Burger King Restaurant Found Fully Intact Behind a Wall at a Mall in Delaware

Anyone who was a kid back in the ’80s can surely remember the excitement of going to a fast food restaurant in those days. They had a distinctive look — one we don’t often come across anymore. But, of course, times and tastes have changed significantly since then, and we wouldn’t expect to see places like this again.

And yet, somehow, such a place has remained intact after all these decades. A branch of Burger King that opened up to the public in 1987 has just been discovered, hidden behind a wall at the Concord Mall. Yet, bizarrely, it seems unchanged from how it was during its heyday.

This strange tale took the internet by storm recently after a guy named Jonathon Pruitt uploaded an image of the long-lost fast food restaurant to Facebook. He’d recently stumbled upon it while exploring the mall and thought some people would be interested. From Facebook, the image then made its way to other platforms and ultimately went viral.

Jonathon didn’t give much thought to what he was doing. He liked the look of this vintage Burger King he’d somehow discovered. It just seemed cool to him. That stands to reason, as his first-ever job had been at a branch of the fast food joint. So it was natural that he’d react strongly to discovering this vintage one hidden away.

And it didn’t take long for Jonathon’s upload to snowball. People started sharing it and uploading it to other platforms, and before anyone knew it, the image had been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. Jonathon initially had no idea this was happening, though he was later made aware by his pals and family members.

A lot of people, it seems, were interested in this story. There’s just something about a space like this, hidden away for so long and in such a public location, that captures the imagination. Another report involving a secret area also attracted a lot of attention a little while ago.

In the late ’90s, the project to build the Providence Place Mall in Rhode Island began. Michael Townsend, an artist interested in urban exploration, kept an eye on the project. He soon realized that the mall had a little quirk: because of the shape of its rooms, an unused space spanning 750 square feet had been created by accident. And this got him thinking.

Michael wrote on his Wrafwraf.com website: "During the Christmas season, radio ads for the Providence Place Mall featured an enthusiastic female voice talking about how great it would be if you (we) could live at the mall. The central theme of the ads was that the mall not only provided a rich shopping experience but also had all the things that one would need to survive and lead a healthy life.” Well, Michael wanted to test that idea.

Michael’s initial idea was to sneak into this secret space in the mall and live there for a week. So he did just that and then got on with his life. But four years later, he returned to the mall and discovered his secret space was still unoccupied. And he then decided to go a step further than before. Rather than stay a week there, he’d make his move a little more permanent.

Michael and some pals did their own construction work to keep the space hidden from prying eyes. They installed a wall and a door, and they furnished the room and turned it into a livable space. And Unbeknownst to the mall’s owners, he resided inside this secret apartment for four years!

During that fourth year, Michael intended to renovate his private mall apartment. He wanted to complete his kitchen, lay down a new floor, and even build another bedroom. But the elaborate scheme came crashing down after security personnel finally uncovered the space.

Michael’s activities had consequences for him, though, given the sheer scale of what he’d done, they weren’t that severe. He was charged with trespassing, naturally, but perhaps the most significant repercussion was his lifetime ban from the mall he’d called home for so many years. He’d never be allowed to step inside that place ever again.

Michael had lived inside this place without paying rent for four years, so it was probably worth all the fallout. Plus, he’s now an infamous figure. People from all over have heard the tale of the man who secretly lived in a mall for so long.

And now we have a new story involving a secret space inside a mall to wrap our heads around. This time, though, there’s no mastermind like Michael involved. Instead, this is a tale of a Burger King that everyone forgot about — and how exactly such a thing happened remains a mystery.

As we’ve seen, former Burger King worker Jonathon Pruitt came across this long-lost old branch. It was in April 2022 when he first posted a photo of the place online, and the story spread far and wide. As a result, many people have been excited to see this space.

The old Burger King is situated on the Concord Mall’s first floor, though you have to search for it. The entryway’s obscured from view to any shoppers walking around. You need access to parts of the mall that are usually off-limits to customers to get there.

Thankfully for us, Jonathon uploaded some images of the place so we could all take a look around for ourselves. His pics show us just how retro the design inside is, with tables and padded seating all colored in muted, soft hues. Anyone who remembers the ’80s will surely get a kick out of seeing this.

Even the restaurant’s garbage cans are enough to take us back. Telling customers to throw their trash away in the form of a bit of rhyme, these things bear the words: “Toss it in. Drop it in. Slide it in off the tray. Just get your trash in here some way.”

Because Jonathon’s post garnered so much attention, Burger King was moved to comment on the story. A rep from the company said, “Though we aren’t able to confirm details regarding this location, we have verified that the gloriously retro design and décor line up closely with Burger King restaurants operating in the ’80s and ’90s, and this is, in fact, a former Burger King restaurant.”

Luckily for those who can’t see the old Burger King firsthand, we soon got another opportunity to explore the place. A local politician named Matt Meyer and the manager of Concord Mall, Tom Dahlke decided to look around. They even filmed their visit and streamed it on Facebook Live.

At one point, Matt can be seen grabbing some fries on a table and scoffing at them. For a split second, you might be horrified by that. But reason soon takes over, and you realize these fries couldn’t possibly have been here since the ’80s — in reality, they were collected from an active Burger King in the area.

Matt’s really leaned in to the nostalgia angle following his exploration of the old Burger King, too. He claims the branch is a remnant of a point in history when “retail was a little more human.” He even goes further than that, also stating that this vintage fast food joint’s a relic of a time when “people gathered without fear.”

Mall manager Tom has said he’d be delighted if someone moved in to fill the space. The idea that somebody would open up this vintage Burger King and retain all of its retro charms excites him. It’d certainly make for a unique addition to his mall.

Sadly, though, there’s been little progress on that front so far. Despite all the interest the old Burger King’s generated online, nobody’s put their money where their mouth is just yet. But there’s still every chance someone down the line will take a chance on opening up the retro space for business again.

It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see someone take over the restaurant, though. After all, there’s clearly a great deal of interest in it. The comments online prove it. Take this person, who gushed on Twitter, “The discovery of the Burger King’s burial chamber is perhaps one of the most important archaeological finds of this century.”

Another tweet was interesting, as it added a layer of context to the story. It read, “LMAO that was literally my storage room back in 2019.” If this is to be believed, it seems the old Burger King was used by mall workers just to keep things inside. It would’ve surely been the most elaborate storehouse ever. While this outlet serves as a relic of a bygone era, however, many once-iconic fast food chains have vanished outright. Do you remember these classic eateries from years past?

With restaurants in just five states at its peak, VIP’s — a 24-hour Denny’s-style diner — may have passed you by. But at one point, it was actually the largest restaurant chain in Oregon and extended its reach to Nevada, California, Washington, and Idaho. In 1982, however, it sold most of its locations to Denny’s, with the rest being split up and sold by the 1990s.

Back in the 1920s, Howard Johnson’s was a pioneer for plenty of now-common fast-food concepts such as standardization, comfort food, and even roadside locations. But as the chain paved the way for McDonald’s and KFC, its franchises’ focus on smaller menus and lower costs allowed it to offer a cheaper dining experience. And Howard Johnson’s ultimately paid the price, selling off and shutting down almost all its restaurants in the ’90s.

With themed restaurants being all the rage in the early ’90s, businessman Robert Earl reckoned that a sports-themed restaurant would surely meet the same success as his Planet Hollywood venture. And with backing from athletes including Tiger Woods and Shaquille O’Neal, The Official All-Star Café opened in Times Square in 1995. But it didn’t last long — in four years, revenues tumbled, with sports proving not quite as family-friendly as movies.

Taking the lead from similar ventures in Berlin, Horn & Hardart was famous for being the U.S.’s first automat, where food was served by large vending machines. Its staple menu choices, including baked beans and macaroni and cheese, saw it take off in the Great Depression and thrive for decades. But in the 1960s, over-the-counter fast-food chains swept in, signaling the death knell for the automat.

If Burger Chef sounds like an attempt to put an upmarket spin on Burger King, that’s because it’s exactly what it was. But the Indianapolis-born chain innovated elsewhere, becoming the first fast-food restaurant to introduce the idea of a combo meal. At its peak, it almost rivaled McDonald’s. Alas, a General Foods buyout in 1968 resulted in some poor business choices, ultimately leading to the slow demise of the brand.

Even though Isaly’s was named after its founder, William Isaly, the Midwestern fast-food chain said the name stood for “I Shall Always Love You Sweetheart.” But the brand, which had several dairies, is more well known for creating the Klondike Bar, as well as pioneering the modern convenience store through its retail arm, which sold gasoline alongside groceries. Unfortunately, Isaly’s was a victim of corporate consolidation in the 1960s, unable to compete with major brands.

Lum’s started life as a hot dog stand on Miami Beach, so it was fitting that its trademark menu item came to be hot dogs steamed in beer. After rapidly expanding in the 1960s, the restaurant chain was sold twice, eventually ending up under the control of Wienerwald Holdings in 1978. Unfortunately, that proved a step too far for the parent company, which filed for bankruptcy four years later.

White Tower wasn’t the only restaurant that White Castle inspired, though. The similarly named Royal Castle also took its lead from the chain, even offering similar miniature burgers. But like most hamburger-focused fast-food outlets in the 20th century, it eventually lost out to the empires of McDonald’s and Burger King. Nowadays, just one location has survived in Miami, Florida.

In the eyes of the former governor of Tennessee nominee John Jay Hooker, country singer Minnie Pearl was the Colonel Sanders to his own version of KFC. Unfortunately, Hooker and his franchisees didn’t have much actual restaurant experience. So while it was a huge success on paper, with stock prices rising fast, the reality didn’t hold water. And a government investigation into its assets eventually doomed the business in the early ’70s.

Nobody today would ever be foolish enough to call their restaurant “Sambo’s.” But back in the ’50s, two guys did, apparently innocently combining parts of their own names to come up with the brand — blissfully unaware of the negative racial connotations. Protests ensued, and the name was quickly changed to “The Jolly Tiger” in some areas. But in the end, neither that nor a misguided business model could save it from extinction.

As the name implied, D’Lites was a fast-food restaurant with a twist — it offered healthier, or “lite,” menu choices, including lower-calorie versions of traditional burgers. While it was initially a success, with 100 stores opening their doors in its first eight years of operations, it was scuppered when the bigger chains caught on and began selling salads. By 1986 the company filed for bankruptcy.

While Chi-Chi’s still exists in a couple of European countries, the U.A.E., and Kuwait, it’s long gone from U.S. shores. The Mexican chain filed for bankruptcy in 2003, and a month later, the biggest hepatitis outbreak in American history was traced back to a Pennsylvania branch. After several lawsuits, every last one of its U.S. stores closed for good in 2004.

As the name suggests, Pup ‘N’ Taco served up a strange combo of tacos and hot dogs, alongside burgers, pastrami sandwiches, and tostadas. But something about it obviously appealed, as it quickly expanded in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Alas, it was actually a victim of its own success. Many of its stores were situated in such perfect locations that Taco Bell acquired almost the entire lot in 1984.

Valle’s Steak House may no longer be a household name, but it actually operated for a whopping 67 years until it shut up shop in 2000. Yep, its low-margin business model that prized efficiency in its restaurants saw it boom in the late ’60s. When its founder Donald Valle died in 1977, though, inheritance taxes forced his family to liquidate the business. And a faltering economy, high running costs, and poor adaptability eventually killed the chain.

Beefsteak Charlie’s has two slogans, both of which pointed to its initial success: “I’ll feed you like there’s no tomorrow,” and “You’re gonna get spoiled.” Its marketing played heavily on its all-you-can-eat salad bar and bottomless servings of sangria, wine, and beer. But a series of corporate mergers eventually led to its restaurants closing down altogether just after the turn of the millennium.

As the original upscale steakhouse chain, Steak and Ale’s selling point when it arrived in 1966 was its classy experience — with dimly lit restaurants — at an affordable price. Alas, the other brands it inspired ultimately did it better, and by 2008 it had closed for good. In 2015 its parent company was bought out by another fast-food chain, Bennigan’s, which now offers franchisees the chance to “Own a Steak and Ale.”

After the success of McDonald’s, Bresler’s Ice Cream strode into the fast-food market in the 1950s with Henry’s Hamburgers. The restaurant’s low-price offers, including “ten burgers for a buck,” gave it some success in the early ’60s. But it didn’t keep up with the times, neglecting to add drive-thrus and diversify its menu. Add to that a controversy over horse meat and corporate interference, and the writing was on the wall in the mid-’70s.

If White Tower looks familiar to you, it’s probably because it was basically a direct copy of White Castle. And a legal battle in the early 1930s found as much, too. White Tower was forced to change its slogan and even building designs, although it managed to keep its name. But even with those issues, it was ultimately the migration of its customer base to the suburbs in the ’70s that spelled the chain’s end.

If you don’t remember Red Barn, the clue was in the name: its restaurants were huge, barn-shaped buildings, painted red. Unfortunately, it lacked any other real hook beyond being the first major fast-food outlet to offer self-service salad bars. And despite a cult following that’s still around today, Red Barn’s novelty factor wasn’t enough to sustain it in the face of McDonald’s. It closed down altogether in the late ’80s.

Doggie Diner may have been contained to San Francisco and Oakland, but that didn’t stop it from enjoying nearly four decades of success. This was in part thanks to its endearing signage: a seven-feet-tall fiberglass dachshund head decked out with a chef’s hat and bow tie. Its eventual collapse in 1986 was a tale as old as time, though, as it simply failed to keep up with the giants of Burger King and McDonald’s.

This humble chain began in Eastman, Georgia, thanks to the hard work of founder William Sylvester Stuckey Senior. It started as a pecan business, but after WWII, Stuckey franchised it with trademark blue roofs! Today, only 20 Stuckey's restaurants remain — and they all have that retro vibe.

Arthur Treacher's was named after the British actor — famous from the 1930s and ’60s — who pretty much defined "the butler" role when he played Andrews alongside Shirley Temple. We’re not sure what he had to do with fish and chips, but it worked well for business! Today, only seven remain: three in New York and four in Ohio.

Founded in Ohio by L.S. Harvey in 1926, Frostop was one of the nation’s first root beer stands. Serving creamy smooth sodas all over America, it peaked in the ’60s with over 350 locations! This photo was taken in West Virginia, but the few remaining Frostops are scattered all the way down in Louisiana.

A spin-off from Ollie Gleichenhaus’ Ollie Fries, this iconic food joint provided customers with low-cost fast food. Founded by John Brown, a former Kentucky governor, Ollie's Trolley spice-filled burgers can only be found in a few cities, including Louisville, Cincinnati, and Washington, D.C. Brown later founded Kenny Rogers Roasters and Roadhouse Grill.

Opened in New Jersey by high school friends Angelo Baldassare, Tony Conza, and Peter DeCarlo, Blimpie grew to over 2,000 locations before dwindling to just 200. For reference, Subway had 43,000 at its peak, which is even more than McDonald's!

Before Taco Bell reached the level of success it enjoys today, Zantigo was a huge name in Mexican fast food. It opened in 1969, and by 1976 was sold to PepsiCo, which owned Taco Bell.

In another Euro-American corner of fast food, Dutch Pantry was a family-owned restaurant that began in 1945 in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. A red-and-white classic, it grew after WWII until the 1960s.

Before there was Outback, there was Ponderosa. Founders Norm Wiese and Dan Laster — who started the chain in 1963 — constantly competed against rival Bonanza until the two merged officially in 1965. They’re down to less than 100 locations from their original 600. 

Clancy's isn't a name with household recognition, but it should be. It was one of the first fast-food chains to have double drive-thru windows and indoor dining! The chain was started in 1965 by Carl Fogelsong, who later became a member of the Indiana Restaurant Hall of Fame.

Why does this name sound so familiar? Maybe because it’s what that beloved singing cowboy was called! The Roy Rogers restaurant started as a roast beef sandwich shop called RoBee’s, but when Marriott bought it, executives renamed the chain and started selling burgers and chicken. In 2021, just 42 restaurants remained.

Welcome to one of the most famous discount steak restaurants America has ever known. Unlike other fast food in York's tier, the grub here was always fresh, decently priced, and served cafeteria-style. But today only one restaurant remains, and it’s in Columbus, Ohio.

Founded by Dan Foley in Wichita, Kansas, the first Taco Tico opened in 1962 and saw enough success that Foley sold the franchise to a KFC executive in 1988. Once offering 120 locations, there are now just 17 stores open for business.

Samuel Blair first opened this chain — the second-ever fast food burger joint — in Flint, Michigan, in 1923. The franchise popularized curbside pick-up, which eventually became drive-thrus, and by 1943, there were 400 locations. But after a licensing dispute, most locations changed their names, effectively dooming the franchise!

This ordinary Southern California fast food burger joint gained fame when it was featured in the comedy film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Even though the last West Coast location closed in 2010, there's an establishment on Long Island with the same name that's been serving up burgers since 1961.

In the world that existed before McDonald's and Burger King, there was Carrols. The franchise ended its run when the founder, Herb Slotnick, caved to the newly founded Burger King and changed all his Carrols to the Home of the Whopper.

Casual dining/sports bar chains are everywhere today, but Bennigan's was one of the first when it was founded. However, it really couldn't keep pace with places like Friday's, Applebee's, and Chili's. After eventually filing for bankruptcy, there are only 15 locations left in the country.

Popular in the '70s, this steakhouse chain just couldn't keep up with the upscale steakhouses that began popping up all over the country. At one point, there were 300 locations nationwide, but the chain fell to bankruptcy in 1987.

This chain out of New Jersey seemed to be popping up everywhere in the '80s and '90s, but the corporation ended up going out of business. Now there's a sign graveyard, apparently. On the bright side, some franchise owners have kept several locations open!

The words “Big Boy” are so ubiquitous that you might not have known this chain ever existed in its own right! Established in 1936 by Bob Wian, the chain has splintered in power since, but there are still a few dotted around the country.

This burger and fried chicken eatery began in Louisville, Kentucky, and operated from 1963 to 1981. The chain has been defunct for quite some time now, but one lone restaurant remains in Campbellsville, Kentucky. Funnily enough, "Druther's" wasn't the eatery's first name. It was originally known as Burger Queen!

This Mexican fast food establishment saw a prosperous run from 1970 to 1995, operating as many as 225 locations during the mid-'80s. In 2015, an entrepreneur named Christian Ziebarth revived the brand and now there are three in California.