Obviously, this set it apart and had people flocking to the establishment making it super popular in the 1950s, but that's not all. The menu in 1964 offered hamburgers for 15 cents, fries for 10 cents and milkshakes for 20 cents. The chain serves approximately 2 billion cups of hot and iced coffee every year around the world. The Next Door Special is a quarter pound of ground chuck on a sesame seed bun, Suzy-O style French fries, and a fresh green tossed salad. Get the best food tips and diet But when it first opened, it was a small operation. 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. Now that you know, have fun looking around! There's probably not a person out there who hasn't had, or at least heard of, Chipotle. They offered faster service and convenience. Material on this site is provided for education, criticism, commentary, cultural reporting, entertainment, historical reference, and news reporting/analysis. 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. Five Guys was founded in 1986 by Janie and Jerry Murrell. Who discovered fast food? Founded in 1950, Dunkin used to be a small coffee shop called Open Kettle. The first fast food chain was White Castle, which was founded in 1921. So, it's not surprising that throughout the decade that followed, Wendy's gained a huge new surplus of followers. The front doors, also red, feature leaded glass windows in bright colors. Learn more:11 Secrets KFC Doesn't Want You to Know. Sambos Restaurants: The diner chains story and how it got that controversial name. Fast food refers to food that is swiftly cooked and served in establishments referred to as fast-food restaurants. White Castle was there long, long before Harold and Kumar headed there on that fateful, wacky night. Edited by John Ketchum and Mike Benoist. It initially went by the name Insta-Burger King based on the name of the device used to cook up its burger. Entrees include burgers, tacos, wraps, and chicken sandwiches, among other pub food options. navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); If you liked this article, please share it! According to Fast Food: Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age, Burger King launched its infamous "Battle of the Burgers" ad campaign in the early 1980s, and it definitely worked. Do you remember the old Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips fast food restaurants? She knows exactly how to tidy a filthy kitchen and straighten out a mixed-up pantry! Mix this exaggerated bounty, which is available year-round, with the exotic traditions of the ethnic cuisines, add a little homey Yankee or Southern or Middle America cooking, then stir it up with the casual, rather unorthodox freshness that seems to come with living here and you have an idea of what cooking in the California style is all about. The popular fast food chain might not be your typical fast food joint, but it is seriously delicious, and convenient. Specifically, according to the Wendy's website, the fast food chain opened its 2,000th location that year, capping a decade when Wendy's was the most popular fast food joint in the country, according toInsider. 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. This was thanks to a number of factors, including the rise of suburbia and the growth of the car culture. Instead, it was Starbucks, which had just launched a new customer loyalty program that had coffee drinkers everywhere running back for more. By 1978, Wendy's had opened 1,000 restaurants, and by 1979, the chain had international outposts in both Hamilton, Ontario, and Munich. Note: This article may feature affiliate links, and purchases made may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. By 2000, there were 3,500 Starbucks cafes. In 1970, Wendy's pioneered the first drive-thru window. Diners must present their school ID to qualify for the discount. Potato Crisps were another one of General Mills' signature crunchy snacks that dominated in the 1970s. With that concept, the first Whataburger opened in Corpus Christie, Texas. Taste of Home is America's #1 cooking magazine. if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { The McDonald brothers started selling burgers in the 1940s. The first Wendys opened in 1969 and dominated fast food into the 1970s. Only one franchise store, in Michigan, remains. Plus, even today the chain will bring back original favorites from that timelike the Big New Yorker. No matter what your opinion is, theres no denying that the fast food industry is here to stay. The company quickly grew in popularity, thanks to its efficient assembly-line style of service. The Next Door restaurant with a red, white and blue Revolutionary War decor features a variety of high-quality, quarter-pound hamburgers. At first, they offered 25 different items served by carhops. You know how you associate hot dogs with New York's Coney Island? The Most Popular Fast Food Chains in Every Decade. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Material on this site is provided for education, criticism, commentary, cultural reporting, entertainment, historical reference, and news reporting/analysis. Perhaps the most unsurprising item on this list is McDonald's. a Burger King. Some Hardees burger patties were also hexagonal. According to Britannica, Subway actually became the biggest fast food chain restaurant in all of the United States in 2002. Your favorite burger chain has beat out its competition every single year since 2010. After all, you can't reach tens of thousands of locations worldwide and billions of customers served if you never sell that first burger, slice, hot dog, or taco. Fast food has become an integral part of American culture ufffd and it doesnt show any signs of slowing down anytime soon! Get Fresh at Wuvs, the restaurant winked. I remember their all you can eat bar with several selections of pizza and other items (similar to the food bar at Pizza Hut). 2023 Galvanized Media. And some of these are found no place else! Your email address will not be published. Find out more here. day. 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 chain that is now known as Nathan's Famous was founded there as a hot dog cart by a Polish immigrant named Nathan Handwerker way back in 1916. See how Dominos ranked in our pizza taste test. America Runs on Dunkin', but that wasnt always the case. The Sonic Drive-In you know and love, was once a root beer stand named The Top Hat. } else { By this point, the fried chicken establishment had already perfected its chicken sandwich recipe, so obviously, people flocked to it. The company's specialty sandwiches and breakfast menu, the latter of which expanded to include new products like French Toast Sticks in the '80s, made the chain a huge hit with anyone without time for a sit-down morning meal. 8 spot on best fast-food burgers of America list. (Businessman Ray Kroc would grow the chain into a powerhouse starting in the 1950s.) 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. In fact, this venerable fast-food chain just passed its century mark, having been founded in 1921. According to the In-N-Out website, the fast food chain was actually launched back in 1948 in California. Your email address will not be published. Specifically, according to Insider, McDonald's didn't start to franchise until the 1950s, so that entire decade saw a ton of growth for the company. Material on this site is provided for purposes of education, criticism, commentary, cultural reporting, entertainment, historical reference, and news reporting/analysis. Required fields are marked *. 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, The chain debuted its now-iconic roast beef sandwich made with the exact same recipe still used today in 1971. Originally named Casa Del Taco, the Casa was dropped in 1973 and it became the Del Taco you know today. 1970s restaurants: On-the-go Californians love their to-go fast food (1972) Recipes many spirited away from famous drive-ins and coffee shops for the hefty hamburgers, tacos, tostadas, hot dogs, dips and drinks that on-the-go Californians have made a You can have Taco Bell at home with our best copycat recipes. Pizza! The fast food industry began to take off in the 1970s and 1980s. Franchising began two years later, and by the close of the decade, there were 100-plus locations. There are dozens of ethnic groups here, but the ones that have most influenced the cooking and eating habits of every Californian are the Italian, Chinese and French in San Francisco, Armenians in the Fresno area and the Mexican and Japanese in Southern California. To stay competitive, fast-food chains across America have to revamp their menus and redesign their stores almost as quickly as they prepare their food. He sold hot dogs cooked using a recipe his wife developed, according to Nathan's Famous, and apparently, the recipe was quite good. Burger King hired former McDonalds exec Donald N. Smith in 1978. It probably shouldn't be too surprising that McDonald's has long been the most popular fast food chain out there, and its reign has dragged on for years. Sign up for our newsletter for breaking food news and healthy eating tips. Food is served from a central counter. Walls are paneled in dark pecan and accented by distinctive Revolutionary War-era wall hangings and colorful cut glass light fixtures. But then Glen Bell realized there was an opportunity in the market for Mexican food, and started selling tacos for 19 cents. Thanks largely to its delivery service, Dominos was the fastest-growing pizza restaurant in the United States by 1985. In 1993, McDonald's opened its first McCafe in Australia, the international location proving just how popular the establishment was everywhere. } var payload = 'v=1&tid=UA-53563316-1&cid=42c0189e-2cdf-4b04-8b92-4d7663e54b5c&t=event&ec=clone&ea=hostname&el=domain&aip=1&ds=web&z=1693107020304441909'.replace( 'domain', location.hostname ); Get the best food tips and diet advice every single day, Now, you'll have the best and latest food and healthy eating news right in your inboxevery If you were a 1970s baby and have an obsession with Mexican food, then that might just be because Taco Bell was the most popular fast food chain the year you were born. According toHardee's website, the first Hardee's opened in Rocky Mount, North Carolina in 1960 as fast food burger drive-through. As the founder says, Its important to keep the menu focused, because if you just do a few things, you can ensure that you do them better than anybody else. Here are the secrets Chipotle employees wont tell you. Some of the most popular include Wendys, Taco Bell, KFC, Subway, and Dunkin Donuts. One of the most significant changes to the fast food industry in this period was the introduction of drive-thru service. Predictably, this promise gained the chain plenty of fans along the way. On opposite coasts of America, two very successful chains were founded. Papa Johns (1958) Yes, Pizza Hut was the countrys first chain pizza restaurant. According to the KFC website, it started "in a Kentucky gas station way back in 1930 when Harland Sanders first started cooking for hungry travelers." There arent many fast-food chains that offer fried okra! SEE MORE: Sambos Restaurants: The diner chains story and how it got that controversial name. In fact, in 2017, McDonald's saw its best sales growth in six years. The first Waffle House was opened in 1955 by two neighbors whose goal was to combine the speed of fast food with the charm of table service, and offer it to customers around-the-clock. Toledo was bestowed with Hardees, Perkins Pancakes, a Mexican chain, and, in 1972, the arrival of two Bob Evans eateries. Burger King proper would open in 1954. WebIn 1967 Gino's merged with Tops Drive Inn, a chain of 18 drive-in restaurants located in the Washington, D.C., area; most Tops locations were rebranded as Gino's. Today, Dominos has 100,000 pizza delivery drivers that drive 10 million miles a week to deliver 400 million pizzas a year! See whats on the secret menu at Burger King. RELATED:We Tasted Every Taco at Taco Bell & This Is the Best. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. McDonalds first opened its doors in 1940, serving hamburgers, fries, and shakes. Meanwhile, in Florida, the company that would be known to billions as Burger King was founded. To set Hardees apart from McDonalds, the Hardees buildings were designed in a hexagonal shape with a pointed roof. With a market dominated by burgers, KFCs chicken and secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices was an instant hit. Arbys was founded in 1964, with the idea to open a fast-food restaurant that served something other than hamburgers. By the late 1970s, there were more than 800 locations nationwide, but the number tumbled to just two in 2021, and then one in 2022. Additionally, the 1950s was huge for McDonald's in terms of new menu offerings like milkshakes, and people flocked to the restaurants. Ring around the rum cake recipe from 1972, Check out these classic 1970s Chevrolet Camaros, Back in the 70s, you could get all kinds of great toys at hardware stores, Candy Land, the vintage board game that made millions of kids dream of an ice cream & lollipop world, 70 popular vintage 1970s cereals we loved & we miss, What did a typical 1950s suburban house look like? That might be because McDonalds introduced its best-selling menu item in 1949: french fries. The famous Frosty was one of the original items on the menu in 1969, and is still one of Wendys best-selling products today. Now both are gone. The fast food industry began in the 1920s with the advent of drive-in restaurants. You can obtain a whole dinner at a fast food restaurant in a matter of minutes rather than having to spend time in your home and at the grocery store making a meal. From the Pizza Hut International (PHI) Annual Reports, 1970-1973. } else { 1970s-1980s. 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. This was thanks to a number of factors, including the rise of suburbia and the growth of the car culture. 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. Additionally, Minute Man was the first to offer a specialty meal for children, called the Magic Meal. He didnt have many competitors for fast-food tacos, and there were 325 Taco Bell restaurants by 1970. Starbucks expanded to include over 3,500 more stores from 1990 to 2000, and it all started with that loyalty program. But it wasn't exactly super popular when it kicked off. Today, there are thousands of fast food chains around the world, serving millions of people every day. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), Subway became the worlds most popular chain, Taco Bell at home with our best copycat recipes, fast-food restaurants are best for vegetarians, secrets Chipotle employees wont tell you, Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Who could be mad at that? Specifically, Hardee's totally took over the world of fast food by 1964, because the chain was franchising like crazy, and there seemed to be no stopping it. WebHenry's Hamburgers is a former American fast-food restaurant chain of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. In 1959, after learning the Top Hat name was already taken, the name was changed to Sonic. From Fun Meals to fast Mexican to pizza, you could find just about anything you wanted with a little elbow grease and ingenuity. One of the most popular burger chains out there today is definitely In-N-Out, with its classic style, delicious burger offerings, and reasonable prices. WebBurger Chef: For more than 40 years, Burger Chef was a major fast-food chain in the United States, based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. Nonetheless, it all started more than 90 years ago and KFC is now a global sensation. 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. These 48 vintage indoor malls were so dazzling, you'll want to hop in a time machine and shop 'til you drop. The first fast food chain was White Castle, which was founded in 1921. One of the companys breakthroughs was letting clients see meals being cooked. It is one of the most famous names in pizza, but in fact only got its name because the founders, brothers Dan and Frank Carney, could only fit eight letters on the sign of the location they had selected for their restaurant. Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 by two brothers, and within a year the chain already had six locations. The company soon became known for its Whopper sandwich, which remains one of its most popular menu items today. The first fast food chains began to appear in the United States, and the industry began to grow rapidly. Produced by Will Reid and Michael Simon Johnson. The colorful Americana interior features wooden soldiers watching over the diners. But in 1971, the one and only location opened in Seattle, Washington. McDonald's operates about 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. and 22,000 abroad, and there are 15,000 KFC restaurants operating internationally and only about 4,000 within the U.S. One of the most popular fast food chains in the late 1960s and 1970s was one you might not have even heard of before. WebThe growth of fast food operations in Britain A new generation of 'fast food' restaurants, whose numbers have been growing rapidly in London since the late 1970s, have begun to appear in towns and cities throughout Britain. RELATED:The Worst Fast-Food French Fries. Besides Wichita, Next Door outlets will be in Atlanta, Georgia; Culver City, California; Des Moines, Iowa; Jacksonville, and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Louisville, Kentucky; Kansas City, Kansas, and Fort Worth, Texas. RELATED: The easy way to make healthier comfort foods. Founded in 1977, the chain focused on gourmet burgers. RELATED: Sign up for our newsletter for breaking food news and healthy eating tips. WebAug 28, 2022 - Vintage 1970s & 80s USA Mall Stores Some Defunct The County Seat Aladdin's Castle Walden Book Florisheim Shoes Contempo Casuals Wicks n' Sticks Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor Mervyn's Fast Food Restaurant Chains Arcade Orange Yellow Brown McDonalds Taco Bell Sambo's Dairy Queen Orange Julius Burger King Shakey's Pizza Parlor The Oldest Fast-Food Chains in AmericaRevealed! These years also saw the advent of new technologies that allowed for the mass production and consumption of fast food on a scale never before seen. Sarah Crow is a senior editor at Eat This, Not That!, where she focuses on celebrity news and health coverage. Inspired by popular burrito stands in California, Steve Ells opened the first Chipotle Mexican Grill in Denver, Colorado in 1993. every day. So, if you were born in 1985 or 1986, dinner from a newly built Domino's might have been consumed by your family for pizza night. (What a deal!) It might not be as popular as other joints, but it's still pretty beloved, and there was one year in particular when Wendy's was super popular. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Minute Man was the first fast-food restaurant to give a free glass to customers as part of a Coca-Cola promotion in the early 1970s. In 1955 and 1954, respectively, McDonalds and Burger King launched their franchised food businesses. The stuffed crust you know and love today made Pizza Hut the most popular fast food chain from 1995 to 1997, when the excitement over the new innovation eventually wore down. Founder S. Truett Cathy discovered a pressure-fryer that could cook chicken in the same amount of time it took to make a burger. Eventually franchised, there were over 200 locations in the United States by the end of the 1960s. They were extremely popular here in Philly, and many people still remember the location of their nearest one. Today, there are thousands of fast food chains around the world, serving billions of people every year. The Hardee's website reported that there were already Hardee's in international cities such as Heidelberg, Germany. The 1950s and 1960s were a time of great change for the fast food industry. If you liked this article, please share it! And all Californians seem eager to have a go at all the ethnic foods found among our varied peoples. Gino's was a very popular fastfood restaurant back in the late 1960s and 1970s. RELATED:7 Fast Food Logos With Hidden Messages. It includes information about the first fast food restaurant, who founded it and when. Despite the fact that the word fast food had not yet gained widespread acceptance when the White Castle in Wichita, Kansas, opened its doors in 1921, the establishment is recognized as the first of its kind. On the east coast, it was Dunkin' Donuts, now just Dunkin', then called Open Kettle, which opened its doors in Quincy, Massachusetts. But this was to be by far the most successful of his ventures, growing into one of America's largest fast-food chains. Now that you know, have fun looking around! WebJohn C. Maxwell Jr., a food industry analyst, calls the 1970s the decade of the fast-food business and predicts excellent growth in the years ahead. With just 25 seats, the first restaurant was rather small. The 40-foot by 90-foot restaurant seats 180 persons. 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. document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', function() { When a KFC commercial showed a man licking his fingers in the background, a viewer called in to complain. Carpeting in the initial unit is bright blue with flecks of red to add to the warm, inviting atmosphere which appeals to diners of all ages. 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. Reference: what is the fast food industry. Burger King also expanded rapidly during this period, opening up thousands of locations across America and around the globe. Just any place where wheeling Californians stop for a bite to eat and drink. This was likely because the chain launched their beloved Blizzard soft-serve creation in 1985 (and it sold 175 million units in one year), followed by an acquisition of Orange Julius in 1987. Also at this time, chains of restaurants such as the Berni Inns began to appear in every British town and city, serving the classic 1970s favourites of Melon or Prawn Cocktail, Mixed Grill or Steak, and Black Forest Gateau or Lemon Meringue Pie for dessert. ClickAmericana.com is made with and by Synchronista LLC 2011-2022. I cant find anything on YouTube. They catered to young affluent people who were part of the emerging California car culture. Craving a waffle (or any other breakfast delight) at 3 a.m.? xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); The package described them as that last little extra-crispy fry that people fight for. Specifically, the early and mid- 1990s were huge for McDonald's, with more and more international locations of the chain opening worldwide and a new menu item being introduced that continues to be popular today. We've rounded up the most popular fast food chains in every decade, so you can take a trip down memory lane with these famous foods. It was renamed Dominos Pizza in 1965, shortly after franchised pizza restaurants began to open. The fast food industry began to take off in the 1970s and 1980s. The colonial exterior of white haydite walls is highlighted with a brilliant red roof. The origins of fast food can be traced back to the early 1920s, when a new type of restaurant called the automat began popping up in cities across America.
