Burger King facing lawsuit over dilapidated former restaurant
West Allis taking fast food giant to court
West Allis taking fast food giant to court
West Allis taking fast food giant to court
The city of West Allis has officially run out of patience with the “Home of the Whopper.”
On Oct. 6, in an interview with WISN 12 News, the mayor called a former Burger King in West Allis “a blight to the neighborhood. It's a corporation that's out of state. It doesn't seem to really care.”
One week after Mayor Dan Devine called out Burger King on social media over a dilapidated former Burger King on Greenfield Avenue that the company still owns, the city is taking them to court.
“This property is the sore thumb in the area,” said West Allis City Attorney Kail Decker. “Over the last six years, we've responded over 100 times for complaints for things like garbage, broken glass, things like that.”
According to tax bills obtained by WISN 12 News, since Burger King closed, the company has paid $28,954 in special assessments to the city for unaddressed property maintenance, including snow removal and weed cutting.
“We're hoping the lawsuit draws attention to it and they'll take care of it,” Decker said.
The lawsuit includes images of the blight, including a power box with cut wires, boarded-up windows and doors, and a generally dilapidated appearance inside and out. The city claims in the suit that "Burger King made superficial and improper repairs to the Property while also allowing it to fall into even further disrepair."
Now, as West Allis might say, it's time for the city to have it their way.
“We've issued orders, we've been trying to reach out to their management teams, and we actually issued a formal order of public nuisance in May, trying to get them to take action. Burger King is a large corporation, with plenty of resources and money, I expect them to do the right thing,” Decker said.
If not, the suit asks a judge to order Burger King to make the repairs, appoint a receiver to sell it, or even allow the city to tear it down.
WISN 12 News reached out to Burger King a week ago, and again Friday. However, the fast food chain with 18,700 locations worldwide, including two still operating in West Allis, did not respond.
No hearings have been scheduled yet on the lawsuit.