Marina Nazario contributed to an earlier version of this post. Here are vintage photos of fast food restaurants that give us retro nostalgia, yet remind us how far our favorite brands have come. xhr.send(payload); Yes, the Enchirito, the enchilada-burrito combination, was in Taco Bells all over in 1970, making the decade the chain's most successful. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. But back in the 1950s, the now ubiquitous chain was just starting to take off, and people everywhere finally got a taste of what a fast food burger experience looked like. Just any place where wheeling Californians stop for a bite to eat and drink. Perhaps the most unsurprising item on this list is McDonald's. } Former McDonalds franchisee Jack Penrod founded the chain in December 1975 in Boca Raton, Florida. Today, there are thousands of fast food chains around the world, serving billions of people every year. By 1980, company sales were up 15%! If you've ever found yourself in need of a caffeine boost and quick, you've probably dashed to the nearest Starbucks a few times (or every day, no judgement!). But it was a roll of the dice if the concept would work when it was founded as Pete's Subway back in 1965. Erica is a cleaning and home dcor expert. Getty Images. The Next Door restaurant with a red, white and blue Revolutionary War decor features a variety of high-quality, quarter-pound hamburgers. So, it's not surprising that throughout the decade that followed, Wendy's gained a huge new surplus of followers. White Castle was there long, long before Harold and Kumar headed there on that fateful, wacky night. Steak and Ale; Two Pesos; Wag's; Wetson's; White Tower Hamburgers one location remains in Toledo, Ohio [citation needed] With just 25 seats, the first restaurant was rather small. According to a previous article by Business Insider, customers will have pickup options like lockers and even be able to have their orders delivered to their car via conveyor belts. Craving a waffle (or any other breakfast delight) at 3 a.m.? Originally called Petes Super Submarines, the sandwich shop was renamed Subway in 1968. Burger King proper would open in 1954. Dont want a footlong? Although McDonald's continued to dominate the fast food market financially, no chain earned the wide acclaim in the 1980s that Burger King enjoyed. document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', function() { 2023 Galvanized Media. WELCOME HOME, FISH & CHIPS (1970) Vintage ad from the Chula Vista Star-News (California) June 14, 1970 Arthur Treacher brings All-American dish back to its birthplace, At its beginning, Dominos was called DomiNicks. However, as Taste of Home reports, it wasn't until 1964 that Hardee's was all anyone could talk about. It had a separate grill for quick service. Specifically, it really took off in the 1970s, as it had already expanded to 673 locations by 1975. It was originally marketed as a take-out joint, but later had some seating. America Runs on Dunkin', but that wasnt always the case. The package described them as that last little extra-crispy fry that people fight for. In the US, McDonald's has also taken measures to protect customers, such as limiting the number of customers eating inside, requiring all employees and patrons to wear PPE, and frequently cleaning all surfaces. Aside from one location in Nebraska that closed in 2017, all other Lum's had closed by 1983. But the chain's early days really saw a ton of growth, and for a year at least, it was the most popular joint around. Pizza! RELATED:We Tried Every Burger at Burger King & This Is the Best. It was unique thanks to its square hamburger patties and the introduction of a salad bar in 1979. In its heyday, the chain had more than 1,000 locations, which served fried clams and a whopping 28 ice cream flavors. California is more than a state its a way of life! A quarter century ago, Genevieve Callahan said it in her California Cook Book, one of the first and best of many books on the so-called California lifestyle. They catered to young affluent people who were part of the emerging California car culture. Additionally, it had only recently expanded to 50 locations all over California in 1988, so it's no wonder people were obsessed with In-N-Out by 1989, and if that's your birth year, and especially if you were born near or in California, it was likely all anyone could talk about. Hardees is hot again todaythanks to trendy new menu items like these. Oldest fast food establishments KFC. Heres the most popular Chick-fil-A menu item right now. RELATED: The easy way to make healthier comfort foods. The restaurant chain was founded in Jacksonville, Florida, by Keith Kramer and Matthew Burns. Despite itscontroversial political affiliations, there's no denying Chick-fil-A is seriously popular among a large portion of the population. Originally, customers could only order roast beef sandwiches, potato chips and soft drinks. Then, in 1954, the company was taken over by David Edgerton and James McLamore, who decided to expand its locations. 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Fast food became increasingly popular with Americans, who were looking for quick and convenient meals. Gino's was a very popular fastfood restaurant back in the late 1960s and 1970s. Additionally, according to the Starbuck website, 1991 was the year that the coffee chain expanded its headquarters, signaling that the establishment truly had seen a ton of growth. It may feel as though there's a pizzeria on every corner these days, but back in the 1960s, there wasn't widespread access to this Italian treat in the United States. Burger King first opened its doors in 1954, serving grilled burgers and milkshakes. Subway is pretty much ubiquitous today, given the relatively low cost of franchising and operation. 8 spot on best fast-food burgers of America list. After increasing the size of his roadside eatery to a 142-seat restaurant in KFC in the 1930s, the chain grew exponentially into the 1940s. After it opened more stand-alone locations in 1987 and 1988, it's no wonder that Chick-fil-A became more and more popular. Founded in 1950, Dunkin used to be a small coffee shop called Open Kettle. Note: ClickAmericana.com features authentic historical information, and is not intended to represent current best practices on any topic, particularly with regard to health and safety. Also, check out: 7 Oldest Fast-Food Items Still Being Sold In America. Like 1953, 1948 was a big year for fast-food restaurants. But before they stopped being so popular in the 1980s, Burger Chef was all anyone wanted, and according to TIME,the restaurant, which was even featured in the hit TV show Mad Men, hit its peak in 1971 when it had 1,200 locations. Original publication date: September 1972. The brand began testing the renovated restaurants in 2014, and thousands of locations were updated over the following few years. So, if you were born between 1960 and 1969, then KFC was probably where everyone you know went for a great, fast, and cheap meal. These restaurants were designed to be quick, efficient, and affordable, and they quickly became popular with busy urbanites who didnt have time to cook or sit down for a traditional meal. It initially went by the name Insta-Burger King based on the name of the device used to cook up its burger. As HuffPost reports, one of the chain's most popular menu items ever launched in 1970 and had people obsessed with the meal in itself. So, where did people stop to get a quick bite nearly a century ago? Just like McDonald's or Burger King, Wendy's has been a mainstay in the fast food business for years. Sign up for our newsletter for breaking food news and healthy eating tips. The industry has also begun to focus more on healthy options, with many chains now offering salads, fruits, and veggie-based options. It was Italy where it all began. Burger Chef, much like McDonald's and Burger King, was obviously known for its burgers, but it might have burned too bright to last as long. Between the Blizzard, Orange Julius, and all the delicious menu items, it's no wonder that Dairy Queen was so popular in the late 1980s. Find out more here. The newly designed locations will place a bigger emphasis on curbside pickup and drive-thru orders, as well as offer more outdoor dining options. Vintage Cleveland restaurants: fast food, lasting memories (photos) Updated: Mar. Though the popular burger joint Hardee's (also known as Carl's Jr. in some places)actually first opened in 1960, it took some time for the chain to become super popular. One of the most popular fast food chains of this era was McDonalds. Burger King was the most popular fast food chain for a while, from about 1981 to 1984, while its commercials played on the televisions of families across the nation, and fans of quality burgers got there as fast as they could. When it opened, its menu only offered nine items hamburgers, cheeseburgers, french fries, milkshakes, milk, root beer, orangeade, Coca Cola, and coffee. Nearly half of those calories come from just two food groups: flours and grains (581 calories, or 23.4%) and fats and oils (575, or 23.2%), up from a combined 37.3% in 1970. And indeed this flagship product flows at A&W restaurants, just as it has since 1919 when the chain was founded as a small roadside stand serving root beer floats to returning World War I service people. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. This chain had a hand in that. Nonetheless, it all started more than 90 years ago and KFC is now a global sensation. We recommend our users to update the browser. However, the Colonel had been perfecting his chicken recipe for years before he opened his first restaurant. They offered faster service and convenience. Though tacos seem to be the in food with the young crowd at the moment, as pizzas were a few years back, hamburgers and hot dogs are never out. The Raffel Brothers opened the first Arby's restaurant in Boardman, Ohio in July of 1964. And some of these are found no place else! . Now, amid the coronavirus pandemic, they are resdesigning restaurants and changing their menus and policies once more. While some chains have managed to stand the test of time and remain popular favorites (such as McDonalds), others have come and gone relatively quickly (such as Burger Kings short-lived attempt at selling pizzas). The famous Frosty was one of the original items on the menu in 1969, and is still one of Wendys best-selling products today. Thats the growth you get with all-day access to caffeine! They opened their first pizza restaurant in 1959 in Garden City, Michigan. Seriously, fast food is a beloved part of American culture, and different chains offer many different cuisines, with there being something for everyone. Produced by Will Reid and Michael Simon Johnson. If you liked this article, please share it! Arthur Treachers Fish & Chips fast food restaurants were based on the English tradition of serving fried fish together with crispy potatoes. You can also get our free newsletter, follow us on Facebook & Pinterest. According to the Domino's website, the fast food chain actually became the "fastest-growing pizza restaurant" in all of the United States by 1985. Who discovered fast food? But that's not all that made Taco Bell the place to eat during the 70s. For while the heaviest hitters like McDonald's and Burger King have been around for well over half a century and then some, even they were established decades after the OGs. In fact, it wasn't until 1960, when KFC already had 200 locations, that the fast food chain really started to gain traction. It quickly became the country's favorite fast food restaurant, with Colonel Sanders perfecting his signature blend of 11 herbs and spices during that period. Whataburger lands no. Inspired by popular burrito stands in California, Steve Ells opened the first Chipotle Mexican Grill in Denver, Colorado in 1993. The McDonald brothers started selling burgers in the 1940s. } The chain has a brand new logo, and the official brand colors are now orange and white. She knows exactly how to tidy a filthy kitchen and straighten out a mixed-up pantry! The timeline below highlights some key moments in fast food history. The following favorites youll find everywhere in hamburger drive-ins and sandwich shops, pizza parlors, coffeehouses and juice bars, walk-up hot-dog and taco stands, on the beach or around the family pool, in the patio or by the television set. Papa Johns (1958) Yes, Pizza Hut was the countrys first chain pizza restaurant. With a market dominated by burgers, KFCs chicken and secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices was an instant hit. It was unique thanks to its square hamburger patties and the introduction of a salad bar in 1979. April 19, 2023. After all, they were everywhere, and they were known to be healthy and delicious (though today, there might be some doubts). xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); One of the most popular fast food chains in the late 1960s and 1970s was one you might not have even heard of before. Find out more here. That might be because McDonalds introduced its best-selling menu item in 1949: french fries. In the 1940s, the nature of the fast food industry was very different than it is today. Vintage McDonald's: See 5 decades of the famous fast food chain's retro restaurants, menus & history, Vintage Pizza Hut restaurants & food from the '70s, Sambo's Restaurants: The diner chain's story - and how it got that controversial name, Vintage KFC: About Colonel Sanders & the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food chain's history, Burger King: The vintage fast food restaurant they once called 'delightfully different', Vintage Taco Bell restaurants & see what the Mexican fast-food chain used to serve, Howard Johnson's ice cream shops & restaurants: Good old days goodness from the '50s & '60s. Note: ClickAmericana.com features authentic historical information, and is not intended to represent current best practices on any topic, particularly with regard to health and safety, but also in terms of outdated cultural depictions and social values.
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