'It's the worst Burger King in the world': Fast-food chain on Market Street closes for good

The Burger King at 1200 Market St. in San Francisco closed on Oct. 1, 2019. The Burger King at 1200 Market St. in San Francisco closed on Oct. 1, 2019. Photo: A. Graff Photo: A. Graff Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close 'It's the worst Burger King in the world': Fast-food chain on Market Street closes for good 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

The Burger King on San Francisco's Market Street stopped flipping Whoppers on Tuesday.

Signs on the door said the fast-food restaurant in the Civic Center neighborhood was closed permanently effective Oct. 1.

Paul Little has been a security guard at the San Francisco Public Library across the street for 20 years and has observed the restaurant struggle on the corner of Market and Hyde streets over the years.

"It was the worst Burger King in the world," Little says. "It's the population here. If you go into the Starbucks across the street, they'll tell you the same thing. They've been trying to get it together but I heard there was a time recently when all the employees just got up and left."

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Yelp reviews echo Little's sentiment. "As soon as you walk in, you are assaulted by the sights and sounds of everything that is wrong with the Civic Center area," wrote Philip L. of San Francisco in June 2019. "Homeless people wander in to buy a cup of coffee and sit all day. Bewildered tourists wander in now and then. They get scared and leave the store or brave ones stay and eat."

"Officially the worst place I've ever been to in my life," shared Chris W. of California City. "It smells like someone pissed all over the floor."

A few positive reviews give a nod to the "friendly staff."

To discourage people from lingering and sleeping in front of the restaurant, speakers were installed outside in 2016 and classical music has been blasted at uncomfortable levels.

The restaurant closed temporarily in February 2016 due to health code violations. The hazards listed on the Department of Public Health's inspection report are food intoxication, food infection, disease transmission, vermin infestation, "or hazardous condition that requires immediate correction or cessation of the operation."

The San Francisco-based H Drake Corporation owns the building erected in 1908 at 1200 Market St., according to public record. SFGATE reached out to the privately held company for comment but didn't hear back before publishing this story. We also contacted the owner of the franchise and the Mid Market Community Benefit District and will update the story if we hear back.

Amy Graff is a digital editor at SFGATE. Email her at agraff@sfgate.com.