Nostalgic Restaurant Series #6 - BURGER CHEF
Founded in Indianapolis in 1954, Burger Chef was created by Frank and Donald Thomas as a result of their patented flame broiler (patented under the parent company, General Equipment Corporation).
Burger Chef grew at an astounding pace with a core focus of small, suburban towns across the United States. In 1968 General Foods Corporation purchased the 600-unit chain with plans to continue aggressive expansion including internationally with Australia being the first market (the Australia experiment failed by 1975)
By 1972, the company had grown to 1,200+ locations with only McDonald's being larger (1,600+). This was also the year that Burger Chef introduced the Funmeal. "the first kid’s meal that included a burger, french fries, a drink, a cookie, and a small toy; with expanded packaging that included stories about Burger Chef and Jeff's adventures and friends (including the magician Burgerini, vampire Count Fangburger, talking ape Burgerilla, and Cackleburger the witch), with riddles and puzzles. When McDonald's introduced their Happy Meal in 1979, the chain sued, but ultimately lost." [Wikipedia]
Sold again in 1982, this time to Imasco (a Canadian company that also owned Hardee's), many of the Burger Chef locations were converted to Hardees, closed, or allowed to convert to other brands. By 1996, the last Burger Chef closed its doors and the once prolific chain was no more.
