Fast Food

Serving hamburgers, hot dogs and french fries featuring carhop services, Dog n Suds first opened in 1953 in Illinois and grew rapidly through the '50s and '60s. Today, a few locations still remain in the Midwest.

The Original Hot Dog Shop, better known as simply "The O," opened in 1960. Literally sitting in the shadow of the University of Pittsburgh, it was a popular destination not only for students, but anyone visiting the Oakland neighborhood to see a concert, visit...

Zantigo was a chain of fast food Mexican restaurants that served fresh and tangy delicacies from 1976 to 1987. It was famous for its chili, taco burritos, taco salads, cheese chilitos, and cheap chips & cheese that were to die for according to former...

Wetson's, like many hamburger joints founded in the 1960s, was inspired by the rapid success of McDonald's. At it's peak, it had over 70 locations in the New York Metropolitan area, as well as a few in California.

Burger Chef was a fast-food hamburger chain that started in Indianapolis in 1958. At its peak in the mid 1970s, it was second only to McDonald's in the number of nationwide locations. The chain even made inroads into Canada. In 1982, the chain was...

Inspired by a drawing of King Arthur's court eating pizza, Round Table Pizza was a restaurant founded in 1959. It went out of business in 2011 but in 2019, was reborn as Royalty Pizza.

Hot Sam Pretzels was a fast food??franchise that first opened in Detroit's Livonia Mall in 1966. With franchised locations also found mostly in shopping malls, it was bought by Mrs. Fields, off of cookies, in 1995 and merged with Pretzel Time. Hot Sam is...

Famous for its burgers and tots, Fat Daddy's opened in 1985 on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh. It grew to three locations. It closed in 2014.

Max's Kansas City, located at 213 Park Avenue in Lower Manhattan, was one of the most famous rock clubs in America. It was established in 1965 Mickey Ruskin, a Cornell Law School graduate who went on to become a successful restauranteur. As for Max's,...

Fatt Dog had locations on Post Street and Pine Streets in San Francisco. Diners were advised to have napkins at the ready, as they would be soaked with dog juice after just one bite.

Pup 'n' Taco was a popular fast food chain in Los Angeles. It served featured hot dogs (thus the "pup" tacos, tostadas, pastrami sandwiches, burgers, and fries. Russell Wendell started in the restaurant business in 1956 with Big Donut. He introduced Pup 'n' Taco in 1965. In 1984, most of...

Hot Sam Pretzels was a fast food??franchise that first opened in Detroit's Livonia Mall in 1966. With franchised locations also found mostly in shopping malls, it was bought by Mrs. Fields, off of cookies, in 1995 and merged with Pretzel Time. Hot Sam is...

In 1976, America's largest fast food chain introduced the character of Phil A. O'Fish to help sell their fish sandwiches. In recent years it has become the opposite of an urban legend with many asserting Phil A. O'Fish never existed. He did, but he...

Burger Chef was a fast-food hamburger chain that started in Indianapolis in 1958. At its peak in the mid 1970s, it was second only to McDonald's in the number of nationwide locations. The chain even made inroads into Canada. In 1982, the chain was...

Burger Queen was a popular fast food chain in the Louisville area. It was founded in 1963 and its mascot was Queenie Bee,??? with it's roots going back to 1956 in Winter Haven, FL.??In 1981 it became Druther's Restaurant to reflect a broader menu...

Fat Boy Drive-In opened its first location in San Francisco in 1925 at the corner of??corner of 46th Street and Sloat Boulevard.??It closed in the 1970s.

Beef Corral was a chain of fast food restaurants founded by former Cleveland Browns players and brothers Ed and Dick Modzelewski in the late 1960s. It grew to over a dozen locations in Northeast Ohio in the '70s but went out of business in...

Queenie Bee was the the beloved mascot of the Burger Queen fast food chain. She retired in 1981 when the chain changed its name to Druther's.

Burger Chef was a fast-food hamburger chain that started in Indianapolis in 1958. At its peak in the mid 1970s, it was second only to McDonald's in the number of nationwide locations. The chain even made inroads into Canada. In 1982, the chain was sold...

Burger Chef was a fast-food hamburger chain that started in Indianapolis in 1958. At its peak in the mid 1970s, it was second only to McDonald's in the number of nationwide locations. In the late '70s, animated spokespersons Burger Chef and Jeff were introduced....