A Small Illinois Town has the Most Unique Burger King in the US

It's called Burger King but when you pull up to the restaurant it will not look, or taste the same as the Burger King you and I are use to.

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Burger King is one of my all time favorite fast food joints, the Whooper is an American icon, I love that they use ketchup and mayonnaise on the Whooper, and their new chicken sandwiches are legit delicious. BUT if you are looking for a Burger King in Mattoon, Illinois you won't be able to find the creepy king character and those iconic fast food menu items.

According to the website atlasobscura.com there is a restaurant in Mattoon, Illinois (which is located about 3 hours east of Quincy) that has the claim of Illinois' original Burger King, a small burger joint that was here before the fast food giant ever expanded to Illinois from the East coast. On the site they say...

"Known to locals as simply “Burger King,” the small restaurant has no affiliation with the multinational fast food chain, but it sure has a long, complex legal history with it...Gene formally registered the restaurant as Burger King in 1959. His uncle, the former owner of Frigid Queen, advised him to register Burger King as an Illinois state trademark, which Gene did. Although it seemed like a meaningless decision at the time, it resulted in one of the most fascinating trademark disputes in legal history."

Gene is the original owner of the Burger King, and to read more about the fascinating legal battle and why there are no Burger King fast food joints allowed within 20 miles of the original Illinois Burger King CLICK HERE! 

I have never wanted to drive 3 hours more badly to a restaurant in my life! I need to get to this Illinois original Burger King at some point soon, just gotta find someone who is willing to go with me!