childhood brings joy, especially as we move on over the years.”
It is clear that the image has triggered feelings of nostalgia among viewers both at distances and even within state borders. Later in the Twitter thread, a former employee of the mall posted a video they took of the space, and noted that it was used as storage space.
“Lmao it was literally my storage room back in 2019,” they said twitret.
“I worked in a food service kiosk,” user @loserskwaddd told TODAY via instant message on Twitter. – It felt pretty scary. Just a little stuck in time. Very quiet compared to out at the mall. ”
When reached for comment, a Burger King spokesman shared the following statement with TODAY:
“Although we are unable to confirm details regarding this place, we have confirmed that the brilliant retro design and decor closely match the Burger King restaurants that operated in the 1980s and 1990s, and this is in fact a former Burger King. -restaurant.”
Because of all the attention Pruitt’s photographs have received, a local Delaware politician took a deeper look into the room on Facebook Live with the general manager of the mall.
“Many people in our county and in our state have extraordinary childhood memories of that mall. That mall is in a completely different place now than it was then,” New Castle County Chief Matt Meyer told TODAY.
Viewers of the clip will see Meyer pick up a bag of french fries sitting on one of the tables. He said he and his staff munched on them as they walked through the room – but don’t worry, it was picked up from an open Burger King on the way to this special place. Aside from potentially decades-old fast-food finds, Meyer appreciates the interest this restaurant relic gets.
“I think one reason it’s so attractive to so many people is that it’s a memory,” Meyer said. “The design may be outdated, and many may not think it’s beautiful, but it represents a time when retail was a little more human. People gathered without fear.”
“I would love to see it turned into a retro room. I’m sure people would eat it up,” added the mall’s general manager, Tom Dahlke, who also told TODAY that the store opened in 1987, meaning parts of this place is as old as “Dirty Dancing” and “The Princess Bride”. “
As for what can happen to the place now that it has received so much attention, the future of the empty burger bar is unclear. Dahlke said that there are no serious offers for the place yet, even with all the attention, so anyone who dreams of opening a vintage-style burger bar that is apparently taken from an episode of “Stranger Things”, should pick up the phone afterwards.
“I just thought it looked really nice,” Pruitt said, noting that his first job was at a Burger King in the ’90s, but not at this particular place. ‘I knew it was there. But the door was never opened. “
Well, to end with an understatement: Now it has been.
EDITOR’S NOTE (July 1, 2022 at 12:52 ET): This story is updated with a statement from Burger King.
