CARY — An unmistakable Cary icon is closing at the end of this week. The Circus Family Restaurant, the burger joint with a mustard- and ketchup-colored roof, is ending a 44-year run.

Kurt Benrud, the business’s current owner, had only a few seconds to talk amid Wednesday’s lunch rush, but he confirmed that the restaurant would close within days "because the landlord said so."

The building’s owner could not be reached for immediate comment. The restaurant hasn’t announced an exact closing date; the Circus location in Raleigh will remain open.

Condolences and memories poured in within minutes of the restaurant’s closing announcement on Facebook, with more than 60 people commenting in a day.

"My first job was at the Circus! so sad!" wrote Michelle Weston. Others lamented the loss of burgers, dogs and shakes.