History of Restaurants: Fast Food Burger Chains

While the average American consumes 150 hamburgers a year, most know little about the history of restaurants that supply their burgers. After reading through a list of the top fast food restaurants, I decided to research the history of each franchise. Every successful business has to start somewhere, and it appears that when it comes to fast food burger chains, they mostly come from California and the Midwest. Though the abuse of fast food is partially to blame for the American obesity epidemic, reading this list in moderation will not harm your health.

Year Founded: 1919

Location: Lodi, California

Creators: Roy Allen and Frank Wright

After purchasing the recipe from a pharmacist in Arizona, Roy Allen began selling his delicious root beer at a stand in Lodi, CA. With the success of his first stand, Allen soon opened another in Sacramento. It is thought to be the United States' first drive-in. Allen partnered with an employee of his, Frank Wright, and the two of them franchised his product. The drink was named using the initials of their last names, A&W. Their chain of restaurants grew to 170 by 1933, 450 by 1950, and over 2,000 by 1960. Along with the world's top-selling root beer, A&W Restaurants are also known for their burgers and hot dogs.

Year Founded: 1921

Location: Wichita, Kansas

Creators: Walter Anderson and Edgar Waldo "Billy" Ingram

Fast food burger chains owe a great deal of gratitude to White Castle. Professional cook Walter Anderson was the first to develop a hamburger with a flattened patty back in 1916. Several years later, he would partner with businessman Billy Ingram to open the first White Castle. Their restaurant expansion was revolutionary at the time and responsible for many of the standards in the fast food business today. Anderson is given credit as the inventor of the hamburger bun as well as assembly line style cooking. Known for their clean, white buildings, White Castle was also amongst the first to use coupons.

Year Founded: 1934

Location: Normal, Illinois

Creator: Gus Belt

In 1932, Gus Belt began to serve food at his Shell gas station in an effort to bring in more business. His rich milkshakes and burgers became a hit, but the nearby Illinois Normal State Teachers College threatened to shut down his business because he served beer. In response, Belt and his wife took out a $300 loan and officially converted their business into a restaurant. The first Steak n Shake opened in 1934. Belt was known for preparing his burgers (made of t-bone, sirloin, and strip steak) in plain sight of his customers. The franchise has expanded throughout the country since, with nearly 500 locations mostly in the Midwest and Southeast.

Founding Year: 1940

Location: San Bernardino, California

Creators: Dick and Mac McDonald

No collection of the history of restaurants is complete without the giant that is McDonald's. The first McDonald's opened by brothers Dick and Mac was not fast food at all. It was a typical drive-in with a larger menu. After realizing that the majority of their money was made off burgers, the brothers reduced their menu to nine items and made the restaurant self-service. The brothers began to franchise the business on their own until Ray Kroc made a trip out west. Kroc was a seller of Multimixers, and he had heard the brothers were using the product for their milkshakes. He was captivated by the business and bought the franchising rights from the brothers. He opened his first restaurant in Des Plaines, IL in 1955. More than 55 years later, there are now over 33,000 McDonald's restaurants worldwide.

Year Founded: 1940

Location: Joliet, Illinois

Creators: John Fremont McCullough, Alex McCullough, and Herb Noble

John Fremont McCullough and his son Alex were workers in the plant mix business. When they perfected formula they had been developing for soft-serve ice cream, they contacted family friend Herb Noble. Noble agreed to try out an all-you-can eat with their product at his ice cream store. An astounding 1,600 servings were given out in the first two hours alone. The three of them opened their first Dairy Queen in 1940. The business really began to spread shortly after World War II, going from 100 stores in 1947 to 1,446 stores in 1950.

Year Founded: 1941

Location: Carpinteria, California

Creator: Carl and Margaret Karcher

Carl and Margaret Karcher began their business selling out of hot dog stands in Los Angeles. Their success led to the opening of Carl's Drive-In Barbecue. Shortly after, the first Carl's Jr. restaurants were opened. They were named as such because they were smaller versions of his original drive-in restaurant. The franchise was one of the first to use self-serve beverage bars and partial table service, helping it to become one of the dominant fast food burger chains in the western United States.

Year Founded: 1950

Location: Corpus Cristi, Texas

Creator: Harmon Dobson

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and in the case of Whataburger, the saying holds true. Harmon Dobson's burger stand opened in 1950 and served customers a burger with a five-inch bun. It didn't take long until lines for the restaurant were spilling out into the street. Dobson soon began opening restaurants throughout Texas and neighboring regions. Today, there are over 700 locations in the southern U.S.

Founding Year: 1951

Location: San Diego, California

Creator: Robert O. Peterson

Robert Peterson was already the owner of several restaurants when he opened Jack in the Box in the early 1950's. Peterson elected to do without carhops and instead utilized a much faster two-way intercom system. Nestled along a busy stretch of highway, Peterson's choice was popular among those on the road. Jack in the Box would expand throughout California and the West Coast. It continues to enter new regions and currently has well over 2,000 locations.

Founding Year: 1953

Location: Jacksonville, Florida

Creators: Keith Kramer and Matthew Burns

While most of the franchises on this list grew under their original founders, the history of restaurants such as Burger King is less straight forward. In 1953, Keith Kramer and Matthew Burns opened a restaurant with the hopes of mimicking the McDonald's business model. Their restaurant was called Insta-Burger King because it centered upon using a cooking device called the Insta-Broiler. In 1954, James McLamore and David Edgerton purchased the rights to operate an Insta-Burger King in Miami. The pair was highly successful and soon opened more locations. They also scrapped the Insta-Broiler in favor of the flame broiler. Though it had more than 40 restaurants, Insta-Burger King struggled under Kramer and Burns. The rights to the franchise were bought by McLamore and Edgerton in 1959, and the pair renamed it Burger King. It was later purchased the Pillsbury Company in 1967, under which the brand flourished. Ownership has changed hands multiple times since.

Founding Year: 1953

Location: Shawnee, Oklahoma

Creator: Troy N. Smith

After previously owning a couple restaurants, Troy Smith began operation of a restaurant and root beer stand known as the Top Hat. Upon a trip to Louisiana, Smith came across a driven-in that used an intercom system. He transformed the Top Hat to employ the system, and saw his business skyrocket. A businessman by the name of Charles Woodrow Pappe visited Smith's restaurant and soon became a partner in franchising the business. In 1959, lawyers would inform them that the Top Hat had already been trademarked. They chose to honor their intercom system by naming the restaurant Sonic ("Service with the Speed of Sound"). The franchise grew through the South and had 1,000 locations by 1978. Presently, there are over 3,500 Sonic Drive-Ins across the entire U.S.

Year Founded: 1960

Location: Greenvile, North Carolina

Creator: Wilbur Hardee

Like anyone who were to eat Hardee's food on a consistent basis, its early history is one of rapid expansion. The restaurant Wilbur Hardee opened in Greenville built its success upon large, charco-broiled burgers such as the Husky and Big Twin. After just five months, the business was franchised and the second Hardee's was built. It soon became one of the most popular fast food burger chains. Within 15 years, it had 1,000 locations and reached into countries such as West Germany and Australia. From the 80's on, however, the chain struggled. It was not until the 2000's with the release of their Monster Thickburger and a re-emphasise on unashamed gluttony that Hardee's would regain their stride.

Founding Year: 1969

Location: Columbus, Ohio

Creator: Dave Thomas

Dave Thomas created his first restaurant with an emphasis on "old-fashioned" hamburgers. His business, Wendy's, was named after his fourth child. A second restaurant was opened in 1970, again in Columbus. It was fitted with what Thomas claimed to be the first "modern-day pick-up window". The business became franchised in 1972. Already in the March of 1978, one-thousand Wendy's restaurants had been opened. It currently has close to 7,000 stores worldwide. Although he passed away in 2002, no founder is more closely associated with his franchise than Dave Thomas thanks to his presence in their advertising campaigns.