CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Officials from Army and Air Force Exchange Service and the 437th Civil Engineer Squadron closed the base Burger King June 23 after the building was deemed unsafe to operate as a free-standing building.
The unsafe conditions included damage to the roof in the kitchen area and to a weight-bearing external wall between the dining room and kitchen area, said Dennis Patton, Charleston Base Exchange general manager.
"There were several events occurring at the same time that just required the restaurant to be closed for the safety of our customers," he said. "The staff at Burger King had noticed the roof damage during the installation of a walk-in refrigerator and freezer and, at the same time, the civil engineer squadron was reviewing building blueprints to assess the damage on the load-bearing wall."
Mr. Patton said the 437 CES gave tremendous support maintaining the structural integrity of the 1988 building that outlasted industry standards for building life, but "it just came time to close."
With the building no longer serviceable, Mr. Patton said AAFES and base leadership has been working hard to ensure Team Charleston members have alternate food options but also a new Burger King in the near future. He said talks are currently underway between AAFES headquarters in Texas and the wing on the best course of action for a new Burger King, but best guess is it probably would be close to two years before one is reopened on base.
For food alternatives, Charley's in the BX is now open for breakfast Monday through Friday at 6:30 a.m. serving omelets, breakfast sandwiches and other breakfast items. Mr. Patton said since Charley's was not normally open for breakfast, Burger King employees were moved to not only serve breakfast but help Charley's and Anthony's Pizza with the increased number of customers. Another new option for breakfast on base includes the bowling alley.
"It feels like an obituary, but we are saddened by the loss of our Burger King," Mr. Patton said. "Our customers should rest assured AAFES and the wing are doing everything to bring back Burger King to the installation as soon as possible."
According to Bill Dean, 437 CES Engineer Flight chief, the 1988 building will be demolished by a government contractor once all the useable equipment has been removed and shipped to other AAFES BX locations to include Shaw AFB, S.C. No timetable has been established for demolition at this time.