Inside the Original Burger King in Mattoon, Illinois | Eater
"A longtime, independently owned Mattoon restaurant that dates back to the 1950s and was started by Gene and Betty Hoots as a companion to their Frigid Queen ice cream stand. It operates like a homey, small-town diner rather than a corporate fast-food outlet: burgers are made fresh from beef sourced at the local meat market and often prepared as a thin, seared smash burger; fries, pork tenderloin, grilled chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and classic Frigid Queen shakes, cones and sundaes are also served. The operation uses a single service window rather than a modern two-way drive-thru speaker, and staff will even run orders out to cars with paper and pencil when lines get long, preserving hands-on service that appeals to Eastern Illinois University students and generations of Mattoon residents. Legally independent from the national chain, it holds an old Illinois trademark that courts upheld, preventing corporate locations within a 20-mile radius of 1508 Charleston Avenue (leaving the nearest corporate outlet about 25 miles away in Tuscola), and current owner Ernie Drummond—who returned to buy the restaurant in 2017 after decades working there—continues community traditions like anniversary burger specials and hopes to pass the unique legacy to family." - Elizabeth Atkinson
