What Happened to Lunch Box Laboratory After Food Paradise? (Seattle, WA)

Part 1 — Season 5, Episode 3

On Food Paradise's 'Hamburger Paradise 3' (S5E3), Lunch Box Laboratory was featured for its build-your-own gourmet burger menu, letting diners choose from an extensive list of patties, cheeses, and toppings. According to Westside Seattle, the restaurant began as a burger spot that later relocated to Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood, at 1253 Thomas St. The Google Places record initially associated with the show line pointed to an unrelated Vietnamese restaurant now operating at a different Seattle address; the South Lake Union address above was located separately. A Yelp listing for the 1253 Thomas St location, updated May 2026, is titled 'Lunchbox Laboratory - Closed,' and Yelp listings for the brand's other Seattle-area locations, updated May and June 2026, are likewise marked permanently closed.

Part 2 — Season 11, Episode 8

The "Wild & Wacky" episode featured Lunchbox Laboratory's over-the-top burger menu, built around a mad-scientist "lab" theme with unconventional topping combinations, hand-cut fries and thick milkshakes. The location associated with this record is the South Lake Union restaurant at 1253 Thomas Street, which opened in January 2011 according to Seattle Met; the chain later expanded to Ballard, Green Lake and Bellevue. A Yelp listing for the South Lake Union address, updated May 2026, marks the restaurant permanently closed, and Yelp's listing for the Ballard location, updated June 2026, shows the same. our records' location match for this record pointed to Lil Woody's, an unrelated Capitol Hill burger restaurant; that match was set aside because neither the business name nor the address corresponds to Lunchbox Laboratory.