Burger Chains That No Longer Exist

It's no secret we love our burgers. Whether it's our Big Macs, sliders, Whoppers, or smashed patties, the burger has long been a staple of the American diet. Everyone has their favorite burger joint, too. Some people need their Double Double fix from In-N-Out once a week, while others can't go long without satisfying their craving for a Culver's ButterBurger.

But while giants like McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King dominate the industry in terms of annual sales, it's important to pay homage to all the burger joints that paved the way for them to succeed in today's modern society. Although many of these spots closed long ago, they left an indelible mark for many of those who visited them during the good ol' days.

If you're ready to take your taste buds on a trip down memory lane, keep reading to revisit some of the most influential burger joints that no longer exist.

In Indianapolis, Indiana, brothers Donald and Frank Thomas owned General Equipment Company, which was hired by Burger King to manufacture a broiler to certain specifications. Donald and Frank were soon inspired to create their own fast food place. The first Burger Chef opened in 1957, and the rest is history.

The two brothers patented their flame broiler that was able to make 800 burgers an hour, so their 15-cent burgers quickly spread. Within 10 years, Burger Chef was the second-largest burger chain in the nation, right behind McDonald's. By 1972, it had about 1,200 locations. Burger Chef was arguably the pioneer when it came to kids' meals. The franchise created the Funburger, which was a smaller burger that included puzzles and a toy. Later, the franchise created the Funmeal, which included a burger, french fries, a soft drink, a sweet treat, and a toy. When McDonald's introduced its Happy Meal years later, Burger Chef sued but eventually lost.

By the late 1970s, the franchise was struggling financially. In 1982, 679 Burger Chef locations were sold to Hardee's for $44 million. Most of the locations were converted to Hardee's, while a few changed brands. Some independent Burger Chefs continued to operate for a few years afterward, and the final Burger Chef, located in Cookeville, Tennessee, shut down in 1996.

Apparently, Hardee's has brought Burger Chef burgers back from time to time at some of its Midwestern locations, if you're feeling nostalgic.

When the White Castle fast-food hamburger chain became popular in the early 1920s, several imitators jumped on the bandwagon. Of those competitors, White Tower Hamburgers was probably the most successful. Founded in 1926, the copycat burger franchise went to great lengths to find out the secrets of White Castle, which included hiring ex-employees of White Castle, copying its uniforms, and using a similar architecture and design for the buildings. Even the slogan was suspiciously similar: White Castle's was "Buy 'Em By the Sack," and White Tower's was "Take Home a Bagful."

Even though it was a near-exact copy of White Castle, the White Tower Hamburgers franchise gained a following in Wisconsin and the surrounding areas. For decades, burgers and coffee both cost 5 cents each. White Tower even offered people free meals on Christmas Day "just to make sure that no single man, whether black or white, resident or transient, should go hungry" (via On Milwaukee).

White Castle eventually took the copycat company to court for trademark infringement and won. White Tower was ordered to change its architecture, keep out of White Castle's markets, and pay royalties to the copied brand. Surprisingly, White Tower's evolution into a modern coffee shop was well-timed, and the brand continued to see some success for awhile. However, the brand didn't keep up its business model for a car-filled, postwar America. When foot traffic decreased significantly, so did its business.

If you grew up in the '80s and '90s, you likely remember the over-the-top sports bar called Official All-Star Cafe. The "sports bar Versailles" was the vision of Robert Earl, a businessman who specialized in creating themed restaurants like the Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood (via When Is Now). He enlisted some of the most successful athletes in the world, including Shaquille O'Neal, Wayne Gretzky, Monica Seles, Joe Montana, Tiger Woods, Ken Griffey Jr., and Andre Agassi.

Earl went all in on the first location in Manhattan's Times Square in 1995. One step into the restaurant was a smack to the senses. Over-the-top decor included mezzanine sky-box booths, an arena-sized scoreboard, booths shaped like baseball gloves, virtual reality video, and interactive TVs. You could also find rare sports memorabilia like Agassi's ponytail.

The franchise quickly expanded to Cancun, Miami, San Diego, Las Vegas, Australia, and Orlando's Disney World. Although the chain was a unique dining experience for tourists, it had a difficult time attracting people more than once. The last location closed in 2007. Now, the Official All-Star Cafe lives on only in the nation's memory as one of its flashier, more over-hyped disappointments.

Carrols was a branch of the Tastee-Freez chain that opened in 1956 in Indiana but blossomed with the help of a businessman named Herb Slotnick who secured the rights to add more locations. After seeing the burger stands in California, he envisioned bringing something similar to upstate New York. He soon became known as the man who introduced Syracuse to fast food, which included not only the chain's Club Burger but also its Sea Fillet fish sandwich, Crispy Country Chicken, and triple-thick shakes.

"Hamburgers were 15 cents and milkshakes were 15 cents and french fries were a dime, so it was 40 cents for a meal." Slotnick told Syracuse.com in 2010.

However, as most of these stories go, Carrols couldn't compete with the likes of Burger King and McDonald's. By the time the 1970s came around, Carrols was surrounded by ever-growing corporations. Slotnick made a business decision and cut a deal with Burger King. All of the Carrols locations in the U.S. were eventually either converted to Burger Kings or closed — the last American Carrols restaurant finally retired in 1981.

One of the most interesting landmarks in California's Bay Area is Doggie Diner with its 10-food-tall fiberglass dog head wearing a bow tie and a chef's hat. The beloved chain's story began in 1948 in Oakland with a man named Al Ross. He opened the restaurant with one thing in mind: quality ingredients. It quickly grew in popularity with its Doggie Diner hot dogs, hamburgers, pastrami sandwiches, and milkshakes.

At one time the Bay Area franchise had 30 locations, most of which were open 24/7. Although there was "Nothing Finer Than Doggie Diner," according to its slogan, the last Doggie Diner shut its doors in 1986 after folding from the competition. However, several of the giant Doggie Diner busts survived through the years. One was refurbished and became a San Francisco landmark in 2005.

The good news is a man named Kip Atchley has made it his life's work to revive the beloved fast food chain. Apparently, it will be located in Napa and feature one of the Doggie Diner heads right along with it.

Cities all over the country had their humble introductions to fast food burgers through one of many startup restaurants. For Jacksonville, Florida, it was Milligan's Beefy Burgers. A couple by the name of Elmer and Dorothy Milligan opened a burger joint that became an instant hit there — they sold over 450,000 beefy burgers that first year. After firmly establishing the chain in Jacksonville, the couple expanded to other locations around the county. By 1964, it had 16 locations and served more than 5 million burgers a year.

Back then, you could get a sackful (otherwise known as a dozen) of beefy burgers for a dollar. However, the franchise started to lose business once McDonald's and Burger King entered its territory. Jacksonville's Burger King especially flourished, with its headquarters in nearby Miami. Although most records of Milligan's Beefy Burgers has faded away as the decades passed, the burger joint will always have its place as one of the first fast food burger joints in Jacksonville.

In Illinois, Gus Lundberg, Robert Wenger, Paul White, and W.K. Davidson started a fast food burger joint. The four entrepreneurs hadn't intended to create their own restaurant chain. They were planning on opening some of the first McDonald's franchises outside of California. After their first McDonald's in Urbana, Illinois, was a hit, they decided to open new ones in Decatur and Peoria, Illinois. However, Ray Kroc of McDonald's informed them of several changes to the terms that would result in them paying a much higher percentage to McDonald's. So instead, the men decided to build a Scottish-based fast food joint they called Sandy's.

The place was popular. It served 15-cent hamburgers, 20-cent milkshakes, and a 10-cent bag of fries (which was strikingly similar to the McDonald's menu). Although the four founders weren't initially interested in expanding their local restaurant, the chain ended up with more than 100 locations around the nation (even as Kroc was busy suing them).

Eventually, the Scottish burger restaurant was sold to Hardee's in 1971, but not before expanding to other countries like Belgium and Canada. Although it's gone, the spirit of Sandy's will always be a part of history.