Yeah, I went there yesterday to fetch a Whopper and found it closed too. I thought the customers there were a bit dicey and the decor was outdated. I hope they find a location nearby. A stand-alone with drive-through would be nice.

Haven't been there recently, but when our kids were small we went there regularly. Lots of happy memories.

The thing we liked about it is that it had character and was not a carbon copy of all the other fast food restaurants around.

Thanks for serving us well.

FYI, the owner of that Burger King was a wonderful man. His name is Len Rohde and he was a former 49er (hence the decor) & teacher. He did a great job hiring local youth, many of them from low income families who counted on the money. He was flexible with their hours, understanding of school demands and activities. I know this because one of my relatives, a school teacher at an alternative high school, used to work with him to help get students jobs. Here's his bio:

Web Link

In my youth I would only go to that Burger King out of loyalty to him, a man I never met, but who served as a reminder that kindness & generosity are more important than athletic prowess, even if they don't make you famous.

I remember when I first went there, I thought the place would be much smaller. I thought there was a mirror in the middle of the place. I couldn't believe a Burger King could be that long!

Likewise, I noticed on my 4 AM drive-by this morning that the Jack In The Box at the corner of Ventura just bit the dust. Meaning the only remaining 24-hour food place in Palo Alto (besides Happy Donuts) is the other Jack near Stanford -- the only fast food joint still standing besides the adjacent McDonald's.

So with a dead KFC, dead Burger King (technically MV but whatever), and dead JITB on our hands, why does fast food never survive here? Cuz everyone can afford real food? General health nut-ism? Leases/taxes too high?