7 Once-Beloved American Burger Chains That Failed Miserably
McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and Culver's are four burger chains that have sustained the test of time. However, other American burger joints weren't quite so fortunate. Since the 1950s, there have been so many great places to grab a burger and fries, many of which couldn't hack it in the competitive fast food environment. Here are seven once-beloved American burger chains that failed miserably.
Burger Chef
Burger Chef opened their first restaurant in 1954 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The chain expanded rapidly throughout the country, peaking at 1,050 locations in 1973. "It was basically a Dairy Queen burger with a salad bar you could pick from to load on top of it. Imagine a fast food restaurant with the appeal of a bowling alley without lanes and the taste of high school cafeteria and you get a clearer idea," one Redditor recalled. In 1982, the General Foods Corporation, who owned the Burger Chef trademark and name, divested itself of the restaurant chain, gradually selling all shares to the owners of Hardee's. The final restaurant with the Burger Chef name closed in 1996.
Sandy's
Sandy's was started in 1956, peaking at 120 restaurants. In the early 1970s, Hardee's purchased all of Sandy's stock, and converted the majority of the restaurants into Hardee's branded ones. The last Sandy's became a Hardee's in Muscatine, Iowa in 1979.
Red Barn
Red Barn was a kitschy burger joint founded in 1961 and housed in red bard-shaped buildings. At one point, there were between 300 and 400 restaurants in 19 states, Canada, and Australia. However, corporate ownership changes took the chain down in 1988. There is an entire Facebook group devoted to the memory of Red Barn. "I worked at the Red Barn in Nashville, TN. There were three restaurants – one on Nolensville Road, Murfreesboro Road and Charlotte Pike. The chicken was better than any chicken around now and the burgers beat McDonald's any day of the week," one person wrote. Another shared an old menu where burgers cost just 0.15 cents.
Hot 'n Now
Hot 'n Now was a budget-friendly drive-thru burger chain founded in 1984. At one point, there were 150 restaurants nationwide. Under the ownership of PepsiCo, the chain filed for bankruptcy in 2004 and was then sold to STEN Corporation. Currently, there is only one left in Michigan.
Druther's
Druther's, called initially Burger Queen, opened in Winter Haven, Florida, in 1956. Its headquarters moved to Louisville, Kentucky, from 1963 until 1981, when its name changed. At its peak in 1981, there were 171 locations, with restaurants all over the United States, England, Canada, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates. Currently, only one location remains in Kentucky.
Yankee Doodle Dandy
As the name suggests, Yankee Doodle Dandy was a patriotic-themed burger chain popular in the Midwest during the '70s. At one point, there were 27 restaurants around Illinois. The chain went out of business in the early 1980s, but the same family opened casual dining restaurants in two of the remaining Yankee Doodles, naming them Bailey's.
Carrols
In the 1970s, Carols competed with Burger King, eventually becoming a Burger King franchise. According to the Democrat & Chronicle, there were once 150 restaurants, mostly in New York and Pennsylvania. However, by 1977, all but one had become Burger King or closed up. "Hamburgers were 15 cents and milkshakes were 15 cents and French fries were a dime, so it was 40 cents for a meal," Herb Slotnick, the Syracuse-area businessman, who brought Carrols to the masses said in a 2010 story published online by Syracuse.com. Other menu items included the Sea Fillet fish sandwich and the Crispy Country Chicken. However, after competition flooded in from other chains, he cut a deal in the mid-1970s to fold his restaurants into Burger Kings. The last Carrols closed in 1981.
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