The last public Burger King in Washington, D.C., has officially closed.
A spokesperson for the fast food chain confirmed the news to DCist after Redditors posted a photo of the Connecticut Avenue location on New Year’s Day.
The closure appears to have been unexpected, as the photo shows a glass door with a laminated sign indicating the location’s modified holiday hours, including New Year’s Day, on the left, and a hastily printed sheet of paper on the right taped to the door reading, “PERMANENTLY CLOSED — THANKS!”
Though the closure was abrupt, it had been written in the water. According to Forest Hills Connection, in 2018 owner Mark James said the site was becoming too expensive, before reversing course and speaking of renovating the building in 2020. However, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the franchise outpost was said to be struggling again.
The Van Ness Burger King was a bit of a local legend. In operation for more than 40 years, it acted as a bit of a time capsule of earlier times, boasting famous movie scenes as part of its decor: ET and his bike-bound friends in flight over the cash register, and the head of Jaws breaching the water on a wall.
Though there is still one more Burger King open in D.C., it is located on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling and not accessible to the public.