The end of an era — The Green St. Burger King is gone
Today’s Daily Illini has an article about the closing of the Burger King on Green St. in Champaign, IL. The Burger Kind was a part of the heart of campus and right in the middle of the Campustown bar scene — a nice stop during a drunken stumble home.
It was our destination during almost every meal during initiation week, where we’d get carryout whoppers and eat them at home while we got dru-, er, cleaned the house.
It was where MiLo and I met the loves of our lives, one of whom proclaimed to me that she hated every male in the world except for me.
And who could forget the scores of drunks who thought they were oh so witty when they changed the “Angus Burgers” sign to read “Anus Burgers” on their walk back home.
Of course the service was terrible. It was a running joke amongst my friend that it was impossible to go in the estalishment and walk out within 15 minutes with food.
And now for that last reason, the Burger King is closed. Many people have commented that they avoided that place because the service was so poor. I’ve personally found that I avoid just about every Burger King now — and its not that I avoid every fast food establishment.
This latest closing once again reveals the changing face of campustown. What used to be a long line of McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s is now Noodle’s and Company, Chipotle, Starbucks, Za’s, Q’doba, and so forth.
It’s not that I’m against any of those places, or that I’m some anti-corporation nut, but it is sad to see a unique piece of campus dissapear. For so many years we used to joke about the abandoned sporting goods store. They opened for business about once a year and sold only things that were made in the 80’s, it seemed; I bought a Jom McMahon poster there. When they finally did close down, they took their entire inventory but left a copy of the book, “How Wal-Mart is destroying America” in the window. What? Wal-Mart’s destroying America by being open for business and keeping regular hours where people can shop? Ouch, how does the small guy compete with that. Now that store is a Potbelly’s, with a Starbucks next door.
What’s worse, I don’t think students will ever find the need to discover some of the quirky off-campus establishments like the Courier cafe, and God forbid, Dos Reales, probably STILL the bext Mexican Restaurant I’ve ever been to.
Truly, it is a sad day for the students at the University of Illinois. Where will they go for their crowns now?
Read the full article at The Daily Illini website.
