My local McDonalds, in Pittsburgh's Strip District, recently closed without notice. One day it was serving burgers, then next it had shut up shop. "McDonalds in the Strip closes without explanation," reported Trib Live, which noted McDonalds was still paying rent to the landlord but was not renewing the lease. The landlord has no clear plans for what to do with the plot: it's not because a cookie-cutter development is getting stamped in.
The restaurant was immediately debranded, and now the entire building has disappeared completely, an efficient and rapid demolition leaving a smoothed field of light rubble. The sheer speed with which the structure vanished has locals startled. In Pittsburgh, a building hasn't even gotten started until it's been abandoned to begin a new life as a dilapidated navigational beacon. But look at that! It's as if aliens beamed it right up into the fucking mothership.
I cannot help but recall, however, that Pittsburgh was also the longtime home to a Burger King that lost its franchise but remained in the Burger King building, calling itself Burger King and serving all sorts of fake Burger King meals. For months.
The menu evolved, optimizing the Burger King pantheon of foodstuffs to local tastes and available substitutes. There was at one point, according to local folklore, a quintuple Whopper on offer. The legendary "Open Sauce" Burger King of Pittsburgh continued in business for some time until local reporters cottoned on and ruined it for everyone:
