Deserted dining: America’s eeriest restaurants and grocery stores
Forgotten places
When a hurricane destroys a town or a shopping mall flops, once buzzing eateries can get left behind, becoming nothing more than shells with faded menus, peeling paint and trash that hint at its former life. From an empty McDonald’s to a deserted Kmart, these ransacked restaurants, derelict diners, forgotten food courts and ghostly grocery stores will give you chills.
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McDonald’s, Adak, Alaska
On the remote island of Adak, Alaska, there’s an abandoned and dilapidated McDonald’s that dates back to when this was an old navy town in the 1990s. At one point, the island had a population of around 6,000 people, made up of military personnel and their families. It had many things you’d find in central America such as Pizza Hut, Baskin Robbins and this McDonald’s.
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McDonald’s, Adak, Alaska
If you take a walk around the building, the entrances are said to be bolted but the blinds are open so you can look inside. Check out the dated furnishings in muted red, beige and blue. It’s a stark contrast from the bright, modern look of today’s McDonald’s restaurants.
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McDonald’s, Adak, Alaska
Here, it’s like time froze in the 1990s – on the menu there’s a Quarter Pounder with cheese for $2.60 which, nowadays, costs about double that. The menu also advertises desserts such as low-fat frozen yogurt and apple pie, and a breakfast menu that’s similar to today’s. You can even see what toy you would have received in a Happy Meal if you were a kid 30 years ago – a Bobby’s World mascot (it was a popular children’s TV show).
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Kansas Fried Chicken, Coney Island, New York
The shuttered Shore Theater was bought by the owner of the Kansas Fried Chicken chain, Horace Bullard, in 1979. It hadn’t screened movies since the 1970s but Bullard had big plans for the dilapidated area, purchasing a number of other properties at the same time. Pictured is the Shore and Kansas Fried Chicken in 1990.
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Kansas Fried Chicken, Coney Island, New York
Unfortunately, Bullard’s development plans never came to fruition and Kansas Fried Chicken eventually closed. Locals, ignorant to the fact Bullard had become ill, criticized him for not doing enough to maintain his properties. People say the chicken shop has been closed for at least 25 years.
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Kansas Fried Chicken, Coney Island, New York
Passersby have been able to photograph the inside. Tables and chairs are strewn across the room, bits of the ceiling are on the floor and trash like a soda cup is stood on the table. The menu is still readable – you could get a shrimp basket for $5.49, a 15-piece bucket of chicken for $15.99, potato salad and pies.
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Kansas Fried Chicken, Coney Island, New York
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Magic Island, Houston, Texas
A grand restaurant with music and entertainment, Magic Island was a staple of Houston’s nightlife when it opened in 1983. It started as a private members’ club before opening to the public, and was decked out in ornate Ancient Egyptian-style furnishings. Sadly, when Hurricane Ike hit in 2008, the building caught fire and had to close. It has stood empty since.
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Magic Island, Houston, Texas
Before its demise, some of the features of the grand two-story building included gold doors, red carpet, an enormous chandelier, murals and hieroglyphics, Egyptian-style mummy statues, dark wood furnishings and plush cushions. In these pictures you can see what’s left is worn down and strewn about the place.
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Magic Island, Houston, Texas
This was the theater where magic shows were held. Many families have fond memories of celebrating anniversaries and birthdays here, and being dazzled after dinner by visiting performers. Eventually squatters and vandals moved into the building which didn’t help its preservation.
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Magic Island, Houston, Texas
Its owner, neurologist Mohammed Athari whose office is next door, announced plans to restore the 22,000-square-foot (2,044sqm) property to its former glory in 2018. Building work began and it was due to reopen in late 2018, but it has now been delayed indefinitely.
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Ashtabula Mall, Ashtabula, Ohio
The food court at Ashtabula Mall, now known as Ashtabula Towne Square, looks eerily quiet in these pictures from 2014. It once featured a Ruby Tuesday, Mr. Hero, Sbarro, Sakkio Japan and a Wendy’s, and was packed full of customers refueling after shopping. Now all the outlets are shuttered and the seating area is closed off.
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Ashtabula Mall, Ashtabula, Ohio
Despite the mall still being open, the food court remains empty and it struggles to keep customers coming in, with just a few stores fighting to retain interest. In its heyday in 1992, it had a Dillard’s, Sears, Phar-Mor and Carlisle’s. In early 2020, the mall was purchased for more than $10 million by the owners of another mall in Akron. The company said Ashtabula Mall has potential for development.
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Super Kmart, Madison Heights, Michigan
Since 2014, this vast Super Kmart has stood ominous and empty on John R Road, Madison Heights. It was built in 1962 as an E.J. Korvette, a discount department store, then it became a Kmart in 1981 and a Super Kmart in 2000. The store was never particularly popular but customers went there to buy lunch and other groceries such as meat, vegetables and spices.
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Super Kmart, Madison Heights, Michigan
In early 2019, it was announced the 143,000-square-feet (13,285sqm) store would be demolished to make way for a new members-only store similar to Costco. BJ’s Wholesale Club opened at the end of 2019. Pictured is a wall where the store’s Super Kmart sign has been removed.
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Lincoln Park Shopping Center, Lincoln Park, Michigan
Fondly known as “the Sears shopping center”, Lincoln Park Shopping Center was a strip mall in Lincoln Park that opened in 1957. Once a busy mall, it had a giant Sears which was one of the best performing in the country, as well as a Dollar Tree, Rainbow USA, Arlan’s, Winkelman’s and China Buffet. It also hosted a re-election rally for President Ronald Reagan.
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Lincoln Park Shopping Center, Lincoln Park, Michigan
By 2000 the mall was mostly empty. One of the final tenants to leave was China Buffet (pictured) which was gone by 2015. It was a buffet and takeout serving fried appetizers, chicken and broccoli, egg drop soup and egg rolls, to name a few things – its reviews weren’t great.
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Lincoln Park Shopping Center, Lincoln Park, Michigan
Dated and dilapidated, China Buffet was carpeted and had purple walls, blue marble tables and wooden sections. Now even more run down since it shuttered, the ceiling is broken and falling onto the floor.
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Lincoln Park Shopping Center, Lincoln Park, Michigan
Pictured is the shell of Farmer Jack which was in the neighboring retail park to Lincoln Park Shopping Center. The sign has been taken away and only the outline remains. In an interview with News-Herald, a former worker recalls its history, including a strike in 1987 which caused tension between staff – the meat cutters’ union and truck drivers refused to honor the strike and crossed the picket line.
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Lincoln Park Shopping Center, Lincoln Park, Michigan
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Forest Fair Mall food court, Cincinnati, Ohio
One of the biggest malls in Ohio, Forest Fair Mall opened in the late 1980s with a Bigg’s Hypermarket and several department stores. A bustling community hub, the mall, also known as Cincinnati Mall, had a carousel in its early days and the food court featured a beach with sand. It underwent millions of dollars’ worth of renovations in the early 1990s and again in 2004, but eventually struggled to keep its shops from shuttering.
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Forest Fair Mall food court, Cincinnati, Ohio
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Tom’s Diner, Ledgewood, New Jersey
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Tom’s Diner, Ledgewood, New Jersey
Although it’s decaying slightly with water damage, a broken ceiling and peeling paint, the menu above the counter clearly displays what breakfast dishes locals would have ordered – pancakes, French toast, omelets, bacon sandwiches and corned beef hash were on offer. Its past customers used to come back to decorate it at Christmas and the owner’s son, also called Tom, was trying to raise money to restore it. However, the site was demolished in April 2021 and it’s not yet known if it will be redeveloped.
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