Via @the_marce_lin TikTok/@houlihans__ TikTok
In life it is a lot rare to encounter somewhere it has been really-and suddenly—abandoned.
Most of the time, any empty building you see is simply the result of slow-moving, easily explainable factors. A business starts losing money and eventually goes out of business; a fault in the building means it is no longer fit for habitation, but it is also too expensive to repair.
Occasionally though urban researchers will come across a place that appears to have been abandoned in a matter of minutes. These have an eerie, haunted feel: food left half-eaten, flowers rotting in vases, and wall photos fading into pale imitations of their former selves.
One would expect to see something like this in a ghost town in Colorado. But what’s a place like this doing in downtown Secaucus, New Jersey?
Why was this restaurant abandoned?
In a video with over 1.9 million views, TikTok user Marce Lin (@the_marce_lin) explains how she and her sister decided to visit “the abandoned Houlihans at Harmon Meadows in Secaucus.”
The video starts with the couple looking into the window of the restaurant. Numerous plates and cups are on the tables, many of them still containing food and drink.
“There’s literally mold on it,” one of the women says, looking at the food on the table.
The couple then displays a sign on the window. It is an eviction order dated February 24, 2026. After this, one of them asks a question about the roof. This is a clue as to why this restaurant was abandoned in the first place.
In an email to BroBible, Scott Marshall, COO of Houlihan’s wrote, “Due to a partial roof collapse as a result of accumulated snowfall, we are currently closed. Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of our employees and guests, the building was immediately evacuated. The facility remains unsafe for occupancy and we will not be updating at this time with any additional information available.”
From busy restaurant to abandoned eatery
According to ABC7the reason the restaurant was initially abandoned was due to a significant snowfall.
On February 24, 2026, the snow that piled up on top of the restaurant caused its roof to collapse. Although the roof didn’t completely collapse, it buckled enough that the city building inspector declared the building closed until further notice. Building management was put in charge of managing repairs.
Lin’s video was posted in late May. In the weeks since, there seem to have been few updates – although it looks like changes are on the way.
On June 10, 2026, New Jersey photographer Alex Fagioli made a Instagram posts containing photos of the Houlihans, he says, were taken on June 8. These photos show the interior of the restaurant; while still describing the diner as “abandoned”, he notes that at some point between Lin’s video and his photographs, they cleared the tables of the food and drinks shown in Lin’s video.
In addition, the “careers” section of Houlihan’s website directs visitors to another side where several positions are listed for the Secaucus location. For now Houlihan’s website still lists this specific restaurant as “temporarily closed.”
Diners are freaking out
In the comments section of Lin’s video, users expressed their surprise and shock at the decision to simply leave the restaurant as it apparently was the day it closed.
“It’s crazy they didn’t even clean it up,” one user wrote.
“A collapsing roof is a hazard,” said another. “No one goes in there to clean up plates of food knowing the roof might come down on them.”
“The kitchen must be a nightmare now,” shared a third.
BroBible contacted Lin via email and direct message on Instagram.
