Empty Burger King Becomes Joliet Disgrace: Photos

JOLIET, IL — It's been nearly eight months since Joliet residents were surprised to learn that the Burger King restaurant facing Houbolt Road near the Interstate 80 exit had closed. Now, the vacant restaurant property has turned into a dump.

Joliet Patch visited the property Tuesday and found a large hide-a-bed sofa discarded near the old drive-thru lane. There were also several bottles of water and Corona beer that somebody left on the furniture. One of the light poles for the Burger King has been knocked down, and it's stretched across the grass along Houbolt Road.

At this point, it's not clear if Burger King is even trying to redevelop the property. A Joliet City Hall official told Patch last week he was unaware of any real estate listing to sell the building, even though the property is near one of Joliet's most desirable interstate exits.

Adjacent to the empty Burger King is Joliet's newest hotel, the Holiday Inn & Suites. The Heroes West Sports Grill is within short walking distance. There are gas stations, a McDonald's, a Cracker Barrel and a Jimmy K's restaurant on the opposite side of Houbolt Road.

During Tuesday afternoon's inspection of the property, Joliet Patch found no documented code violations or red tags placed on the Burger King property by city officials.

With lingering questions about Burger King's efforts to sell the property to a developer, it's logical to surmise that the empty Burger King at 3625 Rock Creek Road will remain in a state of disrepair for many more months.