During construction work in Wilmington, Delaware, a surprise was discovered: an entire Burger King branch was hidden behind a wall, which had been lying dormant there untouched for many years.
Shopping malls have been the heart of the action in the United States for decades. People made an appointment here, even if they didn’t want to go shopping – to eat ice cream, hang out, see and be seen. But with the advent of the Internet, American shopping malls became increasingly empty. Today many of them are abandoned, demolished or significantly reduced in size. Some remained as buildings, but closed off unused corridors and shops with tape or boards. Apparently more careful work was being done in Wilmington, Delaware, in those days.
At the beginning of the millennium, the shopping center there also seems to have fallen flat. So much so that eventually the local Burger King branch was no longer profitable. The tenant terminated his contract, a new tenant could not be found – so it was decided to simply put up temporary walls around the empty shop. Presumably so that the mall’s remaining customers didn’t notice the slow decline.
Burger King closed its store many years ago
Over the next twenty years, the hidden restaurant was simply forgotten. Of course, it had been noted on the plans at the time, but after such a long time nobody had any idea that there could still be anything worth mentioning behind these walls. And so construction workers who carried out demolition work in the shopping center in April were amazed when they removed a wall – and then a seemingly untouched burger restaurant came to light.
It is touching how much the retro design catapults you straight into your own past, when a visit to a fast-food shop was still something special in Germany, and definitely a highlight for children. Artificial plants, turquoise decorative panels on the walls, terracotta-look floor tiles – yes, that’s what it looked like back then. Today the burger branches have a completely different look. More modern, cleaner, more sterile.
Internet users react enthusiastically
Meanwhile, residents of Wilmington have spoken out on Reddit who remember the Burger King location and say the last time they saw it was in the early 2000s. It can be assumed that it has not been modernized for a while at this point, as the interior design is more reminiscent of the 90s, if not the 80s. Before the final end, however, the place was apparently cleaned and tidied up again – everything looks impeccable.
A photo of the surprising find caused a lot of enthusiasm on the Internet. Several times, the users expressed the wish that someone should reopen the restaurant and not change anything about the decoration. For many guests, this would mean a little trip back to their own childhood. Maybe there will be a clever restaurateur who will do just that.
Sources: Twitter, Reddit
