Henry’s Hamburgers was opened by an ice cream company to expand on their shakes and malts. Back then, people went crazy for chocolate shakes and burgers, so it’s no wonder this place became famous.
Henry’s was designed to go after their strongest competitor: McDonald’s. Compared to McDonald’s, they didn’t have a drive-in, and had a much less diverse menu.
Burger Chef
Burger Chef was founded in 1954 by General Electric in Indianapolis. The chain had over 1,200 locations nationwide during its prime and quickly became popular.
With all this success, you might be wondering just what happened to it? Perhaps if we tell you its biggest competitor was McDonald’s, you might be able to guess how it went down.
Burger Chef
Even though Burger Chief was wildly popular, it started declining in quality and eventually lost to its golden-arched competitor.
After haemorrhaging money, it was sold off to General Foods and then sold off again. After all the changes, it was reborn as Hardee’s.
Henry’s Hamburgers
They did, however, have cheap meals, which made them a primo alternative. Not too long after their inception though, the company started to lose ground to its competitor and decided to close a huge chunk of their store locations.
Only one store is left standing, in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Howard Johnson’s
Howard Johnson’s – better known as “Hojo’s” – was one of the largest restaurant chains during the 1960s and 1970s.
The restaurant chain was known for its iconic building designs, orange roofs, weather vanes, and peaks. With over 1,000 locations nationwide, they soon became a regular favorite with a unique twist when it came to the dining experience.