Hayden Burger King to be demolished to make way for Panera Bread

HAYDEN — The Hayden Burger King has flame-broiled its final burger.

Late last week, store No. 11075, located at the corner of U.S. Highway 95 and Prairie Avenue, closed its doors for good.

"Yes, it has officially closed in preparation for a new Panera Bread that will replace the Burger King," said Ryan Nipp of Parkwood Business Properties, the real estate development and property firm that manages Prairie Shopping Center in Hayden. "The existing facility will be demolished and Panera Bread will have a new facility in its place."

According to discussions on social media, the closure of the store came as a surprise to some of its employees. Some feel the store just closed "overnight" and "with little warning."

A Prairie Shopping Center business owner said it wasn't much of a surprise; she heard rumors that Burger King was closing as far back as November.

"I heard a couple months ago that their lease was up and they're closing and Panera Bread was going in there," said Michele Carhart of The Local Deli. "Maybe some of the employees knew, maybe some didn't."

Local Deli employee Rachel LaRue is friends with a Post Falls Burger King employee who she said expressed concern over Hayden's closure.

"She's worried about losing her job," LaRue said. "She doesn't know if she needs to look for a new one."

Burger King is dark, the signs have been removed and the drive-through has been dismantled. Craig Hampton, supervisor of employment services in the Kootenai County office of the Idaho Department of Labor, said it's not unheard-of for businesses to close seemingly overnight.

"It doesn't happen a lot," he said. "I can't recall the last time a business just up and shut its doors. I know it has happened, I just can't recall the last time that it did happen."

He said if employees have yet to be paid and they are unemployed by no fault of their own, they have a right to file a claim for unemployment insurance. He said in any case similar to this, factors such as length of time with the company, earnings and availability to seek work elsewhere all come into play, "but they certainly have a right to file a claim."

"My advice would be not to delay and to immedately start looking for another job," Hampton said. "We have a lot of businesses that are hiring right now."

He said he found about 1,200 different job openings within 10 miles of Post Falls, where the Department of Labor is located.

"There are a lot of great opportunities," he said. "If you find yourself out of a job, yes, it can cause some stress and uncertainty, but businesses are hiring all over the place. A number of tremendous opportunities are available. This might be a blessing in disguise for some people who might go on to a better opportunity, because they are out there."

According to the National Franchisee Association's 2012 publication, the Burger King stores in Post Falls, Hayden and Coeur d'Alene are run by RU Hungry LLC, which is based in Visalia, Calif. The Idaho Secretary of State lists the owner as Gary Geiger, also of Visalia. Geiger was not immediately available for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Calls to Burger King's corporate offices were not returned Tuesday.

Nipp said construction will begin this spring and the new Panera Bread should be open by August or September. Panera Bread is a bakery-café that offers fresh-baked breads, pastries, sandwiches, soups, salads and more.