Today, you can find McDonald’s, Burger King and Taco Bell restaurants everywhere but 50 years ago, the places where we went for quick, value meals were very different. These are the major fast food brands that have now vanished.
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Howard Johnson’s
Starting life as a drugstore in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1925, the first Howard Johnson’s sold ice cream and soda. But it wasn’t any ordinary ice cream – it had double the legally-required minimum amount of fat and was incredibly popular with customers. However, what really put Howard Johnson’s on the map was its range of flavors. There were 28 including butterscotch, fudge ripple, macaroon and pecan brittle. Pictured is a postcard of Howard Johnson’s, circa 1940.
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Howard Johnson’s
Quickly Howard Johnson’s expanded, first to several ice cream stands in Massachusetts, then to franchise across the US. At its peak in the 1960s, there were more than 1,000 locations. Howard made sure each adhered to the “Howard Johnson’s Bible” and they were as uniform as McDonald’s is today, from the colonial architecture to its signature fried clams and frankforts (hot dogs). Pictured is a Howard Johnson’s advert, circa the 1940s.
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Howard Johnson’s
In the end it was the fast food industry that killed Howard Johnson’s, despite the chain being a pioneer. Apart from the ice cream, its food wasn’t great quality, and when McDonald’s and KFC arrived on the scene, they beat the chain in terms of taste and price. Franchises were slowly sold off throughout the 1990s. Now there is one restaurant remaining in Lake George, New York, frequented by those in search of a little nostalgia. Pictured: Howard Johnson’s between Allentown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1960.
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White Tower
The first White Tower, opened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1926, took rather a lot of inspiration from popular burger chain White Castle. It was designed to look like a castle and restaurants were immaculately clean and white – a welcome contrast to the dirty, crowded taverns which were the only other places available to buy an affordable lunch at the time. It was incredibly successful and people stopped by for five-cent hamburgers, 10-cent pie, jelly rolls, marble cake and fruit cocktail. Pictured is a location in Norfolk, Virginia in 1984.
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White Tower
Eventually, White Castle took White Tower to court, ordering the chain to redesign its buildings. White Castle won but the case ended up working in White Tower’s favor. Its modern update coincided with Art Deco’s rise in popularity and at its peak around the 1950s, it had 230 nationwide locations, all situated near train and trolley lines to catch footfall. However, by the 1960s when people favored drive-ins, most White Tower locations didn’t even offer parking spots. Pictured: a re-purposed White Tower in Dayton, Ohio.
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Little Tavern
White Tower wasn’t the only restaurant to be inspired by White Castle. The original Little Taverns had the same tiny castle design building. Opened in Louisville, Kentucky in 1927 by businessman Harry F Duncan, the chain grew to nearly 50 outposts by the 1940s. Famous for its sliders, Little Tavern’s slogan was “Buy ‘em by the bag”, not wholly different to White Castle’s “Buy ‘em by the sack”. Pictured: a gutted Little Tavern in Laurel, Maryland.
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Little Tavern
In the end Little Tavern changed its design to the green-roofed Tudor cottage it’s still famous for today. It was popular for many years but by the 1980s, it was losing market share to more modern fast food companies. Locations slowly closed with the last one disappearing in 2008. You might still spot the little Tudor taverns in towns and cities, re-purposed for new businesses such as Golden Hour Chinese in Bethesda, Maryland (pictured).
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Valle’s Steak House
For a long time Valle’s Steak House was a big player. Founded in 1933, it opened massive restaurants serving lobster and steak on the East Coast. It had highly efficient kitchens, prompt service and quick customer turnover. Pictured: an image of Valle’s Steak House in Portland, Maine, from the 1950s.
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Valle’s Steak House
Dining at Valle’s was a top treat and it became the go-to spot for meetings and celebrations. Its huge restaurants could seat 800 to 1,400 customers and served 1lb sirloin steaks, filet mignon, tenderloin and baked, stuffed or boiled lobster. Pictured: a postcard of Valle’s Steak House in Newton, Massachusetts, from the 1960s.
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Wimpy
These days, the last few remaining Wimpy locations are in Britain but it was established in Bloomington, Indiana in 1934. 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. However, its real success was when it went international in the 1970s. Pictured is a Wimpy on the Isle of Wight, UK.
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Wimpy
The chain was on the decline in the US in the 1970s and eventually the last seven restaurants disappeared when owner Edward Gold died in 1977 and no one purchased the trademark to the Wimpy name. However, across the pond in the UK, the burger joint thrived and lives on today – albeit not as popular as it once was. There are also locations in South Africa, where its headquarters are based. Pictured is a Wimpy franchise in South Africa.
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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 45 cents. It also invented the Fun Meal, a similar concept to the McDonald’s Happy Meal. Quickly the chain franchised into different states. Pictured: an old Burger Chef sign in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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Burger Chef
At its peak in the early 1970s, Burger Chef had 1,200 locations and was only surpassed by McDonald’s. Its signature items were the Big Shef, a double burger, and the Super Shef, a 1/4lb hamburger. Customers went to the Works Bar to add their own toppings. Kids bought the Fun Meal for stories about its mascots Burger Chef and Jeff. Pictured: a Burger Chef in North Dixie, Ohio in 1962.
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Burger Chef
But one fateful night in 1978, a Burger Chef restaurant in Speedway, Indiana was the scene of the murder of four young employees. In a case that’s still unsolved, the victims were discovered kidnapped and killed in what was possibly a failed robbery. The incident hurt the business and in 1982, Hardee’s bought the Burger Chef name and closed its final restaurant a few years later. Pictured is a group of Northridge Alumni eating in a Burger Chef in 1963.
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Henry’s Hamburgers
In 1954, watching the success of other fast food chains, the owners of Bresler’s Ice Cream decided it wanted to open a drive-in burger joint. Menu favorites included chili dogs, fish sandwiches, deep-fried shrimp and crispy catfish. Pictured: the sign for the last Henry’s Hamburgers in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
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Henry’s Hamburgers
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. An inability to diversify the menu or keep up with the advertising campaigns of competitors such as McDonald’s and Burger King is blamed. Now only one franchise remains in Benton Harbor, Michigan (pictured).
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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 35 cents, as well as fried seafood, hot roast beef sandwiches and so-called “Submarine” sandwiches. Another unique selling point was its international beer selection including beverages from Japan, Denmark, Mexico, Ireland, Germany and the Philippines. Pictured: Lum’s in Fort Lauderdale in 1966.
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Lum’s
Quickly, Lum’s expanded across Florida, then nationally. So how did it plummet from 450 locations to bankruptcy? The Perlman brothers saved enough money to purchase Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for around $60 million in 1969, so decided it was time to sell Lum’s on. The owner of KFC bought it, but while KFC flourished, Lum’s struggled. After changing hands again, Lum’s filed for bankruptcy in 1982. One location in Bellevue, Nebraska held on but eventually shuttered in 2017. Pictured: a shell of an old Lum’s in Collins Avenue, Miami Beach.
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Pup ‘N’ Taco
The first orange-roofed Pup ‘N’ Taco opened in Pasadena, California in 1965. It sold tacos, tostadas, pastrami sandwiches, burgers and fries, as well as cola, root beer and slushies. Owner Russell Wendell is said to have designed many of its buildings himself. Pictured: one of the last outposts to shut in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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Pup ‘N’ Taco
The business expanded across California and it grew to just over 100 stores. However, in 1984, Taco Bell bought the majority of its locations, leaving just three in operation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The remaining locations changed their names to Pop ‘N’ Taco (pictured) and two continued into the 2010s.
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Sandy’s
Scottish-themed Sandy’s began when the owners of a McDonald’s franchise were told they couldn’t open up shop in Peoria, Illinois. They had already invested in the location and constructed the building, so founded a new restaurant there called Sandy’s, in 1958. It sold 15-cent hamburgers, 20-cent milkshakes and 10-cent fries. Pictured is a re-purposed Sandy’s in Topeka, Kansas – notice its Scottish plaid paneling.
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Sandy’s
Growing from seven stores in Illinois in 1959 to 240 stores by 1972, Sandy’s weathered an ongoing lawsuit from Ray Kroc at McDonald’s. But with only one bank to borrow from in Kewanee, Illinois, where its headquarters were, Sandy’s couldn’t finance expansion and in the 1970s agreed to be taken over by Hardee’s. Franchises were given a choice of keeping the name Sandy’s. This restaurant, pictured, in Great Falls Montana did until 1979, before changing to Zandy’s. It’s now also shuttered.
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Red Barn
Remember the TV jingle: “When the hungries hit / When the hungries hit / Hit the Red Barn”? Founded in Ohio in 1961, Red Barn peaked at around 400 restaurants across 22 states plus Canada and Australia, and 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. Pictured is a Red Barn on Route 67, Texarkana, Arkansas, in 1979.
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Red Barn
Eventually overwhelmed by McDonald’s and Burger King’s never-ending funds, as well as newcomers such as Wendy’s, Red Barn was bought out. The last Red Barn closed in the late 1980s with all stores put to other uses – many of them became McDonald’s. Pictured: a re-purposed Red Barn in Ontario, Canada.
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Pioneer Chicken
Bright orange, deep-fried chicken served in restaurants around California is what Pioneer Chicken is remembered for. Founded in 1962, its peak was in the 1970s when its infamous signposts depicting a chicken wagon driven by Pioneer Pete were all over the Golden State. Pictured: an old Pioneer Chicken sign in Los Angeles, California.
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Pioneer Chicken
Despite its advertising campaigns including one featuring OJ Simpson in the 1980s, Pioneer Chicken was going bankrupt. It couldn’t take the competition from KFC and Church’s Chicken. In 1993 it sold to Popeyes’ parent company who converted most of its stores to Popeyes restaurants. However, two Pioneer Chicken restaurants remain today, located in Boyle Heights and Bell Gardens, Los Angeles. Pictured: a Pioneer Chicken advert from 1969.
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Arthur Treacher’s
In the 1969, Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips hit the fast food scene. Despite its British branding, it was founded in Columbus, Ohio and rapidly expanded across the country. At its peak it had 826 locations. Pictured is one of few still-open Arthur Treacher’s locations in Austintown, Ohio.
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Arthur Treacher’s
However, just as fast as its growth was its decline. During the so-called Cod Wars, Iceland imposed a fishing limit on its waters so cod prices skyrocketed. In 1979, Arthur Treacher’s was sold and throughout the 1980s it shuttered hundreds of its locations. Now only a few remain, in Ohio. Pictured: a signpost outside a still-open Arthur Treacher’s in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
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Chi-Chi’s
Serving Tex-Mex food, Chi-Chi’s was launched in downtown Minneapolis in 1975 by former American football star Max McGee and restaurateur Marno McDermit. It served salsa, nachos, chimichangas and spicy American food. The timing was perfect as Mexican was becoming more popular in the US. Pictured: a shuttered Chi-Chi’s in Alexandria, Virginia.
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Chi-Chi’s
The downfall of Chi-Chi’s began with increased competition and by 2002, it had gone from 237 to 144 locations. But what marked the beginning of the end was a hepatitis A outbreak as a result of tainted onions, at a restaurant near Pittsburgh in 2003. It sickened hundreds and the brand couldn’t survive in the US, but there are still Chi-Chi’s franchises in Europe, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Pictured is Chi-Chi’s in Luxembourg.
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Kenny Rogers Roasters
Founded by country singer Kenny Rogers and former KFC owner and governor of Kentucky John Y. Brown Jr, Kenny Rogers Roasters served wood-fired rotisserie chicken. The chain expanded all over America, helped by an episode of Seinfeld in which one character became addicted to the food. Pictured: the first Kenny Rogers Roasters in Coral Springs, Florida.
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Kenny Rogers Roasters
Success in the US ran out for the chain during the late 1990s. But good fortune struck again in 2008, when it was purchased by a Malaysian company. It’s now having a second wind of sorts in Asia. Pictured is a Kenny Rogers Roasters in an SM Clark Mall, Philippines.