@@TheTeufelhunden68 Oh yeah! , we had one in walking distance from me , I used take a regular burger and stack all kinds of goodies and make it into a super burger, I miss burger chef
@@jeffreyk239 Likewise here; Burger Chef had the GRILLIN' TECHNIQUE that stood out from the rest of the crowd (especially from Burger King). The Works Bar made 'em STAND OUT!!!!!!
As a kid in the 60s and seventies I remember nobody I went to school with either went with McDonald's or wanted to admit they did! McDonald's The same thing the same thing could be said of Queen and KISS in hindsight. Nobody would ever ADMIT it if they listen to them- or at least no one older than 12!
OMG!1 I thought I was the only one who remembered Burger Chef lol. I was about 5 and I LOVED it. So sad it closed. Thanks for an awesome trip down memory lane. So awesome to hear history I never even knew.
Buger Chef was within walking distance of the old farmhouse we live in during the mid 70s. We were quite poor but I remember walking there with some friends many times and getting hamburgers. Good memories, thank you for the video, much much appreciated! By the way, the burger chef was in Trotwood Ohio.
Thank you for mentioning the Burger Chef in Danville, IL. My family used go there in 1970's. We went there so often, I was able to collect all 4 of the Star Wars posters. Later in the late 1980's, I got a job close by and ate there a lot because of the coupons out of the local newspaper. The coupons were for buy a burger meal and get a second burger free. Great for saving money, though it was still cheap to eat there. Too bad he had to change the name. I think the building now is a used car place.
I have the fish sandwich sign that hung off the bottom of the road sign. My buddy Jon has restored the top of that road sign and has it on display at Urban Artifacts in Peoria!
i went to the burger chef on gilbert street in danville many many times . im old enough to remember before it had indoor seating . i loved to get the fries by the pound .
Butch Schroeder who was the last of their family to own the restaurant in Danville also restored vintage aircraft, one of which was the P-51 Lil' Margaret. Sadly that P-51 possibly the finest example ever restored was sold to an out of country buyer who subsequently crashed it.. haven't heard if its going to be wrote off or repaired. There was even a paperback book wrote of their P-51 restoration called "P-51 restored" by Paul Coggan
@@alcosteam I remember that P-51. I remember seeing the wing sitting outside at Vermilion County Airport for a long time. I am guessing that he flew it a few times because the plane buzzed over me once when I was on a county road.
As best I can tell, the Big Mac is pretty much a complete copy of the Big Shef. The Big Shef was introduced sometime in 1964 and the Big Mac didn't come along until 1967. Even typing the names out now, Big Shef to Big Mac, it seems even more clear that Ray Kroc/McDonald's was simply taking Burger Chef's ideas rather than developing new food ideas. Makes me wonder about the story of an inspired secretary coming up with the Big Mac name. It makes for a nice story, but when your new burger and it's name are so similar to a competitor's existing product that story starts looking like awfully thin cover.
@@InvisibleAvenger DAMN FUCKIN' RITE!!!!! The Big Shef was SO MUCH TASTIER THAN THE BIG MAC. Ironically, the Big Boy was more the inspiration 4 the Big Mac than the Big Shef. Even moreso, In-N-Out also inspired the Big Mac (the only difference btwn the Big Mac vs. the a4mentioned others is the Big Mac sauce has no tomato-based products; paprika gives the Big Mac sauce its reddish-orange hue).
Cindy Francis they won't ever come back. Too much competition today, especially with 5 guys, n and out, shake shack, etc... Plus people's tastes have changed.
Lot of the old time burger places are gone. Taste Freez and Minute Man are two I remember. Minute Man was the first to have microwave ovens to cook food back in the 1960's. The microwave oven was a novelty back then.
I've not had Burger Chef since the mid 1970's. I never ate there often, but always wondered what happened to them. How sad the way it fell.Thanks for the history.
i worked for burger chef in illinois and i had the opportunity to play burger chef in the mascot costume in a major parade ! loved my years there !!!!!!! 74-76 i still have my name badge
Ah my favorite place to eat as a kid! Hard to believe that was 45-50 years ago, places now days cannot touch the quality and taste that Burger Chef had.
Yep, I'm 57 and remember going there when I was 6 years old (seems I was going there regularly before that), and I believe the one in my town was in operation as recently as 1981. The place where it stood is now a fast food outlet (I forget the name and I don't get out that way very often), but I believe it's Wendy's. It was a Rax Roast Beef sometime after it was Burger Chef, and I think something else after Rax, but before what it is now. It also seems that the original building was torn down. Both of my older brothers worked there (not at the same time) as teenagers when it was still Burger Chef.
Thank you so much for sharing your video. Bringing tears to my eyes remembering how happy my childhood was, I really enjoyed eating the Burger chef burgers and a fun experience while eating inside with there (Fun meals) having Fun. I'm 51 now, yet would rather vacation back in time (1977) to enjoy a Fun /exciting experience again. Thank you so much. I will definitely look to purchase the 2 books about Burger chef an author myself (non fiction).
We had one in Cambridge Ohio in the 70s and 80s. LOVED the Super Shef! They also had the BEST mushroom swiss burger! Hardee's tried the MSB but it didn't taste the same to me. Another great fast food chain gone along the wayside. Great Video! Waiting for Hot & Now next! ;)
The Hardee’s shown at 9:35 is from my home town of New Albany Indiana located at Grant Line Road and Daisy Lane. I remember when it was a Burger Chef. The building is still there but is now a quickie mart.
I remember in the late 60’s we’d have family supper at burger chef. My dad liked Sinatra, I loved The Rolling Stones. The TV was always on in the background, Vietnam playing in the background, the news would win every night. We were starving, but not just for dinner. My dad would say let’s go to another dinner table where everyone can get what they want when they want. He would say it would be bright and clean with no laundry and no telephone.; and no TV. Dad would say we could go there and get the connection we were hungry for. Mom would say ‘sure there’s chaos at home, but there’s family supper at Burger Chef.’
I lived one block from the Burger Chef in Niles,Michigan,was neat to watch the patty move thru the oven on a conveyor,then the works bar to load it up with onions/pickles.
I remember Burger Chef as a child growing up in the 70's. I loved the little station they had to put things on your burger. I used to load mine up with tons of pickles. I wish there was something similar nowadays.
Yep, I worked there when Hardees bought them out, sorry they closed.I ate just over 1000 big chefs over the years. I still have a few of the Burger Chef coins somewhere
LOVED our Burger Chef in Ravenna Ohio , that was my hang out as a kid , I would ride my bike see my friends and we all had good burgers and fries ! I miss them ....
The Works Bar is also a famous fixture at Roy Rogers, where it is called the Fixin's Bar. And ironically Roy Rogers is another great chain that Hardee's bought and almost destroyed, but this time they were forced to convert back to Roy's after a Hardee's conversion failed. Today Roy Rogers is making a comeback after their largest franchise operator acquired the brand from Hardee's. Just too bad Hardee's did not allow Riverview or some other franchise operator to bring back Burger Chef, rather than just eliminate and destroy the brand.
I remember when I was a kid and we moved to Bedford Indiana in 1980 there was a Burger Chef MMM. It did eventually become a Pleaser's and still had the Works bar idea but not the same MMMish. They sadly are both gone now and are a strip mall. But we still have a Hardee's yeah! I really miss the day's where two brothers had an idea and made it real and Tasty!
My 1st paycheck job was at a Burger Chef. I was 15, so I had to lie about my age. This was late 81, early 82, right at the end I guess. Didn't work there long - those busy lunch hours, and general ass busting work, convinced me to get my butt back in school.
Many good memories of "Burger Chef " I grew up in a single parent family, as my father died suddenly, mother and I would go to Burger Chef as a treat when we had business in town. Was very sorry when we lost the great Burger Chef . It was like losing an old friend. The one in Goldsboro, NC closed before they started "the works bar."
We had one across the street from our high school in the mid 70's. I went often to meet Sharon Hicks there. lol. Then the place became a small bar, and after that a donut shop.
Thank you for this. My grandmother used to walk my twin brother and I to Burger Chef once a week to eat. It was a highlight to do so. My brother and I would call it Buger Chef, ha. I remember very much the fun meal very much.
I remember Burger Chef very well. My sister got her driver’s license in 1965. There was a Burger Chef in Mansfield Ohio and about 5 miles from our parents house. On Friday nights, when our parents would eat out at a nice restaurant with friends, my sister and I were given ~$2~ (total) for us two kids to eat dinner out at Burger Chef. We could get our choose of hamburger or cheeseburger, an order (each ) of fries, and a soft dink OR shake for less than $.50! Amazing!! Their theme song used to go... “$15 cents, a nickel and a dime, at Burger Chef, you’ll eat better every time, cuz a nickel and a dime will get......(🎼)🎼 French Fried Potatoes, big thick shake, or the greatest 15 cent, Hamburger yet.. Eat at Burger Chef, for a nickel and a dime!! We love Burger Chef and went their for years, EVERY Friday night, even after they became Hardee’s. Hated to see them go, because their food was much better tasting than McDonalds, and their burgers weren’t fried, but char-broiled. Hardee’s: “Hurry on down to Hardee’s where the Burgers are charcoal broiled”... Great Americana!
I, too, remember those 15 cent hamburgers and fries from McDonald's and Burger Chef back in the 1960's. We also had a "Steer-In" burger place that Dick Clark, before he moved American Bandstand to California, owned in the Philly area. Those burgers were amazing. He stopped by there quite often and we saw him several times when we went there for dinner. Sadly, Steer-In couldn't compete with the popularity of McDonalds and Burger Chefs in the area, and wasn't around long enough.
Rob Hoffman We had a Burger Chef and a Arthur Treacher's in Huntington, WV also. Not many people in this area remembers Arthur Treacher's. I guess they are too young. lol
Jeremy Scaggs thanks, glad you enjoy these. I plan on doing more for sure. Unfortunately my work schedule is crazy busy for the next several weeks. When it does down I am planning to get some more made. Thanks for watching!
El Paso Texas had several locations. I frequently ate at the McCrae one, it was down the hill from Eastwood High School and was handy for a freshman who had to walk anywhere he went out to lunch. They all were gone by 1975.
Our family was a Burger Chef family. We rarely went to McDonalds. The food at Burger Chef was just better. When you entered Burger Chef you were always greeted by the smell of flame broiled burgers. They had a good fish sandwich too. I don't go to Hardies either. Their burgers are too big and they just don't evoke the same flavor I remember from Burger Chef.
Pensacola, Florida. Loved it as a kid as I was a fussy eater and I could dress my own burger the way I wanted it. Sadly Burger Chef didn't last all that long as Pensacola had McDonalds, Burger King, Krystals, Whataburger and a few locally owned burger joints for competition in what was a fairly small town at the time.
I loved burger chef and the works bar rocked. I also remeber as a child we would go as a family, my father was unable to walk do to polio so my mom and I would bring back the meals in Flint Mi. I would enjoy the kids meal as i recall was sort of a tray that had special places for the burger, fry, and drink and whatever toy. As a young man when I started to drive and work I knew 2 bucks would feed me quite well. I truly miss that resteraunt.
My family used to go to the one in Owosso, Mi. every Monday night after swimming lessons. We would get the fish sandwich. They had some kind of trivia game at one point.
My dad is from Rhode Island and we were taking a road trip in his hometown and I remember him telling me there used to be a Burger Chef near his house - I never forgot and decided to do a youtube search on this - Thanks for posting!
I lived in Lincoln Park, MI, and Burger Chef was my favorite place to eat as a kid. I'd like to see a video on how the relationship between Carl's Jr and Hardee's developed.
We used to go to the one on dix-hwy and Southfield road(freeway). It was Next to a Perry’s drugstore this was across from Sears shopping center….Michigan downriver represent..😀
Thank you, Troy. I needed this. Appreciate the referral to the websites and that book, too. Fast food history is one of my jams, so, please keep doing what you do!
My first job in high school! work there for years! I used to take a part the shake machines and the pumps the ketchup, mustard salad dressing pumps in clean them when closing! I would take your orders. ahhh to be 16 again!!!!
As a newly graduated student in 1966, I started school in Pine Bluff Arkansas. there was a Burger Chef on Olive St. They had the best fries ANYWHERE!. Great burgers too. I ate a ton of them.
Thanks for doing this video. There was a Burger Chef in Opelousas, Louisiana up until the 1980s or 1990s. Not sure within those two decades that it among some other Burger Chef chains in the South broke off tp become Mr. Cook. I sure miss Burger Chef especially the Works Bar.
We had two Burger Chef restaurants where I grew up. I will always remember them for those Star Wars posters -- the very first Star Wars fast food promotion.
We had one in Titusville Fl. when I was in H.S. in the early 70's and when I got stationed at Quantico a few years later in The Corps there was one in nearby dumfries...my fave burger joint by far. The had the condiments bar so you could put on as many tomatoes and lettuce and onions as you wnated...it was great.
Thanks for the video. The first job I ever had was at Burger Chef in Lake Charles, Louisiana. I spotted the exact building design in the video and called the boys in the room to tell them about it. (they were uninterested)
I loved Burger Chef. If I recall, ours was just south of Pershing on Main. The works bar was great because I could never get enough onions in other restaurants. Great episode. Thanks!
Rick McNeely thanks for watching! The building is still there, right in front of where Carlos O Kelly’s was. It’s been a Title loan company for years. Great memories of Burger Chef.
What great memories working there in the 70s. Made it special because my brother managed the place and got me a job for the summer when I visited from CT. He never cut me a break, was probably harder on me to show no favoritism. But the memories are even more special today, we lost my brother a few days ago at 73 years. I’ll never forget him, or the lessons he gave me working at burger chef.
I loved our Burger Chef in Kokomo, Indiana. My cousin from Columbia, Missouri told me they had a place called Hardee's that was okay but not as good. Sure enough that Burger Chef has been a Hardee's since the take over. I never could get in to Hardee's.
I loved Burger Chef. A great place to go for a good but cheap meal on the way home from a day at Clearwater Beach. Also a fun meet up spot after high school football and basketball games. Fond memories!
Does anyone remember the “Burger Chef Village”? I remember going to Burger Chef on Mack Ave. in Grosse Pointe, Mich back in the mid to late ‘70’s and collecting all kinds of different “houses” and “buildings” that were the hamburger boxes I think? There was a large village map that you could put all the buildings on. I think I had the whole village ( since thrown away by mom). Anyone else remember the village buildings?
Restaurant Rewind I just looked into it. It was called Burger Chef Fun Village. It was available in 1975 and for .75 cents you could buy the street map and then collect the fun village buildings that were on funburger boxes (including the last one made and hard to find- Burger chef restaurant building!! Thanks. There’s a couple pictures of them on google. It says they are very rare and hard to find.. Wish I still had mine now!
I use too go to Burger Chef when I was young my oldest brother would take me there along with my other older brother. The burgers were awesome I loved that burger bar. Sadly the restaurant closed in Flagstaff,AZ around the late 70's I miss burger chef!
Growing up in the 70s I enjoyed going to Burger Chef for lunch or dinner. As a kid I enjoyed the Happy Meals and reading about Burger Chef and Jeff and all of their friends.🍔🍟
The Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh had a Burger Chef on the ground floor. I had my own table where I'd meet up with friends every morning, have breakfast, and drink coffee. Throughout the day, we'd peel off for classes but someone was usually there to hold the table. Good memories. There was also a Burger Chef at the plaza right off Purdue's Campus. Another favored eatery but I didn't spend all day there but it was at least a once a week visit during my years at Purdue.
Oh man, I remember Burger Chef & Jeff very very well. The burgers were good, better then McDonald's, and the shakes were simply phenomenal. Why does it feel like it's been a thousand years since I've had one?
Thanks, excellent work! I remember when the B.C. opened at Broadripple and Keystone, by Glendale mall. I think my friends and I kept them in business. Around 1966 the price went up on the basic burger, from 12 to 16 cents. There was almost a riot. Later they opened their 3 story store in downtown Indy. That was a trip, wish you had footage of it. While customers stood in line, a conveyor belt with burgers would trundle along next to them, helping inspire the hunger pangs. You mentioned the last ones to go- there was one in Longmont, Colorado, on the south end of main street. It remained for a long time after the company was gone. Also around 1966, just a couple of blocks east of the one on Broadripple, a fast food place opened featuring roast beef sandwiches and horsey sauce. Very small seating area, It had a cowboy barn wood theme, pardner. The sign said "RBs" Yep, you guessed it! I always thought that stood for "roast beef." Nope, Ritchie Brothers, the founders.
Tom Nolan yes those birdhouses bring a pretty good premium these days. There was one version that had multiple houses that brings several hundred dollars, if you can find one.
Tom Nolan I’ve seen a few on eBay. I’ve got a few cool pieces of Burger Chef memorabilia. Would be nice to have a birdhouse. Thought about just building a replica.
First visit was at Speedway/Alvernon in Tucson during High School daze, circa 1971. Then shortly after, I moved to Indianapolis by chance and saw them all over. Would go there for lunch, not far from work on West 16th street, back around 1974 & 75. Burgers were okay and the works bar helped a lot. Although living there at the time, I had forgotten about the tragedy. Went through some formative years in 'Naptown'.
Burger Chef started downhill in our town when, in about 1973, they started serving sandwiches in plastic bags. Condensation ruined the sandwich right away. The Hamburger was a Flame-Broiled beef patty cooked on a chain drive rack. One rack for regular patties and another ,slower, rack for the 1/4 pound patty. Simple menu, Small Restaurant with an Open Kitchen design. Fast service. The "Future Is Now" program was a Corporate attempt to revive the store operation. They added a "Fixin's Bar" so you could put lettuce and tomato and onion on your burger yourself. They died here shortly after McDonalds opened a big store with a playground out on the main highway. Burger Chef and Jeff could not compete with The Clown.
Oh Man!!! We had a great Burger Chef in Milford CT. It was a great hangout spot when we were teenagers and the people behind the counter and the manager were always kind to us. As long as we did buy some food, and didn't cause trouble, they would let us hang in the store or in the lot. There was a guy there, I think his name was Fred, he was like an assistant manger there, he drove a nice looking Turquoise colored mustang and it seems like he was always there even if he wasn't working a particular shift. What a great memory, sadly it's now a walk-in medical clinic :(
WOW, the memories! My parents worked at the local one back in the 60’s. I hung out at the same one next to our bowling alley in the 70’s. One of my ex-girlfriends used to work at the drive thru window. I really loved their burgers. When the expanded into breakfast they did that well too. I have yet to find any fast food chain to match them.
In an age of Steve Colbert-style cynicism we have to love the absolute sincerity with which you deliver the most arcane details. Armed with names, places, and reference books it’s as if your account of a lone forlorn Burger Chef missing a light bulb on Highway 1 is as important as the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.
This is such a great video, thank you for the excellent history of Burger Chef! The only thing I would add or correct is that Bob Wildman wasn't just Don and Frank's friend, he was their brother-in-law, married to their sister Jean.
Yes, and I'm Heidi's mom, (and one of Don's three children). I mentioned the fact that my Uncle Bob was Don & Frank's brother-in-law. But since Heidi never really knew them, she didn't quite get that last name right either. You got that right - as Wildman. And yes, I LOVED watching this video that Heidi found. Burger Chef was really like my 'little brother'. I grew with 'him'. I loved playing with the kitties in 'the factory' until they actually built a real restaurant. And then I loved getting the french fries, hamburger, and milkshake for many, many meals! One other fun fact about my dad's inventiveness was that he also experimented with building a miniature golf course in the upstairs of one of the Burger Chefs - long before McDonald's playrooms. Dad was always looking for ways to make the visits to Burger Chef - fun!
I miss Burger chef, I use to love going there as a kid
Alvin Wine me too!
Ditto
@Todd Foret who needs a job? He kills for a living now... Or so i hear. 😄
I as well. They beat McDonalds by far. As Burger King does today. The works bar was the best.
@@TheTeufelhunden68 Oh yeah! , we had one in walking distance from me , I used take a regular burger and stack all kinds of goodies and make it into a super burger, I miss burger chef
I used to love going to burger chef over McDonald's back in the late 70's. So many memories...
Me too, never like McDonald's food, still don't.
@@jeffreyk239 Likewise here; Burger Chef had the GRILLIN' TECHNIQUE that stood out from the rest of the crowd (especially from Burger King). The Works Bar made 'em STAND OUT!!!!!!
Ditto in the late ‘60s in Long Beach, California.
As a kid in the 60s and seventies I remember nobody I went to school with either went with McDonald's or wanted to admit they did!
McDonald's The same thing the same thing could be said of Queen and KISS in hindsight.
Nobody would ever
ADMIT it if they listen to them- or at least no one older than 12!
OMG!1 I thought I was the only one who remembered Burger Chef lol. I was about 5 and I LOVED it. So sad it closed. Thanks for an awesome trip down memory lane. So awesome to hear history I never even knew.
tellurye Burger Chef and Jeff lol
I'm 57 myself, and I don't remember when it opened, but the one in my town was still there in 1980, but it seems like it was gone not long after.
I used to love going to Burger Chef in Battle Creek, Michigan when I was a child.
Buger Chef was within walking distance of the old farmhouse we live in during the mid 70s. We were quite poor but I remember walking there with some friends many times and getting hamburgers. Good memories, thank you for the video, much much appreciated! By the way, the burger chef was in Trotwood Ohio.
Thank you for mentioning the Burger Chef in Danville, IL. My family used go there in 1970's. We went there so often, I was able to collect all 4 of the Star Wars posters. Later in the late 1980's, I got a job close by and ate there a lot because of the coupons out of the local newspaper. The coupons were for buy a burger meal and get a second burger free. Great for saving money, though it was still cheap to eat there. Too bad he had to change the name. I think the building now is a used car place.
I have the fish sandwich sign that hung off the bottom of the road sign. My buddy Jon has restored the top of that road sign and has it on display at Urban Artifacts in Peoria!
Somewhere in a box in the attic, I think I still have those Star Wars posters!
i went to the burger chef on gilbert street in danville many many times . im old enough to remember before it had indoor seating . i loved to get the fries by the pound .
Butch Schroeder who was the last of their family to own the restaurant in Danville also restored vintage aircraft, one of which was the P-51 Lil' Margaret. Sadly that P-51 possibly the finest example ever restored was sold to an out of country buyer who subsequently crashed it.. haven't heard if its going to be wrote off or repaired. There was even a paperback book wrote of their P-51 restoration called "P-51 restored" by Paul Coggan
@@alcosteam I remember that P-51. I remember seeing the wing sitting outside at Vermilion County Airport for a long time. I am guessing that he flew it a few times because the plane buzzed over me once when I was on a county road.
I loved the works bar . Also the super chef was better then the whopper and Big Mac .
Ed Newman I loves them! And we had winkys too near us!
Man, I made a mountain of toppings with the Works Bar. I miss the one that was in a nearby city. Last recall eating there in the late '70s/early '80s.
@@JohnnyUtah15 Likewise here, Johnny.
As best I can tell, the Big Mac is pretty much a complete copy of the Big Shef. The Big Shef was introduced sometime in 1964 and the Big Mac didn't come along until 1967. Even typing the names out now, Big Shef to Big Mac, it seems even more clear that Ray Kroc/McDonald's was simply taking Burger Chef's ideas rather than developing new food ideas.
Makes me wonder about the story of an inspired secretary coming up with the Big Mac name. It makes for a nice story, but when your new burger and it's name are so similar to a competitor's existing product that story starts looking like awfully thin cover.
@@InvisibleAvenger DAMN FUCKIN' RITE!!!!! The Big Shef was SO MUCH TASTIER THAN THE BIG MAC. Ironically, the Big Boy was more the inspiration 4 the Big Mac than the Big Shef. Even moreso, In-N-Out also inspired the Big Mac (the only difference btwn the Big Mac vs. the a4mentioned others is the Big Mac sauce has no tomato-based products; paprika gives the Big Mac sauce its reddish-orange hue).
I loved Burger Chef! I wish it would make a comeback. They should have gotten credit for the first boxed meal with a toy!
Cindy Francis they won't ever come back. Too much competition today, especially with 5 guys, n and out, shake shack, etc... Plus people's tastes have changed.
The box was the toy.
IT WAS THE BEST, WISH IT COULD COME BACK. I CRAVE THEM AT TIMES. GRAND RAPIDS, MI
If you had a burger from Hardee's, you're practically eating a Burger Chef burger. 🍔
They had a spinning top which was my favorite toy to get!! The unique kid meal trays!! Miss it
Lot of the old time burger places are gone. Taste Freez and Minute Man are two I remember. Minute Man was the first to have microwave ovens to cook food back in the 1960's. The microwave oven was a novelty back then.
I remember when our local Burger Chef turned into Hardees. The quality immediately deteriorated. It was obvious that people stopped going there.
Hardees was the bottom of the barrel. Awful drek.
Same happened to Taco Bell when it changed to Montery Jack.
Hardee’s was good. It’s Carl Jr’s that’s Awful.
our Sandy's turned into Hardees! And then little later Burger Chef all disappeared Sad!
- I still miss Burger Chef.
rickster348 miss them too!!
Never had a Burger Chef burger in my lifetime. ☹️
We had a Burger Chef in Richmond Virginia.
Used to always look forward to our stop at Burger Chef in Litchfield, Illinois, each trip to/from college 1969-73.
Gary Ellliott is the building still standing in Litchfield? I’m in Springfield area.
That's incrediburgible! Been a long time since I thought of a Big Chef. They were really delicious!
I've not had Burger Chef since the mid 1970's. I never ate there often, but always wondered what happened to them. How sad the way it fell.Thanks for the history.
I truly believe, had the 1978 Robbery and Murders in Speedway had never occurred, they would have survived.
Thank you for allocating the time to create this video! Greatly enjoyed the historic perspective of one of my favorite childhood restaurants!
MrSafetyForever I appreciate the feedback! It's a lot of fun to do these....wish I had more time to get more out there!
i worked for burger chef in illinois and i had the opportunity to play burger chef in the mascot costume in a major parade ! loved my years there !!!!!!! 74-76 i still have my name badge
Ah my favorite place to eat as a kid! Hard to believe that was 45-50 years ago, places now days cannot touch the quality and taste that Burger Chef had.
Yep, I'm 57 and remember going there when I was 6 years old (seems I was going there regularly before that), and I believe the one in my town was in operation as recently as 1981. The place where it stood is now a fast food outlet (I forget the name and I don't get out that way very often), but I believe it's Wendy's. It was a Rax Roast Beef sometime after it was Burger Chef, and I think something else after Rax, but before what it is now. It also seems that the original building was torn down. Both of my older brothers worked there (not at the same time) as teenagers when it was still Burger Chef.
Because of all the chemicals and GMO’s now.
The Burger Chef in Beaver Falls PA (BC08 design) was just down the hill from the Geneva College campus. Lots of college kids kept them in business.
Burger Chef in Gainesville Ga was our cruising spot in 76 and 77. Think about it quite often, great times.
Thank you so much for sharing your video. Bringing tears to my eyes remembering how happy my childhood was, I really enjoyed eating the Burger chef burgers and a fun experience while eating inside with there (Fun meals) having Fun. I'm 51 now, yet would rather vacation back in time (1977) to enjoy a Fun /exciting experience again. Thank you so much. I will definitely look to purchase the 2 books about Burger chef an author myself (non fiction).
Glad you enjoyed the video! I am also 51....what books have you written? History or food related?
@@restaurantrewind9026
No food review, ANCIENT MYSTERIES REVEALED (Non fiction).
We had one in Cambridge Ohio in the 70s and 80s. LOVED the Super Shef! They also had the BEST mushroom swiss burger! Hardee's tried the MSB but it didn't taste the same to me. Another great fast food chain gone along the wayside. Great Video! Waiting for Hot & Now next! ;)
The Hardee’s shown at 9:35 is from my home town of New Albany Indiana located at Grant Line Road and Daisy Lane. I remember when it was a Burger Chef. The building is still there but is now a quickie mart.
Sunday treat after church in Corunna Michigan. Burger Chef and Jeff!! Best of McD and BK
I remember in the late 60’s we’d have family supper at burger chef. My dad liked Sinatra, I loved The Rolling Stones. The TV was always on in the background, Vietnam playing in the background, the news would win every night. We were starving, but not just for dinner. My dad would say let’s go to another dinner table where everyone can get what they want when they want. He would say it would be bright and clean with no laundry and no telephone.; and no TV. Dad would say we could go there and get the connection we were hungry for. Mom would say ‘sure there’s chaos at home, but there’s family supper at Burger Chef.’
I loved them in Plymouth MI as a kid!
Inkster & Farmington Hills just as well.
We had one in Northville right near the high school. We'd go there after school all the time.
@@brianmeyer2718 I do remember a Burger Chef in Northville. However, I 4got where it was specifically loc8d.
There was one in Woodhaven I faintly recall.
@@JL-sm6cg There sure was; I believe it was loc8d @ I-75 & West Rd.
I lived one block from the Burger Chef in Niles,Michigan,was neat to watch the patty move thru the oven on a conveyor,then the works bar to load it up with onions/pickles.
I remember Burger Chef as a child growing up in the 70's. I loved the little station they had to put things on your burger. I used to load mine up with tons of pickles. I wish there was something similar nowadays.
Michael M I remember them too!! We had one right down the street!!
Yep, I worked there when Hardees bought them out, sorry they closed.I ate just over 1000 big chefs over the years. I still have a few of the Burger Chef coins somewhere
When did Burger Chef have coins?
@@TheBrooklynbodine Back in the 1970s (especially the early-2-mid 1970s).
@@b.j.banditt206 OK, thanks.
@@b.j.banditt206 My coins are dated 1969 & I still have them..
@@williegilligan2661 GR8!!!!! U have a genuine collector's item!!!!!! Dammit, Willie; u r makin' me FUCKIN' HUNGRY (& THAT'S A GR8 THING)!!!!!!
LOVED our Burger Chef in Ravenna Ohio , that was my hang out as a kid , I would ride my bike see my friends and we all had good burgers and fries ! I miss them ....
Flameout is THE definitive book about the history of Burger Chef. Good overview Troy
I also remember the Works Bar. At the student center at my local college, the Works Bar was transplanted there, after Burger Chef left town.
The Works Bar is also a famous fixture at Roy Rogers, where it is called the Fixin's Bar. And ironically Roy Rogers is another great chain that Hardee's bought and almost destroyed, but this time they were forced to convert back to Roy's after a Hardee's conversion failed. Today Roy Rogers is making a comeback after their largest franchise operator acquired the brand from Hardee's. Just too bad Hardee's did not allow Riverview or some other franchise operator to bring back Burger Chef, rather than just eliminate and destroy the brand.
@@Mr.TylerSC OK, thanks.
I remember when I was a kid and we moved to Bedford Indiana in 1980 there was a Burger Chef MMM. It did eventually become a Pleaser's and still had the Works bar idea but not the same MMMish. They sadly are both gone now and are a strip mall. But we still have a Hardee's yeah! I really miss the day's where two brothers had an idea and made it real and Tasty!
My 1st paycheck job was at a Burger Chef. I was 15, so I had to lie about my age. This was late 81, early 82, right at the end I guess. Didn't work there long - those busy lunch hours, and general ass busting work, convinced me to get my butt back in school.
Many good memories of "Burger Chef " I grew up in a single parent family, as my father died suddenly, mother and I would go to Burger Chef as a treat when we had business in town. Was very sorry when we lost the great Burger Chef . It was like losing an old friend. The one in Goldsboro, NC closed before they started "the works bar."
We had one across the street from our high school in the mid 70's. I went often to meet Sharon Hicks there. lol. Then the place became a small bar, and after that a donut shop.
Hal 9000 the one in Jacksonville IL became a donut shop for a time. It looks to be a warehouse these days.
I wish I'd found these sooner. I just recently escaped the restaurant industry and these videos are a fascinating flashback. Thank you!
Thank you for this. My grandmother used to walk my twin brother and I to Burger Chef once a week to eat. It was a highlight to do so. My brother and I would call it Buger Chef, ha. I remember very much the fun meal very much.
Hoder Harris yes Burger Chef was such a treat for my sister and me in the 70s. Good times!
As a yute I mistakenly called it "Burger Chief."
@george gross
I was an Assistant Manager at Burger Chef in North Smithfield, RI.
Didn't realize there was one in N. Smithfield, but I just barely remember one in N. Kingstown, because we moved there in 1974 from Providence.
I remember Burger Chef very well. My sister got her driver’s license in 1965. There was a Burger Chef in Mansfield Ohio and about 5 miles from our parents house. On Friday nights, when our parents would eat out at a nice restaurant with friends, my sister and I were given ~$2~ (total) for us two kids to eat dinner out at Burger Chef. We could get our choose of hamburger or cheeseburger, an order (each ) of fries, and a soft dink OR shake for less than $.50! Amazing!! Their theme song used to go...
“$15 cents, a nickel and a dime, at Burger Chef, you’ll eat better every time, cuz a nickel and a dime will get......(🎼)🎼 French Fried Potatoes, big thick shake, or the greatest 15 cent, Hamburger yet.. Eat at Burger Chef, for a nickel and a dime!!
We love Burger Chef and went their for years, EVERY Friday night, even after they became Hardee’s. Hated to see them go, because their food was much better tasting than McDonalds, and their burgers weren’t fried, but char-broiled. Hardee’s: “Hurry on down to Hardee’s where the Burgers are charcoal broiled”... Great Americana!
I, too, remember those 15 cent hamburgers and fries from McDonald's and Burger Chef back in the 1960's. We also had a "Steer-In" burger place that Dick Clark, before he moved American Bandstand to California, owned in the Philly area. Those burgers were amazing. He stopped by there quite often and we saw him several times when we went there for dinner. Sadly, Steer-In couldn't compete with the popularity of McDonalds and Burger Chefs in the area, and wasn't around long enough.
Animal Activist I used to work at the one on RT 42 in front of the Big Bear grocery store.
Wow, I just left a comment about our local Burger Chef and it was this very one in Mansfield. Do you remember the Arthur Treacher's on Park Avenue?
I also ate at this same Burger Chef on Park Avenue West, in Mansfield, Ohio back in the early 1970's. I remember it had a lot of glass windows.
Rob Hoffman We had a Burger Chef and a Arthur Treacher's in Huntington, WV also.
Not many people in this area remembers Arthur Treacher's. I guess they are too young. lol
There were 2 Burger Chefs in my hometown of Kenosha, WI. Loved them. Some of my buddies worked for them. Great job.
Please do more of these. This stuff interests me
Jeremy Scaggs thanks, glad you enjoy these. I plan on doing more for sure. Unfortunately my work schedule is crazy busy for the next several weeks. When it does down I am planning to get some more made. Thanks for watching!
El Paso Texas had several locations. I frequently ate at the McCrae one, it was down the hill from Eastwood High School and was handy for a freshman who had to walk anywhere he went out to lunch. They all were gone by 1975.
Our family was a Burger Chef family. We rarely went to McDonalds. The food at Burger Chef was just better. When you entered Burger Chef you were always greeted by the smell of flame broiled burgers. They had a good fish sandwich too. I don't go to Hardies either. Their burgers are too big and they just don't evoke the same flavor I remember from Burger Chef.
That's probably because they went back to frying the burgers when they changed to Hardees😔
The pic of the light globe brought an unexpected smile, I hadn't seen one of those since our local Burger Chef closed some 40 years ago.
Butch S. Where was your local Burger Chef?
Pensacola, Florida. Loved it as a kid as I was a fussy eater and I could dress my own burger the way I wanted it. Sadly Burger Chef didn't last all that long as Pensacola had McDonalds, Burger King, Krystals, Whataburger and a few locally owned burger joints for competition in what was a fairly small town at the time.
I loved burger chef and the works bar rocked. I also remeber as a child we would go as a family, my father was unable to walk do to polio so my mom and I would bring back the meals in Flint Mi. I would enjoy the kids meal as i recall was sort of a tray that had special places for the burger, fry, and drink and whatever toy. As a young man when I started to drive and work I knew 2 bucks would feed me quite well. I truly miss that resteraunt.
My family used to go to the one in Owosso, Mi. every Monday night after swimming lessons. We would get the fish sandwich. They had some kind of trivia game at one point.
Greg Demott yes that was the Funmeal! BC was definitely family-friendly.
I worked at a Burger Chef in St Paul MN on Marshall Ave in the early70s. Loved the job, still miss the Big Chef, best burger ever.
I worked at the one in Richmond Heights Ohio in the early 1970's while in high school. We had a lot of fun there.
My wife worked at the location in Bryan Ohio back around 1980. Your video made her smile :)
onefatstratcat yaaaay! Thanks so much for watching!
My dad is from Rhode Island and we were taking a road trip in his hometown and I remember him telling me there used to be a Burger Chef near his house - I never forgot and decided to do a youtube search on this - Thanks for posting!
I lived in Lincoln Park, MI, and Burger Chef was my favorite place to eat as a kid. I'd like to see a video on how the relationship between Carl's Jr and Hardee's developed.
I do need to do that one!
We used to go to the one on dix-hwy and Southfield road(freeway). It was Next to a Perry’s drugstore this was across from Sears shopping center….Michigan downriver represent..😀
@@restaurantrewind9026 please do 🙂
I remember that there was a Burger Chef location in Norfolk VA.
Burger Chef and Jeff.
Thanks for going down memory lane.
Brian Olson thanks for making the trip! Glad you enjoyed it. Check out the other videos in the series if you haven’t seen them yet. More to come!
Brian Olson - we had one over in Hampton also. King St & Mercury Blvd. Lived behind it
Brian Olson used to live a block away from one in Norfolk
At 200 E . Little Creek Rd. Wards Corner. Next to the Rail Road Tracks.
Used to cruise the burger chef in circleville in my 63 Chevy.good times.
I had never heard of Burger Chef until the Mad Men episode. And I'm a child of the 60's/70's.
Loved Burger Chef when I was a kid.
Thank you, Troy. I needed this. Appreciate the referral to the websites and that book, too. Fast food history is one of my jams, so, please keep doing what you do!
Great video, I wondered what happened to Burger Chef. It was one of my favorite places to eat growing up in Richmond Va.
I remember Burger Chef....So sad that they are not around today. :(
I LOVED BURGER CHEF..THE BIG CHEF W/CHEESE, THE FISH SANDWICH. THE Vanilla Shakes.
My first job in high school! work there for years! I used to take a part the shake machines and the pumps the ketchup, mustard salad dressing pumps in clean them when closing! I would take your orders. ahhh to be 16 again!!!!
Thanks Troy!
Living in Canada, nevrer got to experience this great brand. Thanks for sharing this and keep up the good work!
As a newly graduated student in 1966, I started school in Pine Bluff Arkansas. there was a Burger Chef on Olive St. They had the best fries ANYWHERE!. Great burgers too. I ate a ton of them.
Thanks for doing this video. There was a Burger Chef in Opelousas, Louisiana up until the 1980s or 1990s. Not sure within those two decades that it among some other Burger Chef chains in the South broke off tp become Mr. Cook. I sure miss Burger Chef especially the Works Bar.
We had two Burger Chef restaurants where I grew up. I will always remember them for those Star Wars posters -- the very first Star Wars fast food promotion.
I loved Burger Chef, as a kid. I have 3 of the dining room light fixtures, tho one globe has a broken corner. Gonna hang one up and use it.
Fred Lamb I’m going down to Louisville to pick on up in a couple of weeks
Restaurant Rewind Awesome!
We had one in Titusville Fl. when I was in H.S. in the early 70's and when I got stationed at Quantico a few years later in The Corps there was one in nearby dumfries...my fave burger joint by far. The had the condiments bar so you could put on as many tomatoes and lettuce and onions as you wnated...it was great.
Thanks for the video. The first job I ever had was at Burger Chef in Lake Charles, Louisiana. I spotted the exact building design in the video and called the boys in the room to tell them about it. (they were uninterested)
Grills only in mine, also. Approximately the same time period.
I loved Burger Chef. If I recall, ours was just south of Pershing on Main. The works bar was great because I could never get enough onions in other restaurants. Great episode. Thanks!
Rick McNeely thanks for watching! The building is still there, right in front of where Carlos O Kelly’s was. It’s been a Title loan company for years. Great memories of Burger Chef.
I worked at the Burger Chef in Baton Rouge in the 1950's. Great part time job, lots of fun, hard work.
What great memories working there in the 70s. Made it special because my brother managed the place and got me a job for the summer when I visited from CT. He never cut me a break, was probably harder on me to show no favoritism. But the memories are even more special today, we lost my brother a few days ago at 73 years. I’ll never forget him, or the lessons he gave me working at burger chef.
I loved our Burger Chef in Kokomo, Indiana. My cousin from Columbia, Missouri told me they had a place called Hardee's that was okay but not as good. Sure enough that Burger Chef has been a Hardee's since the take over. I never could get in to Hardee's.
I loved Burger Chef. A great place to go for a good but cheap meal on the way home from a day at Clearwater Beach. Also a fun meet up spot after high school football and basketball games. Fond memories!
I'm from Indianapolis and well remember Burger Chef...they were good.
TSC TSC Huntington, WV had one.
My parents and I ate in the Burger Chef in Keene NH a few times in the late 70's.Always enjoyed the burgers and can remember the fixens' bar.
Does anyone remember the “Burger Chef Village”? I remember going to Burger Chef on Mack Ave. in Grosse Pointe, Mich back in the mid to late ‘70’s and collecting all kinds of different “houses” and “buildings” that were the hamburger boxes I think? There was a large village map that you could put all the buildings on. I think I had the whole village ( since thrown away by mom). Anyone else remember the village buildings?
Sparty 954 hmm interesting. I’ll dig in and see if I can find anything on that.
Restaurant Rewind I just looked into it. It was called Burger Chef Fun Village. It was available in 1975 and for .75 cents you could buy the street map and then collect the fun village buildings that were on funburger boxes (including the last one made and hard to find- Burger chef restaurant building!! Thanks. There’s a couple pictures of them on google. It says they are very rare and hard to find.. Wish I still had mine now!
Sparty 954 ... I remember that...Grew up on the Eastside of Detroit..
I use too go to Burger Chef when I was young my oldest brother would take me there along with my other older brother. The burgers were awesome I loved that burger bar. Sadly the restaurant closed in Flagstaff,AZ around the late 70's I miss burger chef!
Great burgers and great memories thanks for your work
David Orrick thanks for Watching!
I used to enjoy Burger Chef when I was a youngster in Danville Illinois. Thx for the video.
i ate at the one in danville on gilbert many times .
Thank you for posting this video! It was interesting and very informative!
I remember Burger Chef very well. I was a kid in the Richmond Indiana area in the late 60's early 70's. It was them and McDonalds pretty much.
Growing up in the 70s I enjoyed going to Burger Chef for lunch or dinner. As a kid I enjoyed the Happy Meals and reading about Burger Chef and Jeff and all of their friends.🍔🍟
The Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh had a Burger Chef on the ground floor. I had my own table where I'd meet up with friends every morning, have breakfast, and drink coffee. Throughout the day, we'd peel off for classes but someone was usually there to hold the table. Good memories.
There was also a Burger Chef at the plaza right off Purdue's Campus. Another favored eatery but I didn't spend all day there but it was at least a once a week visit during my years at Purdue.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing the memories!
Used to work at one in Mansfield, Ohio in the 1960’s
My starting pay was $1.25 per hour.
Really, good old day
About $12 today..
Oh man, I remember Burger Chef & Jeff very very well. The burgers were good, better then McDonald's, and the shakes were simply phenomenal. Why does it feel like it's been a thousand years since I've had one?
I grew up in Indiana. Graduated HS in '77. The name kind of rings a bell, but I don't recall ever eating at one.
Thanks, excellent work! I remember when the B.C. opened at Broadripple and Keystone, by Glendale mall. I think my friends and I kept them in business. Around 1966 the price went up on the basic burger, from 12 to 16 cents. There was almost a riot. Later they opened their 3 story store in downtown Indy. That was a trip, wish you had footage of it. While customers stood in line, a conveyor belt with burgers would trundle along next to them, helping inspire the hunger pangs. You mentioned the last ones to go- there was one in Longmont, Colorado, on the south end of main street. It remained for a long time after the company was gone. Also around 1966, just a couple of blocks east of the one on Broadripple, a fast food place opened featuring roast beef sandwiches and horsey sauce. Very small seating area, It had a cowboy barn wood theme, pardner. The sign said "RBs" Yep, you guessed it! I always thought that stood for "roast beef." Nope, Ritchie Brothers, the founders.
There was a Burger Chef in Athens GA . There was even a Burger Chef birdhouse someone had in their front yard .
Tom Nolan yes those birdhouses bring a pretty good premium these days. There was one version that had multiple houses that brings several hundred dollars, if you can find one.
@@restaurantrewind9026 The Burger Chef building is still there in Athens , but it is a Chipolti Mexican restaurant right now
@@restaurantrewind9026 Try going to EBay if you want to find a Burger Chef birdhouse . There are Rock City birdhouses too on EBay .
Tom Nolan I’ve seen a few on eBay. I’ve got a few cool pieces of Burger Chef memorabilia. Would be nice to have a birdhouse. Thought about just building a replica.
Tom Nolan do you know what the address is for the former BC - turned - Chipotle?
First visit was at Speedway/Alvernon in Tucson during High School daze, circa 1971. Then shortly after, I moved to Indianapolis by chance and saw them all over. Would go there for lunch, not far from work on West 16th street, back around 1974 & 75. Burgers were okay and the works bar helped a lot. Although living there at the time, I had forgotten about the tragedy. Went through some formative years in 'Naptown'.
Burger Chef started downhill in our town when, in about 1973, they started serving sandwiches in plastic bags. Condensation ruined the sandwich right away. The Hamburger was a Flame-Broiled beef patty cooked on a chain drive rack. One rack for regular patties and another ,slower, rack for the 1/4 pound patty. Simple menu, Small Restaurant with an Open Kitchen design. Fast service. The "Future Is Now" program was a Corporate attempt to revive the store operation. They added a "Fixin's Bar" so you could put lettuce and tomato and onion on your burger yourself. They died here shortly after McDonalds opened a big store with a playground out on the main highway. Burger Chef and Jeff could not compete with The Clown.
I'm in Michigan, and Burger Chef was a few blocks down from my Paternal Grandfather, and I loved that place when I was a child.
My mom used to work at all of this stuff back in the day. She's such a good cook.
Oh Man!!! We had a great Burger Chef in Milford CT. It was a great hangout spot when we were teenagers and the people behind the counter and the manager were always kind to us. As long as we did buy some food, and didn't cause trouble, they would let us hang in the store or in the lot. There was a guy there, I think his name was Fred, he was like an assistant manger there, he drove a nice looking Turquoise colored mustang and it seems like he was always there even if he wasn't working a particular shift. What a great memory, sadly it's now a walk-in medical clinic :(
Thanks for sharing your great memories!
My dad was a manager at Burger Chef, it stayed around until the late 80's and then disappeared.
WOW, the memories! My parents worked at the local one back in the 60’s. I hung out at the same one next to our bowling alley in the 70’s. One of my ex-girlfriends used to work at the drive thru window. I really loved their burgers. When the expanded into breakfast they did that well too. I have yet to find any fast food chain to match them.
Liked Burger Chef , Always had a special when we were young and broke
Wow a walk down memory lane.. I had forgotten all about Burger Chef. A place my family visited often some 40 years ago when I was a kid.
loved burger chef and jeff
Very well done. Had Burger Chefs in Abq, NM when I was a kid.
Burger Chef had a mid 1970s era Star Wars promotion. 🎬📽📺🍔🍟🥤. They had a TV ad with C3PO & R2D2...
I loved Burger Chef ! My mom would take me and my brother to the one in Fort Smith,Ark in the early 70s
In an age of Steve Colbert-style cynicism we have to love the absolute sincerity with which you deliver the most arcane details. Armed with names, places, and reference books it’s as if your account of a lone forlorn Burger Chef missing a light bulb on Highway 1 is as important as the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.
Fairfaxcat if it’s not important to you, why would you watch it....plenty of “more important” videos out there I’m sure....
Fairfaxcat and yet you created a playlist with three “important”, seemingly unrelated videos....
This is such a great video, thank you for the excellent history of Burger Chef! The only thing I would add or correct is that Bob Wildman wasn't just Don and Frank's friend, he was their brother-in-law, married to their sister Jean.
Heidi Winder yes I should have pointed that out. Glad you enjoyed the video; thanks for watching!
My mom, their daughter and niece, loved this video so much but just wanted to add that comment. Thanks again for making it!
Yes, and I'm Heidi's mom, (and one of Don's three children). I mentioned the fact that my Uncle Bob was Don & Frank's brother-in-law. But since Heidi never really knew them, she didn't quite get that last name right either. You got that right - as Wildman. And yes, I LOVED watching this video that Heidi found. Burger Chef was really like my 'little brother'. I grew with 'him'. I loved playing with the kitties in 'the factory' until they actually built a real restaurant. And then I loved getting the french fries, hamburger, and milkshake for many, many meals! One other fun fact about my dad's inventiveness was that he also experimented with building a miniature golf course in the upstairs of one of the Burger Chefs - long before McDonald's playrooms. Dad was always looking for ways to make the visits to Burger Chef - fun!