Joliet's Next Great Restaurant Opportunity: Empty Burger King Finally Hits Real Estate Market

JOLIET, IL — Five years after Joliet Patch broke the news revealing that Joliet's Burger King fast-food restaurant at 3625 Rock Creek Road, near Interstate 80, abruptly locked its doors and shut off the lights forever, there is finally something new to write about.

This week, while traveling along the Houbolt Road corridor, Joliet Patch discovered that for the very first time, there are several real estate signs plastered across the vacant Home of The Whopper.

FOR SALE. Roger Blomgren. TCPM Sales & Service is the listing agent. You can give him a call at 630-251-4317.

These days, the empty Burger King is surrounded by two nice Joliet hotels, the Holiday Inn & Suites plus the extended stay Candlewood Suites. Despite having two large hotels right off the I-80 interstate, the Burger King property remained empty as its property owners did not attempt to find another commercial investor to take it over — until now.

Back in July 2021, Joliet Patch published an unflattering story about the empty Burger King headlined, "Empty Burger King Becomes Joliet Disgrace: Photos." In that article, Joliet Patch 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 was knocked down and it stretched across the grass along Houbolt Road.

On a positive note, the Burger King lot has since been cleaned up and is no longer an eyesore. Still, the property has the distinction of being one of Joliet's longest-running empty fast-food restaurants even though it's located along one of the city's most traveled corridors, Houbolt and I-80.

Now, to the question on everyone's minds: what will the next owner of the Burger King property do with it?

Maybe it will become Joliet's second Jack in the Box, now that the city's first is set to open by the end of the month along Route 59 between Plainfield and Shorewood.

But if not a Jack in the Box, maybe the corporate fish folks will realize it's high time to reopen a Long John Silver's restaurant after shutting down Joliet's one and only at the corner of West Jefferson Street and Barney Drive, back in October 2021. Last month, Joliet's one and only former Long John Silver's restaurant was torn down as a new 7 Brew Coffee Shop is being built in its place.

Jack in the Box? Long John Silver's? What restaurant do you want to replace the former Burger King site?

Be sure to post your comments on Joliet Patch's Facebook thread, because, who knows, maybe Dave Portnoy — El Presidente — will read your comments and decide to purchase the empty Burger King with cash.

That way, the founder of Barstool Sports can open up his pizza parlor and no longer feel the urge to visit New Lenox and other Chicago suburbs in search of his next great cheese pizza review.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Empty Burger King Becomes Joliet Disgrace: Photos

'Incredible': New Lenox Shop Sells 700 Pizzas After Barstool Sports Owner's Visit

Long John Silver's Shuts Down Joliet Restaurant Forever