Burger King on El Cajon Boulevard exits North Park

You won't “have it your way” anymore from Burger King at 2829 El Cajon Boulevard. It's closed down. The building and parking lot are now surrounded by a chain-link fence.

A request by the Reader for comment from Burger King's parent company, 3G Capital, received no response. The corporation bought the burger chain in 2010 for $4 billion. Burger King is the second-largest hamburger chain, with about 12,400 locations in 79 countries and territories; most are franchises.

The El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association's Steve Aldana said they received many comments on their Facebook page. Examples: “Wow. Can't say I'll miss it. There's still so much other blight, empty & wasted space on the blvd”; “Yay! Bring on healthier, more community oriented businesses!”; “Could we fit a Trader Joe's there?”; “A bakery (or bagelry) would be a great addition.”

"BK seems to be closing locations around the county, probably as leases expire," said Aldana. "This could be a great opportunity for that area, which has already seen a recent burst of new great independent businesses opening up."

The exodus of older restaurants continues in North Park, while new restaurants keep opening up. First to close its doors was Johnny's R Restaurant, now Lil' B's, at 2711 El Cajon Boulevard. Next came the closure of Coco's at 2644 El Cajon Boulevard, where a new 7-Eleven with gas pumps will be built.