Science teacher Neal Jarvis grew up going to Fuddruckers. When he was younger, there were even butchered cows hanging in the window where the chefs would carve out meat to make hamburgers. Once he heard Fuddruckers was leaving Annandale, he thought back to all of his memories at the restaurant.

“When you think of Annandale, it’s the one restaurant with the perfect location; all roads meet up there,” Jarvis said. “We always go there after early swim meets.”

Now, Jarvis will have to think of a new location to take his swim team. He said that the Herndon team faced a similar dilemma last year when the Herndon Fuddruckers closed.

“I’ve never had to face this before,” Jarvis said. “I know Herndon was devastated when it happened to them.”

According to the Annandale Patch, Fuddruckers will close by the end of the year when its lease expires. A Walgreens will take the place of the family-style restaurant. Despite several attempts, The A-Blast has been unable to reach Fuddruckers. The community is still confused about whether Fuddruckers chose not to renew the lease or if the restaurant is being forced out.

For many people in the AHS community, Fuddruckers, or “Fudds” as it is fondly referred to, is a staple family-style restaurant. Some were shocked at the idea it would no longer be there as a social hang-out.

“It’s pretty upsetting, I’ve been there a lot,” senior Diego Cornejo said. “It was a traditional place to celebrate. What is everyone going to do?”

Cornejo would often go to Fuddruckers to celebrate after marching band competitions. Although some are upset about losing the social hotspot, others are concerned about losing one of the most popular fundraising venues for the school.

“I feel devastated, they played such a big role at AHS,” senior Annette Janwatan said. As President of the Class of 2012, Janwatan organized a fundraiser there. Although she said that it was sometimes difficult to organize the fundraiser alone, she claimed that the people at Fuddruckers were always nice and helpful.

Other student leaders are feeling similar emotions about the loss of the institution. The Science National Honor Society has used Fuddruckers as a venue to host multiple events. it was even the location of the dates for their recent Date for a Cure.

“I feel really bad for the underclassmen. Fundraisers are always there and there’s always a large crowd,” SNHS President Jiyeoung Park said. She feels that whoever takes her place next year will have to find a new place for students to gather.

Keep checking back for updates as the story develops.