Uploads from Andrew T...has left the building, tagged phastphood, with geodata

Kirk's restaurant of taxation or confiscation

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:20:21 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

What the hell is this supposed to even mean?

Ex Dairy Queen (Lake Mills, WI)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:58:35 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

When a fast-food joint closes, the empty building that results usually feels dire enough on its own. When a fast-food joint closes, its building is reoccupied by another business, then that closes...well, that's dire enough for the books.

This onetime Dairy Queen may be useless to travelers passing through Lake Mills today, but its crumbling lot has just enough purpose left to give the trucks some room.

Arby's (Green Bay, WI)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:51:12 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

The boxy sign here is evidently an artifact from the 1980s, although the building isn't.

The city's public assessment record for this fast-food property contains an older photo taken around 1996. Although it looked completely different back then, it works out (like the food within) to be pretty plain either way.

Taken in 2010.

Hey, look, it's closed again!

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 19:57:41 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

Well, that didn't take very long. The former downtown Hardee's-turned-Taco Bell on State Street closed, then the space was reopened by a roast-beef sandwich shop called Full of Bull...then, seemingly in an eyeblink, it closed again.

How might that have happened? Some of the online reviews look as if they might shed a bit of light on the matter, especially this one: "When I finished my drink and went for a refill, I opened the cup and was horrified to find several dead flies in with the ice in my cup, which appeared to have come from the ice in the ice machine."

Open interviews at Burger King

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:42:49 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

One year ago, my disposition was dire enough that I would have taken up the offer.

Dairy Queen (South Milwaukee, WI)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 10:39:49 -0800

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

I've never seen a Dairy Queen that looked like a conjoined barn before.

This old store stands in the vicinity of the Oak Creek Parkway in South Milwaukee, and is still open for business.

Former A&W (South Milwaukee, WI)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:24:22 -0800

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

This A&W building in South Milwaukee (complete with original signframe and carhop canopy) presents an interesting variation on the tall-roof style. It was last used by a restaurant called Chicago Avenue Gyros; however, it closed around 2010 and has been standing forlorn ever since.

Former Kentucky Fried Chicken (Cudahy, WI)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:09:24 -0800

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

This dire-looking building in Cudahy might blend into the background of a gray day, but it's a place with a story behind it. The public records for the property read like a chapter-by-chapter account of retail history.

The place was built in 1969, and originally housed a pointy-roofed Kentucky Fried Chicken store. The exterior underwent an extensive change in 1983, which probably involved shearing away the pointy roof and installing the current KFC mansard edging in its place. KFC still operated here in 1986, but "2 Automatic Washing Machines" were installed in 1995...so the chicken trail evidently went cold there and then.

In later years the property was re-repurposed as a taco stand and eventually a used car lot called "East Town Motors." Proving that nothing stays the same, the sign on the window now says "Sam's"...and it's anyone's guess if they're living or dead.

World's Creepiest Seafood Shoppe (2/4)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:20:16 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

Northeast corner view. This building ceased being a chain fast-food restaurant so long ago that a drive-thru was never added to the design.
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From what information I've dug up, this was built in 1977 and originally housed a Long John Silver's restaurant (which it still looks exactly like today.) LJS failed almost immediately, and the building was reoccupied by a local restaurant called Port Pizzeria...and by 1980, before the property was even three years old, even that had closed! It probably went on to house a few more unsuccessful enterprises after that, but those eventually ground to a halt: The parking lot is now literally crumbling to dust, and the whole thing looks as if it hasn't been touched or maintained in a decade or more. The lot it's on is now owned by a company in Alabama, of all places, and demolition is imminent.

Most of the faux-nautical wood siding has been removed, revealing bare concrete block underneath. Too bad all the windows are boarded up; it would have been interesting to see what condition the interior was in. Then again, maybe I don't want to know...

Former Taco Bell (Monona, WI)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:17:44 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

There's absolutely no doubt or secret about what this building was originally meant to be; even though the paint is now green and the signs say "David's Jamaican Cuisine."

This evidently originated as one of the oldest (if not the oldest) Taco Bells of the Madison area, built in 1975. At some point along the way, a very strange side annex was added with a late 1980s-style archway over the door, and the front of the original masonry building was slathered over with stucco to match. The original bricks are still visible above the roofline level.

When I was literally pulling my camera out for a picture, a Cadillac Escalade with Michigan manufacturer plates rolled in and parked in my line of sight. I retreated and returned a half-hour later, hoping that they had finished lunch and moved on...but the big black Caddy was still there, and another black SUV was now parked next to it in what used to be the drive-thru lane. After some choice words, I admitted defeat and moved on...

Former Burger King (Monona, WI)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:17:43 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

Yet another repurposed streetside relic. When I saw this square-footprinted building, I figured it was bound to have been built as a restaurant of some kind...but I didn't know what.

As it turns out, the 1985 city directory listed a Burger King location on this spot. It must have been a pretty early location, since I don't think I've seen a Burger King look exactly like this before. Unfortunately for build date information, the public assessment record is a blank slate.

No Chicken Today.

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 20:20:53 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

This KFC is closed, and it looks as though it closed in a hurry. Not only are some of the signs still on the building, but there are still promotional static clings on the windows! Who knows what the story behind this might have been.

This building dates to 1989, and the public assessment record shows the building with a red 1990s-style awning and a rotating bucket.

McDonald's (Madison, WI)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:45:56 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

It's McDonald's. Yawn. Wait a moment, though: There are a few things that look out-of-the-ordinary here.

The tally out front is locked at "90 billion:" Most signs made it up to 99 before the digits ran out of steam. As for the front annex...what were they thinking?

Dairy Queen (Hinton, WV)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:20:20 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

This is the Dairy Queen of Hinton, West Virginia. Although it seemed like a fast-food franchise much like any other, the restaurant is located on the banks of the New River and was popularly renowned for the scenic views from the dining room within.

The restaurant was also well-known in the area for being owned by Leonard Anderson, an extremely right-wing Democratic state senator known for his continual pampering of the environmentally-destructive coal industry, his enthusiasm for big-game hunting, his shrill anti-legal-abortion screeds about "heathen nations," and his lapses into prayer on the job. One of Anderson's shining moments of infamy as a politician-restaurateur came in 1998, when he sponsored a "roadkill bill" okaying the immediate eating of animals splattered on West Virginia roads.

The Hinton DQ still seems to pack a big crowd, and it's been freshly remodeled too. But I couldn't go inside.

Happy Days Diner (Gilbert, WV)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:30:54 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

Here's an obvious (and almost nauseatingly nostalgia-themed) reuse of a former Dairy Queen building. Some bizarre statues have been inserted under the eave, but the roof itself is untouched.

Although DQ franchises are prone to popping up just about everywhere in West Virginia (sometimes as the only restaurant option that exists), this one has moved on. For those craving a Dilly Bar, the nearest extant location is now in Pineville...forty minutes of twists and curves away.

Former A&W (Beaver Dam, WI)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 08:04:53 -0800

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

This old A&W Root Beer drive-in was evidently a doctored "low roof" model...but I'd recognize that oval signframe anywhere. According to public records, it was built in 1972.

The building now houses "La Tapatia Mexican Grill," which is probably an improvement.

Demolition hearing notice

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:20:17 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

This yellow notice was nailed to the wall next to one of the front doors. Honestly, a grassy lot would be an improvement over this...
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From what information I've dug up, this was built in 1977 and originally housed a Long John Silver's restaurant (which it still looks exactly like today.) LJS failed almost immediately, and the building was reoccupied by a local restaurant called Port Pizzeria...and by 1980, before the property was even three years old, even that had closed! It probably went on to house a few more unsuccessful enterprises after that, but those eventually ground to a halt: The parking lot is now literally crumbling to dust, and the whole thing looks as if it hasn't been touched or maintained in a decade or more. The lot it's on is now owned by a company in Alabama, of all places, and demolition is imminent.

Most of the faux-nautical wood siding has been removed, revealing bare concrete block underneath. Too bad all the windows are boarded up; it would have been interesting to see what condition the interior was in. Then again, maybe I don't want to know...

World's Creepiest Seafood Shoppe (3/4)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:20:18 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

As you can see, the parking lot doesn't look too hot either. And what's with the strange patchy board-up over the back door?
_______________

From what information I've dug up, this was built in 1977 and originally housed a Long John Silver's restaurant (which it still looks exactly like today.) LJS failed almost immediately, and the building was reoccupied by a local restaurant called Port Pizzeria...and by 1980, before the property was even three years old, even that had closed! It probably went on to house a few more unsuccessful enterprises after that, but those eventually ground to a halt: The parking lot is now literally crumbling to dust, and the whole thing looks as if it hasn't been touched or maintained in a decade or more. The lot it's on is now owned by a company in Alabama, of all places, and demolition is imminent.

Most of the faux-nautical wood siding has been removed, revealing bare concrete block underneath. Too bad all the windows are boarded up; it would have been interesting to see what condition the interior was in. Then again, maybe I don't want to know...

World's Creepiest Seafood Shoppe (4/4)

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:20:19 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

If any fast-food joint had set up shop in an outlot parcel of the Dixie Square Mall, it would look like this.
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From what information I've dug up, this was built in 1977 and originally housed a Long John Silver's restaurant (which it still looks exactly like today.) LJS failed almost immediately, and the building was reoccupied by a local restaurant called Port Pizzeria...and by 1980, before the property was even three years old, even that had closed! It probably went on to house a few more unsuccessful enterprises after that, but those eventually ground to a halt: The parking lot is now literally crumbling to dust, and the whole thing looks as if it hasn't been touched or maintained in a decade or more. The lot it's on is now owned by a company in Alabama, of all places, and demolition is imminent.

Most of the faux-nautical wood siding has been removed, revealing bare concrete block underneath. Too bad all the windows are boarded up; it would have been interesting to see what condition the interior was in. Then again, maybe I don't want to know...

Closed

nobody@flickr.com (Andrew T...has left the building) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:07:29 -0700

Andrew T...has left the building posted a photo:

The combination KFC-Taco Bell restaurant in downtown Madison recently closed, thus sparing State Street patrons from the indignity of precooked tacos and overdone chicken grease now and for the near future to come.

This storefront is one of six Madison addresses listed as Hardee's fast food locations in a 1985 directory. It didn't last long (the building went on to house a standalone Taco Bell for many years), but the signature Hardee's "wedge" is still in place under the windowline even today.

Edit: Reoccupied by Full of Bull a few weeks later.