Even with the occasional torrential downpours of recent weeks and the extreme heat surrounding the Memorial Day holiday, construction crews are reportedly right on schedule at the new Burger King along Pipestone Road in Benton Harbor…and you should see the doors swing open officially within the next week to 10 days.
The previous building had a date with a team of bulldozers and wrecking crews immediately following the Easter weekend, to make way for the brand new restaurant at that site across from the entrance to the Benton Harbor Meijer, and the new place is nearing completion. Road graders were busy leveling the parking lot to prep for new asphalt even as busy teams were working inside, outside and all around the site on a near perfect day today, Monday, June 4th.
Quality Dining, Inc. CEO Dan Fitzpatrick told us back in early April that the demolition of the long standing Burger King at Pipestone just off of I-94 had been in the works for some time, but once the wrecking ball hits it came down fast, due to the very aggressive timetable for the new version, just as was the case at his property in St. Joseph in April of 2017.
The aging restaurant with it’s atrium glass and mansard roof came down swiftly and is being replaced by a sleek new design somewhat similar to Quality Dining’s operations in St. Joseph, Stevensville, Watervliet and along M-139 in Benton Harbor, all of which have been updated over the past several years. The St. Joe Burger King was ripped to the ground just last year and rebuilt in 63 days.
The new 3,500 square foot Burger King which which has been rising from the ground ever since the debris of the demolition was removed and was targeted to be open within about 11 weeks from when that process started, so they are right on target.
Fitzpatrick says he is investing $1.5-million or more in that new building which will have 45 to 50 employees on staff when it re-opens for business next week. The interior decor will be similar to most of the renovated Burger Kings in Quality Dining’s line up in Southwest Michigan and Northern Indiana. The exterior will be a bit more of a rectangular shape this time according to the highly successful businessman who owns nearly 160 Burger King restaurants across the region. He also owns 45 Chili’s Grill & Bar sites, including the one in the Southtown St. Joe neighborhood alongside his Burger King there. Additionally, he owns the Papa Vino’s brand of Italian restaurants with one located barely a block away in Southtown St. Joe.
Stay tuned for official word of the re-opening of the Pipestone Burger King, coming soon.
