The White Castle that\u2019s been serving customers in Queens for nearly nine decades is shutting its doors on Wednesday \u2014 marking the end of one of New York City\u2019s longest-running restaurants.<\/p>\n
The fast-food joint on 57th Avenue in Elmhurst \u2014 which opened in 1939 \u2014 has been sold and will likely be turned into an apartment building, restaurant manager Elsa Lima told the Queens Chronicle<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis location is closed. It was our pleasure to serve you,\u201d said a banner that draped over the building, advising customers to visit its nearest locations in Brooklyn and Sunnyside.<\/p>\n The White Castle that\u2019s been serving customers in Queens for nearly nine decades is shutting its doors on Wednesday. David Russell\/NYPost<\/p>\n The restaurant\u2019s dining room was nearly empty, with only a large soda machine and various pieces of kitchen equipment occupying the vacant space on Tuesday night. <\/p>\n White Castle, which owns over 25 locations across New York, said the family-owned company decided to sell the beloved Queens spot as the property\u2019s value skyrocketed.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the value increases, it makes business sense for us to listen closely to a prospective buyer,\u201d Chief Marketing Officer Jamie Richardson told the outlet.<\/p>\n Richardson said that the restaurant\u2019s employees will be offered new positions with the company. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen a change like this occurs, White Castle reinvests proceeds from the sale in continuing to grow our business overall and focuses on remaining a great place to work,\u201d Richardson said.<\/p>\n The fast-food joint is one of the oldest in New York City, opening in 1939. David Russell\/NYPost<\/p>\n However, the move to sell the location has shocked nearby residents who view the fast-food joint as more of a fixture of the community.<\/p>\n Elmhurst resident James McMenamin said the closure marks \u201cthe end of an era\u201d and reflects the \u201cradically\u201d changing environment along Queens Boulevard.<\/p>\n \u201cThe iconic location I believe opened about the time of the 39-40 World\u2019s Fair, a familiar recognizable spot on the landscape that evoked nostalgia, in a radically and quickly being altered Queens Blvd.,\u201d he told the outlet.<\/p>\n The commiseration extended to users online, who reflected on the decades of satisfied cravings. <\/p>\n The family-owned company decided to sell after 85 years, when the property\u2019s value skyrocketed. David Russell\/NYPost<\/p>\n \u201cMy grandfather used to take us there when we were little. It\u2019s a sad day,\u201d one Redditor said earlier this week<\/a>. \u201cAlso, that space seems a little small for apartment buildings.<\/p>\n \u201cBeen there countless times growing up in 70-80s. Sad to see it go!\u201d another user added.<\/p>\n \u201cI love that place and my sadness about it is immense,\u201d a third person said.<\/p>\n White Castle is widely credited as the world\u2019s first fast-food hamburger chain \u2014 famous for its small, square \u201csliders.\u201d Education Images\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n Local historian Michael Perlman told the Queens Chronicle that the location first opened in 1939, was rebuilt in 1963 and again in the 2000s, and was renovated just a year ago \u2014 calling it \u201csenseless to undo that among its longtime cultural history.\u201d<\/p>\n Even with 85 years behind it, the Elmhurst location isn\u2019t New York City\u2019s oldest White Castle, according to Spectrum News<\/a>.<\/p>\n That title belongs to the White Castle on Fordham Road in the Bronx, which has been running since 1930.<\/p>\n