Do you remember McDonald’s before Ronald McDonald? Was Arthur Treacher’s still a hit when you were a kid? From the 1940s to the 2000s, we take a look at what fast food brands were taking off (and which ones were not) in every decade when you were growing up.
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1930s: Valle’s Steak House
Though it hasn’t existed since the 1990s, for a long time Valle’s Steak House was a big player. It began in 1933, as a small café in Portland, Maine, but grew to 32 restaurants across the East Coast. They seated between 800 and 1,400 customers and served steak and lobster – an operation made possible thanks to efficient kitchens, prompt service and quick customer turnover. Pictured is a Valle’s in Portland, Maine, in the 1950s.
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1930s: Wimpy
These days, the last few remaining Wimpy locations are in Britain, but it was established in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1934 as Wimpy Grills. Named after J Wellington Wimpy from the Popeye cartoon, the burger and fries joint expanded to Chicago in 1936 and had 26 stores across six states at its peak. It achieved international success in the 1970s but started to decline in the US around this time. Pictured is a branch in Chicago, Illinois, in 1958.
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1940s: Dairy Queen
This was the decade America fell in love with Dairy Queen and its soft serve ice cream. Invented by John Fremont McCullough and his son Alex, it was an instant hit when they held a tasting afternoon in Kankakee, Illinois, so they opened a store in neighboring Joliet in 1940. It got its name as the duo referred to cows as “the queen of the dairy business”. Soon more stores were added, and it became a small town staple. Pictured is a Dairy Queen in New Drop, New Jersey, in 1952.
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1940s: McDonald’s
The first McDonald’s, opened by the McDonald brothers in San Bernardino, California, in 1940, was nothing like its restaurants today. It was a drive-in with carhops and the menu included sandwiches such as peanut butter and jelly and melted cheese. It streamlined operations and cut the menu down to nine items including a 15c hamburger, shakes and fries in 1948 (pictured) and a few years later began franchising its concept.
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1940s: Chick-fil-A
The first restaurant opened by Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy was The Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Atlanta, in 1946 (pictured). The restaurant was so popular the businessman opened a second called Chick-fil-A in Greenbriar Mall, Atlanta, which served the famous chicken sandwich with two pickles on a toasted butter bun we know and love today. After that, more restaurants were opened in shopping malls – though it wasn’t until 1994 it opened standalone venues.
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1940s: In-N-Out Burger
One of the first drive-thru restaurants was In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles in 1948. It had a two-way speaker box so customers could order from their car. Though the chain has expanded, its menu has barely changed and consists of burgers, fries, grilled cheese, milkshakes and soft drinks. Pictured is a vintage photo of one of its old California locations.
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1950s: KFC
Chicken lovers all over the world swear by KFC’s secret blend of 11 herbs and spices. It was at a roadside motel in Corbin, Kentucky, in the 1930s, Colonel Harland Sanders started perfecting the recipe. By 1952 it was ready and the first franchise opened in Salt Lake City, Utah (pictured). The chain hasn’t looked back, and you can visit these first two spots which are still open today.
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1950s: Burger King
Did you know the home of the Whopper wasn’t always called Burger King? When it first opened in Miami, Florida, in the early-1950s it was called Insta-Burger King (pictured) named after the Insta-Broilers used to cook its burgers speedily. It started franchising in 1954, upgraded its cooking equipment to flame-broilers and the name change eventually followed.
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1950s: Burger Chef
Established in the 1950s by brothers Frank and Donald Thomas, who patented the flame broiler, Burger Chef was McDonald’s’ first real competitor. Operating from Indianapolis, it pioneered selling a hamburger, fries and a drink as a complete meal for 45c. It also invented the Fun Meal, a similar concept to the McDonald’s Happy Meal. Quickly the chain franchised into different states, but the last location closed in 1996. Pictured is a Burger Chef in North Dixie, Ohio, in 1962.
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1950s: Henry’s Hamburgers
In 1954, watching the success of other fast food chains, the owners of Bresler’s Ice Cream decided they wanted to open a drive-in burger joint. Menu favorites included chili dogs, fish sandwiches, deep-fried shrimp and crispy catfish. By the 1960s there were more than 200 restaurants nationwide – more than McDonald’s at the time. However, in the mid-1970s they slowly started to close. Pictured is the last Henry’s Hamburgers in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
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1950s: Dunkin’ Donuts
Donuts may not be your first thought when it comes to fast food, but the iconic coffee and bakery chain was the bright idea of the 1950s. Its first post was in Quincy, Massachusetts (pictured), that for a little while was called Open Kettle before its name was changed to the more catchy Dunkin’ Donuts. In 1955 it started franchising and now there are more than 12,500 stores worldwide.
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1950s: White Tower
No longer around today, during the 1950s White Tower was all the rage. Opened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1926, it was almost an exact replica of White Castle. Its restaurants looked like castles and it sold 5c hamburgers. Then, when White Castle took White Tower to court and ordered it to redesign its buildings, its new Art Deco look boosted its popularity further. Pictured is a White Tower in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1957.
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1950s: Pizza Hut
Still adored today, Pizza Hut was founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 1958, set up by two college-aged brothers who borrowed $600 from their mother. They started in a 500-square-foot (46sqm) building (pictured) and called it Pizza Hut as that’s all there was space for on the sign. On the opening day a large pizza cost $1.50. People loved it and it can now be found in over 100 countries.
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1950s: Lum’s
Known for its beer-steamed hot dogs, Lum’s was opened in 1956 by lawyer and entrepreneur Cliff Perlman and his brother. The 16-seat diner in Miami Beach sold its star menu item for 35c as well as fried seafood, hot roast beef sandwiches and subs. Quickly, Lum’s expanded across Florida, then nationally, however, the company went bankrupt in 1982 and the chain largely vanished – the last location to survive in Bellevue, Nebraska finally closed in 2017. Pictured is Lum’s in Fort Lauderdale in 1966.
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1960s: Howard Johnson
The 1960s was the heyday of Howard Johnson, when it was the largest restaurant chain in the US known for 28 ice cream flavors, fried clams and hot dogs. It started out in Quincy, Massachusetts, but expanded all across the US. These days all its venues are shut, the last closed in 2017. Pictured is an outpost between Allentown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1960.
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1960s: Red Barn
Remember the TV jingle: “When the hungries hit, hit the Red Barn?” Founded in Ohio in 1961, Red Barn was a solid competitor to the bigger players. Menu innovations such as the fish sandwich, salad bar and Big Barney (similar to a Big Mac) pre-dated many of the McDonald’s items. It had 400 restaurants across 22 states at its peak. Pictured is a Red Barn on Route 67, Texarkana, Arkansas, in 1979.
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1960s: Taco Bell
Glen Bell already had two businesses in San Bernardino, Bell’s Drive-In and Taco-Tia. However, in 1962 he sold his shares to open Taco Bell in Downey, California. It served tacos made with crunchy, pre-formed taco shells, so it could sell high volumes to customers quickly. By 1967 the chain had reached 100 restaurants. Pictured is one of its earliest.
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1960s: Pioneer Chicken
Bright orange, deep-fried chicken is what everyone went to Pioneer Chicken for in the 1960s. Founded in Echo Park, Los Angeles, California, in 1961, at one point you could spot its signposts which depicted a chicken wagon driven by Pioneer Pete all over the Golden State (pictured). Nowadays, just two remain.
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1960s: Tim Hortons
When Canada’s favorite coffee chain first opened in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1964, it was called Tim Horton Donuts and had a blue and white sign. It sold coffee for 10c, apple fritters and dutchies (square donuts). Quickly it grew a legion of followers and the term it used for a coffee with two creams and two sugars, a double-double, has even been added to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary.
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1960s: Subway
This was the decade we began our love affair with Subway and its submarine sandwiches. It was founded by Peter Buck and high school graduate Fred DeLuca in 1965, and the average cost of a sub was 49c. Initially the pair called it Pete’s Super Submarines, but in 1968 it changed its name to Subway (pictured).
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1970s: Arthur Treacher’s
You don’t find many around today (there are a handful left in northeast Ohio), but in the 1970s Arthur Treacher’s was king. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969 and rapidly expanded peaking at around 826 locations. Anywhere you could get a burger, but only at Arthur Treacher’s could you get traditional British fish and chips. However, the following decade the Cod Wars and the sharp increase in cod prices saw its demise. Pictured is a branch in its golden age.
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1970s: Wendy’s
The third biggest burger chain in the US took off in the 1970s, opened in 1969 by high school dropout Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. It was known for its fresh beef square patties, Frosty desserts and drive-thru pick-up windows (pictured). By the end of the decade, it had grown to 1,000 restaurants and continued expanding from there.
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1970s: Popeyes
When Popeyes first opened in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1972, it didn’t have instant success. Initially called Chicken on the Run, it wasn’t until it rebranded to Popeyes and started selling spicy, New Orleans-style chicken the brand took off and was able to start franchising in 1976. In fact, its crispy, golden chicken is now so popular, it was found in a $13 chicken and waffles dish in a neighboring restaurant.
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1970s: Chi-Chi’s
This popular 1970s Tex-Mex chain was launched in downtown Minneapolis in 1975 by former American football star Max McGee and restaurateur Marno McDermit. It served chimichangas, nachos and salsa, and the timing was perfect as Mexican cuisine was becoming mainstream. However, it began to struggle in the 2000s due to increased competition and a hepatitis A outbreak. Now existing franchises can only be found outside the US.
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1980s: Jimmy John’s
It was the year McDonald’s introduced the McNugget and Jimmy John’s joined the world. In 1983 graduate Jimmy John Liautaud (pictured) was given a choice by his father: join the military or start a business. He chose the latter and set up shop in Charleston, Illinois, with four sandwiches made with bread baked in his mom’s kitchen – the Pepe (ham and provolone) is still a favorite today. The gourmet sandwich chain took off and has now reached 2,800 locations in 43 states.
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1980s: Five Guys
This global chain began as a family business in Arlington County, Virginia, in 1986 (pictured is the first location). It was opened by Jerry and Janie Murrell, plus their five sons, hence the name Five Guys. It sold fresh beef burgers with customizable toppings and fresh-cut fries cooked in peanut oil. Over the next 15 years, it expanded to five locations around the DC metro area and by the 2000s was franchising nationwide.
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1990s: Kenny Rogers Roasters
Founded by country singer Kenny Rogers and former KFC CEO and governor of Kentucky John Y. Brown Jr in Coral Springs, Florida, in 1991 (pictured), Kenny Rogers Roasters served wood-fired rotisserie chicken. The chain expanded all over America, helped by an episode of Seinfeld centered around a fictional branch, however, success in the US ran out for the chain during the late 1990s.
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