If there’s one thing America is known for, it’s that fast food is king. From McDonald’s to Wendy’s and Burger King, you can’t drive a mile down any US highway without passing one at least one of them. While these may be our most beloved go-to fast food fixes today, they were far from the first.
Back in the 1950s, fast food joints thrived. They served hamburgers for 15 cents, plus greasy french fries and handspun milkshakes – typically as drive-ins. The industry has changed greatly over the years, but you’ll almost definitely remember some of these classic fast food chains that sadly no longer exist.
1. Henry’s Hamburgers
Year Founded: 1954
Number of Stores at Peak: 200
Last Store Closed: N/A
Henry’s Hamburgers thrived for three decades during America’s fast food boom. They were front runners with McDonald’s. In fact, the restaurant and its operations were modeled after the successful Southern California chain. Henry’s Hamburgers was opened in Chicago, Illinois when Bresler’s Ice Cream wanted in on the fast-food industry and decided to expand.
Henry’s Hamburgers ©Beached Bum / Wikipedia.orgThe chain’s main strength was that they could sell hamburgers for just 15 cents, which means you could feed a family of six for just under a dollar. The last and only remaining Henry’s Hamburgers location sits in Chicago and still welcomes guests.
2. Burger Chef
Year Founded: 1954
Number of Stores at Peak: 1,200
Last Store Closed: 1996
Do you remember the childhood excitement of getting a toy in your meal when your family ordered some fast food? You may not remember this, but the very first restaurant to include kids’ toys in their meals was the one and only Burger Chef. In fact, the chain even sued (unsuccessfully) McDonald’s once they started including toys in Happy Meals.
Burger Chef @U.P. Michigan / Facebook.comThe American food chain started out in Indianapolis, Indiana serving hamburgers, fries and milkshakes. The peak of their life was during the 1970s. However, when the chain was sold in 1982, many stores started to close because they refused to change their brand.
3. Bob’s Big Boy
Year Founded: 1936
Number of Stores at Peak: 240+
Last Store Closed: 5 locations left
Bob’s Big Boy was a restaurant chain that was founded in Southern California in 1926. The chain was originally called “Bob’s Pantry.” Now, the chain is defunct, but the parent company, Bob’s Big Boy Restaurant Group, is still around. Only five Big Boy restaurants exist today.
Bob’s Big Boy ©Junkyardsparkle/Wikimedia CommonsThe company had some pretty serious publicity problems. In Los Angeles, the West LA La Cienega location was the site of one of the worst crimes of 1980, when robbers forced eleven people into the freezer, killing three and stealing $1,700. Ten years later, there would be another murder at the Playa del Rey location.
4. Chi-Chi’s
Year Founded: 1974
Number of Stores at Peak: 210
Last Store Closed: 2004
Chi-Chi’s is a chain of Mexican restaurants owned by Hormel. While Chi-Chi’s is still open in Austria, the U.A.E., and Kuwait, it has closed down in America. It went defunct in 2004. The company’s last owner in America was Prandium, and it went out of business, closing down 210 locations, as a result of bankruptcy.
Chi-Chi’s @Mashed/Twitter.comBut bankruptcy was not the only reason that Chi-Chi’s was unable to survive. In 2003, just one month after it declared bankruptcy, Chi-Chi’s had the largest Hepatitis A outbreak in the history of the U.S. There were four deaths and 660 infections in total, causing millions in lawsuits from which Chi-Chi’s could not recover.
5. Hot Sam Pretzels
Year Founded: 1966
Number of Stores at Peak: Unknown
Last Store Closed: 1995
If you grew up in the 70s or 80s, and you had an affinity for giant soft pretzels with hot mustard, there’s a good chance you would have visited a Hot Sam Pretzels location or two at some point growing up. Detroit’s Livonia Mall was the home of the first Hot Sam’s, but the company didn’t stay put for long. Soon enough, there were Hot Sam Pretzels locations in malls nationwide.
Hot Sam Pretzels ©u/KaleBrecht/Reddit | @kenallgood9/PinterestThe pretzel company was sold to General Host in 1971, then again to Mrs. Fields in 1995 (yes, the cookie lady). This meant Mrs. Fields’ mall locations were selling fresh baked cookies and pretzels, and Hot Sam Pretzels were no longer leaving customers with thirsts to quench.
6. Howard Johnson’s
Year Founded: 1925
Number of Stores at Peak: 400
Last Store Closed: 2017
Howard Johnson’s was one of the first fast food restaurants to offer dine-in service. The chain started out as a single soda stand in Quincy, Massachusetts. Following the Great Depression, a second location kicked off an entire franchise – one of America’s first franchises ever, in fact.
Howard Johnson’s @FansOfGloryDays / Facebook.comIn 1954, the restaurant decided to try its hand in the hotel industry. They transformed their restaurants into motor lodges for those on long road trips and looking for an affordable place to stay. While the last restaurant closed in 2017, the motor lodges are still open and owned by Wyndham.
7. Weenie Beenie
Year Founded: 1950
Number of Stores at Peak: 6
Last Store Closed: N/A (1 left)
The Foo Fighters’ song, “Weenie Beenie,” was named after this restaurant chain. Dave Grohl, the frontman of the band, lived in the area where the Weenie Beenie was located, and he based his song on that experience. Weenie Beenie was a chain of fast-food restaurants that sold half-smokes, pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, and soft drinks.
Weenie Beenie ©Wikimedia.orgBill and Carl Staton founded the chain in 1950 in Arlington, VA. Staton used money that he had accumulated from his pool-playing days to fund the restaurants. At its peak, Weenie Beenie had six restaurants. Only one, located in Arlington’s Shirlington section, remains to this day.
8. Minnie Pearl’s Chicken
Year Founded: 1960
Number of Stores at Peak: 567
Last Store Closed: 1968
Minnie Pearl’s Chicken was named after Minnie Pearl, a country comedian born Sarah Ophelia Cannon. Interestingly, she had exactly nothing to do with the restaurant other than lending it her name. The restaurant opened to compete with Kentucky Fried Chicken, and flourished nationwide during its early years
Minnie Pearl’s Chicken @marcacito/MySpaceWithin a short period of time, over 500 locations had been opened and franchised. However, KFC had a leg up and outshined in the competition. In 1968 the owners were forced to show their earnings and investors were shocked to discover themselves $1.2 million in the hole.
9. Carrol’s
Year Founded: 1960
Number of Stores at Peak: Unknown
Last Store Closed: 1980
Carrol’s was an American fast food chain that was easily identified from its yellow slug mascot. The mascot later changed to a little blonde boy sporting a Fedora. The company began franchising once Herb Slotnick bought the rights. He saw potential in the hastiness and efficiency of cooking 15-cent hamburgers.
Carrol’s @berksnostalgia / Twitter.comWhile all of the Carrol’s locations closed, the holding company saw Burger King and jumped on the opportunity to start franchising and own locations. The company now owns over a thousand locations of Burger King and even some Popeye’s locations. The brand name Carrol’s was retired in 2012 and changed to Hesburger.
10. Royal Castle
Year Founded: 1938
Number of Stores at Peak: 175
Last Store Closed: Present
Royal Castle’s first location was in Miami, Florida. It primarily served hamburgers and rootbeer, not dissimilar from the similarly-named White Castle chain. Along with lunch and dinner, Royal Castle also offered a breakfast menu which included its beloved freshly squeezed orange juice.
Royal Castle in New Orleans @Carol Frey / Pinterest.comWhile Royal Castle had locations in Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, and Ohio, its reign didn’t last long. They were bought by Performance Systems in 1969, followed by steady yearly losses as it failed to compete with McDonald’s.