Mooyah Burgers Leaves Joliet After 10 Years In Community

JOLIET ? If the idea crossed your mind about driving over to 2611 W. Jefferson St. to purchase a burger, fries and a milk shake at the Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes, you better not make the drive this weekend. Your days and nights of eating at Mooyah Burgers are history.

After being in business for 10 years in Joliet, Mooyah has pulled the plug on the city of Joliet, leaving the third-largest city in Illinois. The last time Joliet Patch wrote about Moohah Burgers was during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. At that time, the manager told Joliet Patch there were 77 restaurants in the U.S. and eight in international locations, but Joliet was the only one in Illinois.

Sure enough, there are now no Mooyah Burger restaurants remaining in Illinois, according to the company's website. If you are willing to drive to Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio or Tennessee, those are probably the closest states with Mooyah Burgers still open.

On Joliet's West Jefferson Street, there was a giant padlock on the entrance door Friday afternoon for the shuttered Mooyah to keep people away. Oddly enough, the blinking "OPEN" sign was still functioning, giving people the false impression that Mooyah was still serving up delicious hamburgers when that is no longer the case.

Meanwhile, Mooyah has already taken down its Mooyah Burgers Fries Shakes sign on top of the restaurant building. Also, the Mooyah advertising sign has been covered up in the shopping center plaza, anchored by the ALDI grocery store.

Mooyah shared space in the same brick building as the Potbelly and Chipotle Mexican Grill fast-food restaurants.

Potbelly and Chipotle were both open and remained busy Friday.

As for the future of the empty restaurant in the middle of them, that remains unclear.