I always thought of various burger stands and drive-ins symbolizing the '50s and early-mid '60s. I know Carls Jr. was around then, and is actually one of the oldest ones. McDonald's seems to fit in with the late '60s and especially the breezy Americana feel of the '70s. I think once drive-thru's became popular, that made pretty much all of them popular in the '80s, but if I had to pick one, I'd say Burger King (especially with the old-school logo with the buns and the plain lettering). I'd say Taco Bell is the fast food place of the slacker/Beavis and Butthead/grunge '90s.

I always thought of various burger stands and drive-ins symbolizing the '50s and early-mid '60s. I know Carls Jr. was around then, and is actually one of the oldest ones. McDonald's seems to fit in with the late '60s and especially the breezy Americana feel of the '70s. I think once drive-thru's became popular, that made pretty much all of them popular in the '80s, but if I had to pick one, I'd say Burger King (especially with the old-school logo with the buns and the plain lettering). I'd say Taco Bell is the fast food place of the slacker/Beavis and Butthead/grunge '90s.




Notice all the fast food places have lettering/logos involving the colors red and yellow to make us think we're hungry?  In what decade did Burger Chef get sucked up?

Notice all the fast food places have lettering/logos involving the colors red and yellow to make us think we're hungry?  In what decade did Burger Chef get sucked up?


Yeah, that's true, isn't it? ;) They're pretty flashy now. In the '80s and even '90s they seemed more "plain" I've heard of Burger Chef but don't know when I've actually seen one. Are they regional (I don't recall seeing one in the Bay Area).

Yeah, that's true, isn't it? ;) They're pretty flashy now. In the '80s and even '90s they seemed more "plain" I've heard of Burger Chef but don't know when I've actually seen one. Are they regional (I don't recall seeing one in the Bay Area).



Burger Chef might have been regional but since I haven't seen them since the about the 70s, I couldn't tell you.  For a while I was starting to think they were a figment of my imagination.  I used to have this "doll" that was either Burger King or Burger Chef (the crown leads me to believe it was "the" Burger King and he wasn't as scary as what they have in commercials now, believe me).  It seems to me (and remember I was quite young so I could be wrong) that Burger King kind of absorbed Burger Chef (back when the fast food big 3 were McD, BK and Burger Chef--Wendy's was the new kid on the block).  Can anyone remember more details about Burger Chef?

Well, for me, in the 80's it was McDonald's for me and my friends; in the 90's most of the kids I knew (including my closest friends) hung out at Taco Bell. We had open campus in high school, and at lunchtime the Taco Bell, a mere couple of blocks away, is an absolute mob scene.

Burger Chef might have been regional but since I haven't seen them since the about the 70s, I couldn't tell you.  For a while I was starting to think they were a figment of my imagination.  I used to have this "doll" that was either Burger King or Burger Chef (the crown leads me to believe it was "the" Burger King and he wasn't as scary as what they have in commercials now, believe me).  It seems to me (and remember I was quite young so I could be wrong) that Burger King kind of absorbed Burger Chef (back when the fast food big 3 were McD, BK and Burger Chef--Wendy's was the new kid on the block).  Can anyone remember more details about Burger Chef?

Burger Chef was regional, that I remember they were around the mid Atlantic state region from the early to late '70's. Hardee's/Marriot bought them out in 1980 or so (just about the time Wendy's came on the scene. Most of Burger Chef's were closed, a few were just turned into Hardee's. Then poof, they were gone.  :(
As a kid, Burger Chef was the place to go, they gave you comics to color w/crayons, the box/wrappers had comics and puzzles printed on them, and had the first "fixins bar" were you could top the burger with what ever you wanted (great for kids, a messy disaster for parents, it didn't last long). It was a lot more kid oriented, and a lot more colorful, they always had some goof dressed up in costume at the place, no matter what time of day. The operation itself was a bit bigger than most places, and seemed more open (or maybe it only seemed that way when I was a small kid).

Given the choice, as a kid, Burger Chef was first choice, then Burger King (they had the that paper crown), then Hardee's (the burgers really tasted better back then) then McDonald's. Which is odd as, now it seems that McDonald's has the ultimate pull for kids, it just wasn't always that way.

Here's a link to a '70's Burger Chef commercial from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_Aqxo6MFhk

As a kid, Burger Chef was the place to go, they gave you comics to color w/crayons, the box/wrappers had comics and puzzles printed on them, and had the first "fixins bar" were you could top the burger with what ever you wanted (great for kids, a messy disaster for parents, it didn't last long).




Thanks!  And now that you jog my memory I have a vague memory of being able to put what I wanted on my own burger.  Thanks for the reminder and the link.

For the 50s and 60s, it was A&W.  The golden era of the Car Hop

The Burger Family was established in their golden era, and I often joke that they should change the looks of them, especially the Teen Burger.  In the 50s and 60s, the typical teen had a big smile and rosy red cheeks.  Today's teen has multi-coloured hair, with rings all over his face ;D

http://www.awincomefund.ca/images/food/burger_family.gif

Oh, I forgot to mention Carl's Jr. I used to go there almost as often as I went to McDonald's in the 80's. Remember when Carl's Jr. had a salad bar?  :)

I used to LOVE Burger Chef!! My parents would take us there when we were young..they had such good burgers!

OK, I used to live on the east coast (Maryland) and I used to love Roy Rogers. I thought they were gone. The last time I was back east all the Roy Rogers were Hardee's?
What happened?  ???
I spoke with my girlfriend (from the Philly area) she claims Roy Rogers are still around, is this true?

I used to drool for the Double R-Bar burgers (roast beef and a thick beef patty smothered in RB-que sauce). They had an awesome fixins bar and the burgers were "burned" right before your eyes, prepared to order, not microwaved (well, at least back in the late 70's to early 80's).
Are they still around, or did the evil Marriot buy them out and shut them down like Burger Chef?.......they had pretty good real ice cream shakes too, at least before they disappeared.

I mentioned "Roy Rogers hamburgers" to a friend out here in Cali and he thinks I'm making it up! ::)

OK, I used to live on the east coast (Maryland) and I used to love Roy Rogers. I thought they were gone. The last time I was back east all the Roy Rogers were Hardee's?
What happened?  ???
I spoke with my girlfriend (from the Philly area) she claims Roy Rogers are still around, is this true?

I used to drool for the Double R-Bar burgers (roast beef and a thick beef patty smothered in RB-que sauce). They had an awesome fixins bar and the burgers were "burned" right before your eyes, prepared to order, not microwaved (well, at least back in the late 70's to early 80's).
Are they still around, or did the evil Marriot buy them out and shut them down like Burger Chef?.......they had pretty good real ice cream shakes too, at least before they disappeared.

I mentioned "Roy Rogers hamburgers" to a friend out here in Cali and he thinks I'm making it up! ::)


Roy Rogers was wonderful!!! They had some kick ass hambugers and don't get me started about the Fixins' Bar. They no longer exist in the city of Philly, maybe the boonies though. They changed to Hardees and I don't know if they are still around. Though, you can catch one if you are traveling at rest stops at, you guessed, it DC, Maryland, or Virginia.

Roy Rogers was wonderful!!! They had some kick ass hambugers and don't get me started about the Fixins' Bar. They no longer exist in the city of Philly, maybe the boonies though. They changed to Hardees and I don't know if they are still around. Though, you can catch one if you are traveling at rest stops at, you guessed, it DC, Maryland, or Virginia.


We have a few Hardees left in the Pittsburgh area, infact the closest one to us is about 1/2 hr. away.

We have a few Hardees left in the Pittsburgh area, infact the closest one to us is about 1/2 hr. away.


I did not know that!!! However, Burger Chef still doesn't ring a bell to me.

I did not know that!!! However, Burger Chef still doesn't ring a bell to me.



We had a Burger Chef near us...years ago...I think I was maybe not even 8 or so when it changed to some other fast food place.

I can barely remember we used to have some Roy Rogers in the malls around here, now there are none to be found in the area, however I have seen a number of them at service areas in I think Pennsylvania and a number of other eastern states.

I can barely remember we used to have some Roy Rogers in the malls around here, now there are none to be found in the area, however I have seen a number of them at service areas in I think Pennsylvania and a number of other eastern states.


It's because the heyday of Roy Rogers was before your birth. By then, they were pretty much gone.  :\'(

I can barely remember we used to have some Roy Rogers in the malls around here, now there are none to be found in the area, however I have seen a number of them at service areas in I think Pennsylvania and a number of other eastern states.

According to the GF, Roy Rogers are still around but found only at the rest stops along the Penn Turnpike.

Thats good to hear, but if you know the Penn turnpike, then that means I have to risk my life driving on that death road just to be able to sample the Double R-Bar burger again.

Other than a couple of "Sliders" from White Castle, there is no other artery clogging burger that is more satisfying than a Double R-Bar (w/double cheese).

Seriously this is a burger that I'll have to have again before I die, since they are only on the Penn State turnpike, I may get my wish.  ::)

Straw Hat Pizza was huge back in the 70's and early 80's here on the west coast. So was Happy Steak. Skipper's Fish and Chips was HUGE in the 80's, but is now only in the Washington-Oregon area. They had Long John Silver's beat by a mile. Rax Roast Beef was pretty big as well back in those days, but now only has a few locations in the Midwest. They were basically like Arby's.

Bob's Big Boy and A & W,  were the place to be in the 70's. McDonalds and Taco Bell for the 80's and Carl's Jr. for the 90's.

Heck I eat at the majority of them EXCEPT for Jack in the Box. I can't stand them.

I think with McDonalds, it can fit into any decade.  If you were a kid, and McDonalds was around, it was THE place to be for all your birthday parties

The one thing about being in Canada, I only recognize alot of restaurants mentioned in here via commercials; alot of them don't exist in Canada.  Before 'Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle' came out, I had never heard of White Castle before LOL

I think with McDonalds, it can fit into any decade.  If you were a kid, and McDonalds was around, it was THE place to be for all your birthday parties

The one thing about being in Canada, I only recognize alot of restaurants mentioned in here via commercials; alot of them don't exist in Canada.  Before 'Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle' came out, I had never heard of White Castle before LOL



we never had any White Castles around where I live either.

we never had any White Castles around where I live either.

Wha?
Are saying there are none around you (there are none in Southern California either, Dang!) or are you saying you've never had one? :o
If not you must make the trek to get a few "sliders" and I mean NOW!

If I've got my history correct, White Castle has been around since the 30's.

Not that I liked the movie so much, but I totally empathized with the "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" characters. After having one of these things, you must simply have another.

For those that haven't been introducted to the White Castle experience:
Imagine, if you will, a glowing stainless steel mecca,  open 24-7, serving split dinner rolls, with a narrow pattie of "meat*" with perforated holes (to let the steam out) and peppered with "onions" (are they real onions?) on them. The bun and the "meat*" kind of melt together and form a lovely glob that when eaten properly "slides" down your throat.  :D

Doesn't sound good? Well try 'em at about 2:30am after a nice bar crawl for the proper introduction, you'll be hooked. Don't mind the wineos and bums hanging around, they're just there to add to the "atmosphere". ::)

If you're too far away from a White Castle, you can try the east coast version, "Little Tavern Hamburgers" (buy 'em by the bag) not exactly the same, but in the same ballpark. 8)

* - The term "meat" being used loosely here as I've never found out (or want to know) if that thing is a "meat" or some other form of bio-generated product.

^yep....none around us...and I've never had one before.

Wha?
Are saying there are none around you (there are none in Southern California either, Dang!) or are you saying you've never had one? :o
If not you must make the trek to get a few "sliders" and I mean NOW!

If I've got my history correct, White Castle has been around since the 30's.

Not that I liked the movie so much, but I totally empathized with the "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" characters. After having one of these things, you must simply have another.

For those that haven't been introducted to the White Castle experience:
Imagine, if you will, a glowing stainless steel mecca,  open 24-7, serving split dinner rolls, with a narrow pattie of "meat*" with perforated holes (to let the steam out) and peppered with "onions" (are they real onions?) on them. The bun and the "meat*" kind of melt together and form a lovely glob that when eaten properly "slides" down your throat.  :D

Doesn't sound good? Well try 'em at about 2:30am after a nice bar crawl for the proper introduction, you'll be hooked. Don't mind the wineos and bums hanging around, they're just there to add to the "atmosphere". ::)

If you're too far away from a White Castle, you can try the east coast version, "Little Tavern Hamburgers" (buy 'em by the bag) not exactly the same, but in the same ballpark. 8)

* - The term "meat" being used loosely here as I've never found out (or want to know) if that thing is a "meat" or some other form of bio-generated product.


I've only known of two in Philadelphia.

^yep....none around us...and I've never had one before.


Should really give the sliders a try, its one of those things that are better than they sound like they would be...I promise, you won't be sorry. :)

I've seen frozen White Castle burgers at the supermarket (Ralph's here, Kroger everywhere else), but I don't recommend them, its just not the same and they're way overpriced.

Little Tavern's should be all over the mid Atlantic. They're in the Balt/DC and Virginia area, at least the last time I was back east.

I've tried White Castles when I was visiting relatives in Ohio. I liked them. I didn't know what they were or how big until my uncle ordered 40 of them  :o Then I saw they were itty bitty burgers with onions and a pickle on them. ;D