Type of Food: Burgers and Fries

Interesting Fact: There are nearly 700 A&W® All American Food outlets in 15 countries and territories around the world, and an additional 545 points of distribution at Yum! Brands multibrand restaurants.

History: One hot day in June of 1919 in Lodi, California an entrepreneur named Roy Allen mixed up a batch of creamy root beer and sold the first frosty mug of this delightful beverage for one nickel. With the success of his first root beer stand in Lodi, Allen soon opened a second stand in nearby Sacramento. It was there that what is thought to be the country’s first “drive-in” featuring “tray-boys” for curb side service, opened up. In 1922 Allen took on a partner, Frank Wright, an employee from his original Lodi location. The two partners combined their initials – “A” for Allen and “W” for Wright and formally named the beverage, A&W Root Beer®. Three units were opened in Sacramento, then on to other northern and central California locations and to the states of Texas and Utah. By 1933, the creamy beverage was such a success that there were over 170 franchised outlets operating in the mid-west and west. To insure uniform quality for the namesake beverage, Allen sold A&W Root Beer® concentrate exclusively to each franchise operator. The first A&W® restaurant outside of the U.S. opened in 1956 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. A standard core menu for the restaurants was introduced in 1978. It was the first time in A&W® history that there was a consistent menu offering. And, it was at this time that A&W Restaurants, Inc., the wholly-owned restaurant franchise subsidiary was formed. You can read more history here.

Website: www.awrestaurants.com

View the menu: here

Find your local A&W’s: in the USA here and in Canada here

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Type of Food: Burgers, Sandwiches, Steaks, Wraps, Salads

Interesting Fact: Applebee’s is the largest casual dining concept in the world with more than 1,900 restaurants in 49 states, one US territory, and 16 international countries. Also for each of the past 14 years (1993-2006), Applebee’s has opened 100 or more new restaurants.

History:Applebee’s was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, by Bill and T.J. Palmer. Their first restaurant, T.J. Applebee’s Rx for Edibles & Elixirs, opened in November 1980. In 1982, the Palmers opened their second Applebee’s in Atlanta and in 1983, to fulfill a dream of nationwide expansion, the Palmers sold the Applebee’s concept to W. R. Grace and Co. As part of the transaction, Bill Palmer was named president of the Applebee’s Division of an indirect subsidiary of W. R. Grace. In that capacity, Palmer guided the operation from its entrepreneurial beginnings to a full-fledged franchise system. He became an Applebee’s franchisee in 1985 and today owns more than three dozen Applebee’s restaurants. In 1986, the name of the concept was changed to Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar to reflect the Palmers’ original concept of a place people could call their own. In 1988, Applebee’s International, Inc. became the restaurant chain’s franchisor when Kansas City franchisees Abe Gustin and John Hamra purchased the rights to the Applebee’s concept from W. R. Grace.A When Applebee’s International, Inc. acquired Applebee’s in 1988, there were 54 restaurants. In 1998, Applebee’s became the first casual dining concept with 1,000 restaurants.

Website: www.applebees.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Applebee’s: here

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Type of Food: Sandwiches and Wraps

Interesting Fact:In 1991, Arby’s was the first to introduce a complete Lite Menu featuring three sandwiches and four salads under 300 calories and 94% fat free.

History:Foodservice veterans Leroy and Forrest Raffel opened the first Arby’s Roast Beef Restaurant in Boardman, Ohio on July 23, 1964. The goal was to offer something other than hamburgers in the fast food segment. On the original menu customers enjoyed roast beef sandwiches, potato chips, and Texas-sized iced teas.  To name their new venture, the brothers decided on Arby’s, which stands for R.B., the initials of the Raffel Brothers – although many suspect the R.B. stands for roast beef. Leroy and Forrest never looked back.   The company added an average of 50 restaurants a year in the 1970s while simultaneously creating and perfecting timeless menu favourites: Beef ‘n Cheddar, Jamocha Shakes, Curly Fries and Arby’s signature sauces, Arby’s BBQ sauce and Horsey Sauce®. Arby’s continued expanding both locations and menu items during the next decade, opening restaurant number 1,000 and introducing chicken to the menu in 1981. By 2005, there were 3500 locations in the United States.

Website: www.arbys.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Arby’s: here

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Type of Food: Burritos, Fajitas, Tacos, Quesadilla

Interesting Fact: The Baja Fresh philosophy is incorporated into every aspect of their restaurants. This includes excluding the use of freezers, microwaves and can openers in every location.

History: In August 1990, Baja Fresh® Mexican Grill opened its first restaurant featuring all-fresh, traditional fire-grilled Mexican favourites. Since it’s first restaurant in Newbury Park, California, Baja Fresh has expanded to more than 300 Mexican style restaurants. Baja Fresh has been now a wholly owned subsidiary of Wendy’s International since June 21, 2002.

Website: www.bajafresh.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Baja Fresh: here

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Type of Food: Offers a dual menu of both American and Mexican-style food options.

Interesting Fact:Baker’s logo does not contain the color red, which is almost true of all major fast-food brands.

History: Neal Baker started Baker’s Drive-thru in 1952 with a restaurant on Highland Avenue in San Bernardino. He opened his second restaurant the following year in Rialto. By 2004, Neal T. Baker Enterprises, the restaurant chain’s parent company, employed about 1,500 people and operated 35 Baker’s Drive-Thru restaurants, all in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Website: www.bakersdrivethru.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Baker’s Drive-thru: here

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Type of Food: Ice Cream

Interesting Fact: Baskin-Robbins has created over 1,000 flavors since 1945.

History: Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins were brothers-in-law (Burt married Irv’s sister, Shirley, in 1942). In 1945, Irv Robbins opened Snowbird ice cream shop in Glendale, California. A year later, Burt Baskin opens Burton’s ice cream shop in Pasadena, California. In 1948, Burt and Irv’s stores grow to a chain of six stores and the founders decide to sell their first licensing agreement, pioneering the first franchise business in the ice cream industry. Read more about the history here. Today Baskin-Robbins has over 2,700 store locations in the U.S. and over 2,800 internationally.

Website: www.baskinrobbins.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Baskin Robbins: here

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Type of Food: French Toast, Omelettes, Pancakes, Burgers, Fries, Milkshakes

Interesting Fact: The company is the franchiser for more than 455 Big Boy restaurants in the United States and Canada. Also, the “Big Boy” concept, menu, and mascot were originally franchised to a wide number of regional franchise holders, listed below (with approximate original territory in parentheses). Of these, only Frisch’s still maintains franchise rights to the “Big Boy” name, and many of the other former franchise owners (Shoney’s, for example) have expanded into areas that were once the territory of another franchise holder. The current Big Boy Restaurants International has been expanding its Bob’s Big Boy name into territories formerly held by franchisees.

Unlike most modern franchises, the various restaurants differed somewhat from one another in terms of pricing and menu offerings.

* Abdow’s (Massachusetts, Connecticut)
* Azar’s (Northern Indiana, Colorado)
* Big Boy of Florida (Exclusive rights to the Central Florida territory was acquired by Irv Lichtenwald from 2006 through 2011 with the right to extend this franchise for 6 additional years)
* Bob’s (California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Northeastern Ohio, New York, New Jersey, as well as Indiana and Pennsylvania turnpike and airport locations operated in several states by the Marriott Corp.)
* Eat’n Park (metro Pittsburgh) dropped Big Boy in 1976.
* Elby’s (West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio) owned the Big Boy rights to northern West Virginia, originally through Shoney’s and quickly expanded Big Boy into bordering Ohio counties, subfranchised through Frisch’s, and later expanded through Pennsylvania. A trademark battle with Frisch’s over Ohio operations caused Elby’s to drop Big Boy affiliation, to be followed by Shoney’s et al.
* Elias Brothers (Michigan, Northeastern Ohio, Ontario, Canada)
* Frisch’s (Ohio, Kentucky, S. Indiana, Florida until the early 1990s) the Cincinnati restaurant chain and first franchisee, began serving Big Boy hamburgers in 1946; Frisch’s now operates 88 Big Boys & franchises 32 Big Boys to others. They also franchise Golden Corrals in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky.
* JB’s (Utah, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, Washington, New Mexico, Kansas, Rhode Island)
* JB’s (Canada) (Ontario and Alberta in the 1970s)
* Kebo’s (Seattle & Tacoma, Washington area, no longer exists)
* Ken’s (Maryland – suburban Washington DC, became Bob’s late 1960s)
* Kip’s (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas)
* Lendy’s (Western Virginia)
* Mady’s (Windsor, Ontario, Canada)
* Manners (Northeastern Ohio)
* Marc’s (Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois) were owned by the Marcus Corporation. Some were sold, others were converted to Marc’s Café and later Annie’s American Café. Most now operate as Perkins.
* McDowell’s (North Dakota)
* Shoney’s (Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, Maryland), founded by and named after Alex Schoenbaum, no longer displays the Big Boy Statue, because it dropped its relationship with Big Boy in 1984 in order to expand to other states where others owned the trademark. It was the second Big Boy franchisee and subfranchised to Elby’s and Lendy’s.
* TJ’s (New York)
* Tops (Illinois)
* Vip’s (New Mexico)
* Yoda’s (Western Virginia)

Also, Big Boy Japan owns and operates 216 locations (as of September 2007) throughout Japan under four restaurant names: Big Boy (199 stores), Milky Way (50), Victoria Station (43), and Grill Dan (4).

History: Big Boy is a restaurant chain started in 1936 by Bob Wian in Glendale, California. Bob sold his car for $350.00 and opened a small restaurant called Bob’s Pantry. Members of an orchestra playing in the vicinity stopped in the restaurant and asked Bob Wian if he could dream up something different than just a plain hamburger. “Why not,” Wian mused. As if his hands were guided by an unseen force, he cut a regulation hamburger bun into three slices, and inserted not one but two hamburger patties into place. It was then garnished with a special and very delectable relish he had prepared. Wian handed the innovation to the players and anxiously awaited the decision. “Wow,” they chorused. “This is it!” and it was. Other customers saw him preparing it and asked for one. They agreed with the musicians. Wian had made a better hamburger. But what to call it? Inspiration came in the form of Richard Woodruff, of Glendale, California. When he was six years old, he walked into the diner Bob’s Pantry as Bob Wian was attempting to name his new hamburger. One day the chubby youngster walked into Wian’s now flourishing restaurant. “He was about six,” Bob recalled, “and rolls of fat protruded where his shirt and pants were designed to meet. I was so amused by the youngster — jolly, healthy looking and obviously a lover of good things to eat, I called him Big Boy.” So why not name the new hamburger Big Boy? Wian did. That was the birth of the first double-decker hamburger. Warner Bros. animation artist Ben Washam sketched Richards’ caricature, which became the character seen on the company logo. Big Boy is a registered trademark of Big Boy Restaurants International LLC .

Website: www.bigboy.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Big Boy’s: here

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Name: Blimpie

Type of Food: Sandwiches

Interesting Fact: The idea for a name appeared when they noticed that their new hoagie sandwich was similar in shape to a “Blimp”.

History: The first Blimpie was opened in Hoboken, New Jersey on April 4, 1964 by three young men with a dream: Tony Conza, Peter DeCarlo and Angelo Baldassare. It has since grown to the third largest sandwich chain in the United States, behind Subway and Quiznos. Currently there are nearly 1,600 franchises in the U.S. with a half dozen in Canada.

Website: www.blimpie.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Blimpie: here

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Name: Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits

Type of Food: Chicken and biscuits

Interesting Fact: Founded in 1977 by former KFC president Richard Thomas and partner Jack Fulk, Bojangles is named for the song written by Jerry Jeff Walker.

History: The first Bojangles’ was opened by founders Jack Fulk and Richard Thomas in July 1977 in the South End area of Charlotte, NC. Located mostly in the southeastern United States, Bojangle’s has a core menu featuring Bojangles’ Cajun Spiced chicken, fresh buttermilk biscuits and fixin’s such as Bojangles’ Dirty Rice, Bojangles’ Cajun Pintos and seasoned fries. All Bojangles’ kitchens prepare menu items from scratch. Besides Cajun-style chicken, Bojangles’ offers a wide breakfast menu including Cajun fillets, seasoned sausage or steak, country ham, eggs and cheese. Bojangles’ boasts more than 426 total locations in 12 states, as well as Honduras and Mexico.

Website: www.bojangles.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Bojangles’: here

Type of Food: 25 varieties of gourmet pizza as well as pasta, baby back ribs, chicken, seafood

Interesting Fact: Despite its name, Boston Pizza was not founded in Boston, and as yet has no locations in Boston or even Massachusetts. The company is Canadian! The name Boston was chosen because it was a considered a recognizable and established name.

History: The Boston Pizza concept began in Edmonton, Alberta in 1964 when Greek immigrant Gus Agioritis opened “Boston Pizza and Spaghetti House”. Although he lacked any significant restaurant experiences, Agioritis achieved success by combining hard work with a business strategy that included a focus on growth through franchising.

The company started franchising in the 1960s; Gus’ two younger brothers, Nino and Trifon helped found the first restaurant in Edmonton and each started a franchise in Saskatoon and Regina, respectively. When the company and its franchise rights were sold, Nino and Trifon established pizzerias under new names: Nino’s Pizza and Trifon’s Pizza still exist in these cities. Six years after opening, Gus had 17 locations (two corporate and 15 franchised) in operation across Western Canada. In 1978 Agioritis sold the company to Ron Coyle.

In 1983, Jim Treliving, a former RCMP officer who was one of the original franchisees (who had opened his first restaurant in 1968 in Penticton, British Columbia), along with business partner George Melville, bought the chain. By 1995, the company boasted 97 restaurants in Western Canada.

The first U.S. restaurant opened in 1998 under the name “Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza”. Today there are over 350 restaurants in North America and Mexico combined. Jim Treliving, Chairman and Founder of Boston Pizza Restaurants L.P. is looking towards expansion into Australia, the United Kingdom and eventually Asia.

Website: www.bostonpizza.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Boston Pizza in Canada here and Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza here

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Type of Food: Burgers, Fries

Interesting Fact: According to the Burger King there are 221184 possible ways to order a Whopper, their signature sandwich. They sell about 1.7 billion of Whoppers each year.

History: In 1954, James McLamore and David Edgerton opened their first Burger King restaurant in Miami Florida. The Original Whopper® Sandwich was introduced in 1957. The great success of the early restaurants made the Burger King concept a natural for international expansion. In 1963, the first international franchise restaurant opened in Puerto Rico, and in 1969 the first Canadian “Home of the Whopper®” opened in Windsor, Ontario. Today, the Burger King system operates more than 11,000 restaurants in all 50 U.S. states and in more than 60 countries and territories across the globe. Approximately 90 percent of Burger King restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees.

Website: www.burgerking.com/

View the menu: here

Find your local Burger King: here

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Type of Food: Breakfast Burritos, Hamburgers, Fries, Salads

Interesting Fact: Along with its sibling restaurant chain Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr. is the fourth largest US burger chain after McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s.

History: In 1941 a young Carl N. Karcher and his wife, Margaret, borrow $311 on their Plymouth automobile, adding $15 in savings to purchase a hot dog cart. One cart quickly grew to four. By 1945, Karcher owned a stand-alone restaurant in Anaheim, California called Carl’s Drive-In Barbecue. In 1956, Karcher opened the first two Carl’s Jr. restaurants in Anaheim, California and Brea, California; so named because they were a smaller version of his drive-in restaurant. Carl’s Jr. quickly expanded, and currently has more than 1,000 locations in 13 U.S. states, as well as in Mexico, Singapore and Russia. The restaurant chain prides themselves on their courteous fast service characterized by its logo, the bright yellow five-pointed Happy Star. CKE’s other chain, Hardee’s, also shares this logo.

Website: www.carlsjrcom

View the menu: here

Find your local Carl’s Jr. here

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Type of Food: Chicken

Interesting Facts: It is the second-largest chicken-based fast-food chain in the United States. Chick-fil-A’s slogan, “We Didn’t Invent the Chicken, Just the Chicken Sandwich,” is based on a true story: at a time when hamburgers dominated fast-food menus since the beginning,Chick-fil-A was credited with creating and inventing the chicken sandwich.

History: Chick-fil-A got it’s start in 1946 as the Dwarf Grill, a restaurant opened by Truett Cathy in the Atlanta suburb of Hapeville in 1946. This restaurants original location was  near a now defunct Ford plant.During the next couple of years, Cathy worked on his recipes, and is credited with inventing the first chicken sandwich in 1964. Cathy discovered that pressure cooking the chicken in peanut oil allowed for a fast serving time, and could give him something more unique than another burger joint ( aproccess still used today). The original sandwich also came with simply two pickles because that was the only condiment he had on hand when the sandwiches were created. With popularity of this item, the first Chick-fil-A opened in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Mall in 1967. The initial growth strategy was through Chick-fil-A locations in shopping malls. There are 375 mall locations at this time. Since 1986, most of Chick-fil-A’s growth has been in freestanding units (as of May 2009, the chain has over 775 freestanding units). In total Chick-fil-A has 1430 locations in 38 states.

Website: www.chick-fil-a.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Chick-fil-A: here

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Type of Food: Tacos, Burritos, Fajitas

Interesting Facts: In 2001, Chipotle released a mission statement called “Food With Integrity”, which highlighted Chipotle’s commitment to naturally raised meat, organic produce, and dairy without added hormones. All of Chipotle’s chicken and pork are naturally raised (i.e., open-range, antibiotic free, and with a vegetarian diet), as well as 50% of the beef. Also, approximately 30% of the beans are organically grown.

History: In 1993, Steve Ells opened the first Chipotle in Denver, Colorado in a former Dolly Madison Ice Cream Store near the University of Denver campus using an $85,000 loan from his father.

In 1998, McDonald’s made an initial minority investment in the company. By 2001, they had grown to be Chipotle’s largest investor.McDonald’s investment allowed the firm to quickly expand, from 16 restaurants in 1998 to over 500 by 2005. On January 26, 2006, Chipotle made its IPO, after increasing the share price twice due to high pre-IPO demand. In its first day as a public company, the stock rose exactly 100%, resulting in the best U.S.-based IPO in six years, and the second-best IPO for a restaurant after Boston Chicken (now Boston Market). The money from the offering was then used to fund new store growth.

In October 2006, McDonald’s fully divested its investment in Chipotle, part of a larger initiative to divest all of its non-core business restaurants

As of March 2009, 830 restaurants have since opened throughout the United States and Canada.All are company-owned, rather than franchised. Founder Steve Ells still serves as chairman and CEO of the company.

Website: www.chipotle.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Chipotle: here

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Type of Food: Focus on Pizza, but also offers buffalo wings, sandwiches, breadsticks, mozzarella sticks, cinnamon sticks, and salads.

Interesting Fact: Chuck E. Cheese specializes in birthday parties for those 1-12 years of age.

History: The business was founded in 1977 by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell as the Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre, and featured singing animatronic characters. As of January 1, 2006, The company operated over 500 restaurants in the United States and other countries.

Website: www.chuckecheese.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Chuck E. Cheese’s: here

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Name: Dagwoods Sandwichs et Salades

Type of Food: Sandwiches and salads

Interesting Fact: Dagwoods Sandwichs et Salades is involved in many local community events.

History: Founded by Montrealer Spiro Krallis, the first Dagwoods sandwich was sliced back in 1989. Dagwood sandwiches are made to order, with the meat being sliced per customer specifications. Currently there are 14 locations across Quebec.

Website: www.dagwoods.ca

View the menu: here

Find your local Dagwoods: here

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Type of Food: Ice Cream, including a wide selection of ice cream cakes (logs). Some locations offer burgers and fries as well.

Interesting Fact: Texas has the most DQ restaurants with more than 600 locations.

History: The first Dairy Queen outlet was opened by Sherb Noble in Joliet, Illinois on June 22, 1940. DQ was an early pioneer of food franchising, with less than 10 stores in 1941 it quickly expanded to almost 1500 in less than ten years. Already by 1955, there were 2600 stores. Today, the Dairy Queen system is one of the largest fast food systems in the world with more than 5,700 restaurants in the United States, Canada and 22 foreign countries.

Website: www.dairyqueen.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Dairy Queen: here

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Type of Food: Denny’s is well-known for its breakfasts served around the clock.

Interesting Fact: Unlike many other fast-food restaurant chains (such as McDonald’s), Denny’s does not close on holidays or nights, except where required by law. Denny’s is known for its 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year operations, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert around the clock.

History: Denny’s was founded under the name Danny’s Donuts in 1953 by Harold Butler in Lakewood, California. Butler expanded to 20 restaurants by 1959, when he renamed the chain to Denny’s. The business continued to grow and today Denny’s operates about 2,500 restaurants in all 50 U.S. states, two territories, and four foreign countries.

Website: www.dennys.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Denny’s: here

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Type of Food: Pizza

Interesting Fact: The three dots on a Domino’s Pizza box represent the first three Domino’s stores. Tom Monaghan, the orignal owener, had planned to add another dot for each new restaurant that opened, but given the rapid rate at which Domino’s opened new stores, that quickly became impractical.

History: In 1960 Tom Monaghan and his brother James purchase “DomiNick’s,” a pizza store in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Monaghan borrowed $500 to buy the store. A year later James trades his half of the business to Tom for a Volkswagen Beetle. In 1965 Tom Monaghan renames the business “Domino’s Pizza, Inc.” Today, there are more than 7,000 stores – including over 2,000 in more than 55 other countries.

Website: www.dominos.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Domino’s Pizza: in the USA here and in Canada here here

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Name: Dunkin’ Donuts

Type of Food: Donuts, bagels and coffee

Interesting Fact: If every donut that Dunkin’ Donuts sells each year were lined up end-to-end, they would circle the Earth 5.8 times.

History: It all started in 1946 when Mr. William Rosenberg founded Industrial Luncheon Services, a company that delivered meals and coffee break snacks to customers in the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts. The success of Industrial Luncheon Services led Rosenberg to open his first coffee and donut shop, the “Open Kettle”. Then, in 1950, Rosenberg opened the first store known as Dunkin’ Donuts in Quincy, Massachusetts. Today with more than 6,000 Dunkin’ Donuts shops worldwide, the company is the largest chain of coffee, donut, and bagel shops.

Website: www.dunkindonuts.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Dunkin’ Donuts: here

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Name: El Pollo Loco

Type of Food: Mexican focused on grilled chicken

Interesting Fact: On July 31, 1995 El Pollo Loco earns a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for building the world’s largest burrito in Anaheim, California. The burrito is 3,112 feet long and weighs two tons.

History: It all started in 1975, in the small town of Guasave on Mexico’s Pacific Coast a roadside chicken stand named El Pollo Loco (pronounced “L-Po-yo Lo-co” and Spanish for “The Crazy Chicken”) by Juan Francisco Ochoa. Its signature menu item was (and remains) unique– fresh, natural chicken marinated in a special recipe of herbs, spices and citrus juices passed down from the founding family. News of El Pollo Loco spread rapidly throughout Northern Mexico. By 1979, El Pollo Loco restaurants could be found in a variety of Northern Mexico cities. Shortly after, news of the delicious marinated chicken traveled across the border into the United States. In 1980, people lined up around the block as the first American El Pollo Loco opened on Alvarado Street in Los Angeles. It quickly expanded and by 1991, there were 200 El Pollp Loco locations.  In 1998, El Pollo Loco added self-serve salsa bars in its restaurants, allowing customers the opportunity to personalize menu selections with El Pollo Loco signature salsas, including  its famous House Salsa, Spicy Chipotle Salsa, Avocado Salsa and Pico de Gallo. Other El Pollo Loco favorites include made-to-order signature grilled burritos, The Original Pollo Bowl®, Pollo Salads, Tacos al Carbon, quesadillas, Chicken Tortilla Soup and more. Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, El Pollo Loco, Inc. is a privately held company owned by Trimaran Capital Partners and company management. El Pollo Loco opened 30 new restaurants during 2008. As of December 31, 2008, there were 413 El Pollo Loco restaurants: 247 owned by franchisees and 166 owned and operated by the company. The restaurants are located in the following U.S. states: California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

Website: www.elpolloloco.com

View the menu: here

Find your local El Pollo Loco: here

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Type of Food: Burgers

Interesting Fact: The chain remained mostly a California chain until it started a significant expansion in North America in the late 1990s.There are currently 82 Fatburger restaurants.

History: Fatburger was founded by Lovie Yancey in Los Angeles, California in 1952.

Website: www.fatburger.net

View the menu: here

Find your local Fatburger: here

Name: Fuddruckers

Type of Food: Burgers

Interesting Fact: What is a Fuddruckers? Apparently it was a made up word by Fuddruckers’ founder Philip J. Romano. On the Fuddruckers website, the definition of Fuddruckers is ” 1: an uncommonly fresh burger of grand proportions. 2: the world’s greatest burger. 3: the standard by which all other burgers are measured”

History: Philip J. Romano founded Fuddruckers in 1980 on Botts Lane in San Antonio, Texas. The first location was an old bank converted to a restaurant. Today Fuddruckers has over 260 locations around the world, most of which have a 1950s and 1960s rock and roll theme. The current owner, Michael Cannon, purchased the chain in November 1998, and it is based in Austin, Texas. Fuddruckers still remains focused on Philip J. Romano’s original concept: upscale burgers that are cooked to order with guests encouraged to create their own burgers with fresh, neverfrozen beef, baked-daily buns and fresh produce.

Website: www.fuddruckers.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Fuddruckers: here

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Type of Food: Burgers

Interesting Fact: The original cost of a Hardee’s hamburger was 15 cents

History: Hardee’s was founded by Wilbur Hardee, who opened his first restaurant in Greenville, North Carolina in 1960. In 1997, CKE Restaurants (owner of Carl’s Jr.) acquired Hardee’s. Hardee’s restaurants are gradually being converted to be more like Carl’s Jr. with some of the same menu items and even adopting the same star logo.As of 2006, Hardee’s operates 1993 restaurants in 31 US states.

Website: www.hardees.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Hardee’s: here

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Type of Food: Burgers, Sandwiches, Buffalo Wings and Seafood

Interesting Fact: The first Hooters “Girl” was Lynne Austin.

History: Hooters was incorporated on April Fool’s Day, 1983, when six businessmen with absolutely no previous restaurant experience got together and decided to open a place they couldn’t get kicked out of. Soon after, on October 4th of that year, the doors to the first Hooters Restaurant opened in Clearwater, Florida. In 1984, Robert H. Brooks and a group of Atlanta investors bought expansion and franchise rights for the Hooters chain. Brooks eventually bought majority control and became chairman. Under Brooks’ leadership, Hooters expanded from one restaurant to over 425 stores worldwide.

Website: www.hooters.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Hooters: here

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Type of Food: Pancakes

Interesting Fact: The “international” in “International House of Pancakes” is derived from the three core crepe-style pancakes: “German” (served with lemon butter and lemon), “French” (served with orange marmalade), and “Swedish” (served with lingonberries and lingonberry butter). These fruit-topped crepes are offered with an egg-and-meat plate as the “International Passport Breakfast.” Menu offerings such as French toast and Belgian waffles further reinforce the international theme.

History: The first International House of Pancakes restaurant opened in 1958 in a suburb of Los Angeles, Toluca Lake, California by a fellow named Al Lapin. The concept of the restaurant was based on one of America’s favorite foods – pancakes. Within four years the number of units had increased to nearly 50, with many of the restaurants being operated by franchisees. Some locations are open 24/7, and on holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s. As of June 30, 2006, there were 1,264 IHOP restaurants in 48 states and Canada.

Website: www.ihop.com

View the menu: here

Find your local IHOP: here

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Name: In-N-Out Burger

Type of Food: Burgers, Fries and Milkshakes

Interesting Fact: In-N-Out has never franchised, and plans to remain privately owned.

History: Founded in 1948 by Harry Snyder and his wife Esther, and headquartered in Irvine, California, In-N-Out Burger has since expanded outside Southern California to the rest of the state, and to Arizona, Nevada, and southern Utah as well.

In 1948, the first In-N-Out Burger was founded by Harry and Esther Snyder in Baldwin Park. Harry’s idea of a drive-thru hamburger stand where customers could order through a two-way speaker box was quite unique. In that era, it was common to see carhops serving those who wanted to order food from their car. Harry’s idea caught on and California’s first drive-thru hamburger stand was born.

It was almost three years before a second In-N-Out was opened. By the time of Harry Snyder’s death in 1976, there were only 18 drive-thru locations. Rich, Harry’s son, took over as President at the age of 24. With the help of Guy (his brother) they established a commissary at the Baldwin Park Headquarters. This new facility allowed In-N-Out to have total quality control over all In-N-Out ingredients. In addition, they created the In-N-Out “University”, where new managers are trained and the In-N-Out formula for success is consistently reinforced. While Rich was President, In-N-Out grew from those 18 locations in 1976 to 93 locations at the time of his death in 1993. Guy Snyder became Chairman of the Board and CEO in 1993.

As Chairman of the Board, H. Guy Snyder, (the H. stands for Harry, named after his father) led In-N-Out into the future with continued expansion throughout California, Nevada and Arizona. Guy carried on the same tradition that was set in 1948 by his parents, stressing the same basic values that helped make In-N-Out so successful. While Guy was Chairman of the Board, In-N-Out grew from 93 locations to 140 at the time of his death in 1999. In-N-Out remains privately owned and the Snyder family.

Website: www.in-n-out.com

View the menu: here

Find your local In-N-Out Burger: here

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Name: Jack in the Box

Type of Food: Burger, specialty sandwiches and salads

Interesting Fact: Jack in the Box pioneered a number of firsts in the fast food industry. It was the first major fast-food chain that started as a drive-thru, and it was also the first to introduce menu items that are now staples on most fast-food menu boards, including a breakfast sandwich and portable salad.

History: Jack in the Box was started in 1951 by a businessman named Robert O. Peterson and was loacted on El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego. Today there are more than 2000 Jack in the Box restaurants in 17 states.

Website: www.jackinthebox.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Jack in the Box: here

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Name: Jamba Juice

Type of Food: Wraps, sandwiches, smoothies

Interesting Fact: Jamba Juice was  named the #1 Healthy option in the Quick Refreshment category in Zagat’s 2009 Fast Food Survey.

History: Jamba Juice was founded in April 1990 by Cal Poly graduate Kirk Perron, along with cofounders Joe Vergara, Kevin Peters, and Linda Ozawa Olds. In August 1997, Jamba entered into an operating agreement with Whole Foods Market to sell only “natural” products inside some of the Whole Foods’s locations, including Jamba’s smoothies’ ingredients. Jamba Juice focuses on healthy lifestyle food and beverage offerings, these include fruit smoothies, juices, teas, hot oatmeal made with organic, steel cut oats, and baked goods. Jamba Juice has 732 locations consisting of 499 company- owned and operated stores and 233 franchise stores.

Website: www.jambajuice.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Jamba Juice: here

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Name: Johnny Rockets

Type of Food: Burgers, fries and milkshakes

Interesting Fact: Each year, Johnny Rockets serves more than 13 million hamburgers.

History: Johnny Rockets was founded on June 6, 1986, by Ronn Teitelbaum of Los Angeles, California. The first restaurant was established in the Melrose District of L.A. Every  Johnny Rockets restaurant core menu has classic items including  hamburgers, sandwiches, and milkshakes. Guests also enjoy an all-American look and feel, tabletop jukeboxes and authentic décor. To date, Johnny Rockets has 274 corporate and franchise-owned restaurants in 29 states and 11 countries, including locations found in Six Flags amusement parks and aboard Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

Website: www.johnnyrockets.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Johnny Rockets: here

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Type of Food: Fried Chicken

Interesting Fact:Wendy’s restaurants founder Dave Thomas operated several Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises before starting Wendy’s restaurants. He also invented the rotating-bucket-of-chicken sign that at one time was outside every KFC.

History: In the midst of the depression, Harland Sanders opens his first restaurant in the small front room of a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky. Sanders serves as station operator, chief cook and cashier and names the dining area “Sanders Court & Café.” In 1936, Kentucky Governor Ruby Laffoon makes Harland Sanders an honorary Kentucky Colonel in recognition of his contributions to the state’s cuisine. In 1952, “The Colonel” begins actively franchising his chicken business by traveling from town to town and cooking batches of chicken for restaurant owners and employees. The Colonel awards Pete Harman of Salt Lake City with the first KFC franchise. A handshake agreement stipulates a payment of a nickel to Sanders for each chicken sold. You can read more history here. Today there are over 32500 KFC restaurants in more than 82 countries around the world

Website: www.kfc.com

View the menu here

Find your local Kentucky Fried Chicken: in the USA here in Canada here

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Name: Krystal

Type of Food: Burgers and Fries

Interesting Fact: Krystal is often described as the Southern equivalent of the older Midwest American hamburger chain White Castle. Also, every year, Krystal announces inductees to the Krystal Lovers Hall Of Fame. The inductees are chosen from e-mails and letters received by The Krystal Company and represent the dedicated and diehard customers who have helped make Krystal a cultural icon. To commemorate the win, Krystal will feature each inductee on his or her very own Famous Krystal Hamburger box or Cheese Krystal box, for a limited time. Along with their likeness on the the box  it include a quote from the inductee that describes his or her passion for Krystal. They will also be officially honored with a special plaque during an induction ceremony to be held at the inductee’s favorite Krystal restaurant and celebrated at the Krystal website.

History: Krystal is the seventh or eighth-oldest hamburger chain in the United States (the oldest being White Castle) and the oldest in the South. The first Krystal restaurant opened in 1932 on the corner of Seventh and Cherry Streets in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn., amid harsh financial times of the Great Depression. But founders Rody Davenport Jr. and J. Glenn Sherrill knew that even in these hard times, people would patronize a restaurant that was kept spotlessly clean, where they could get a good meal with courteous service at the lowest possible price.

Designed by Chattanooga architect Gordon Smith, the first Krystal restaurant measured 10 feet by 25 feet and was constructed in what, at the time, was a revolutionary and expensive method of building. Made of gleaming white porcelain and stainless steel, the building was prefabricated in a metal shop in Chicago and assembled on site in Chattanooga.

The restaurant was an overnight success. Customers flocked to the small building with the spotless chrome and tile fittings to perch upon the six stools, savor hot-off-the-grill Krystals and sip freshly brewed coffee from thick china mugs. Those not lucky enough to snag a stool would order sacks full of Krystals to take with them, making Krystal a pioneer in the business of food “to go.” Based on the success of their first location, Davenport and Sherrill began opening Krystals all over the Southeast – creating one of the first fast food restaurant chains in the United States. Krystal’s product line  also still centers on  small, square hamburgers served on a square steamed bun called, simply enough, a “Krystal”. Small hot dogs, named “pups” are also featured menu items.

Krystal restaurants, both company-owned and franchised, operate in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. There is also a single Krystal in Bristol, Virginia (which lies on the Tennessee-Virginia border), and two in Arkansas, one in West Memphis (directly across the Mississippi River from Memphis), and one on the other side of the state in Springdale (which is in the Fayetteville, Arkansas metropolitan area). Krystal is often compared to a similar Midwest restaurant chain White Castle, but other than Nashville and several Kentucky markets, the two restaurants seem to have drawn their own Mason-Dixon line when it comes to competition. Krystal still maintains corporate headquarters in Chattanooga, and has been owned by Port Royal Holdings, Inc. since 1997. Krystal has more than 400 locations across the South. More history here.

As for the origins of the Krystal name, company legend states that the name was conceived by Mrs. Mary McGee Davenport. She selected the company name after noticing a crystal ball on a neighbor’s lawn. The name she chose, “Krystal Klean,” reflected the cleanliness of the restaurant; the name was later shortened to Krystal. A crystal ball became a symbol outside all Krystal restaurants.

Website: www.krystal.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Krystal: here

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Name: Krispy Kreme

Type of Food:Donuts

Interesting Fact: Krispy Kreme stores across North America produce more than 7.5 million doughnuts per day and more than 2.7 billion doughnuts per year.

History: Vernon Rudolph opened the first Krispy Kreme on July 13, 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina using a secret doughnut recipe that was bought from a French chef in New Orleans. He began selling his doughnuts to local grocery markets, but soon people began asking if they could buy hot doughnuts. Quickly thinking, Rudolph cut a hole in the wall and starting selling Hot Original Glazed directly to customers. Today Krispy Kreme has approximately 300 stores and 90 satellites operating systemwide in the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Mexico, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

Website: www.krispykreme.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Krispy Kreme here

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Type of Food:Burgers, Fries

Interesting Fact: Lick’s is the first “fast food” chain (to our knowledge) to introduce the exclusive use of pasteurized beef.

History: Lick’s is a privately-owned Canadian company founded by Denise Meehan, the President and sole shareholder. Ms. Meehan, a native of Sturgeon Falls, Northern Ontario, grew up in a tourist resort operated by her parents. From an early age, Denise absorbed many of the finer points of running a business and developed an attitude toward hospitality and service that has drawn praise from countless customers. Equipped with a $5,000 loan, unlimited energy and ambition, Ms. Meehan launched the Lick’s phenomenon in 1980. When asked why she established Lick’s, Denise responded by saying: “There are very few people that share my standards for service and quality in this industry. Too often, vast sums of money are spent on decor and advertising while neglecting staff development and customer concern.”

Website: www.lickshomeburgers.com/

View the menu: here

Find your local Licks Homeburgers & Ice-Cream in Canada here

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Type of Food: Pizza

Interesting Fact: After founding Little Caesar in 1959 and growing it into one of the nation’s top three pizza firms, family patriarch Mike Ilitch purchased the Detroit Red Wings hockey team in 1982 and the Detroit Tigers baseball team a decade later.

History: On May 8, 1959, the dynamic husband and wife team, Mike and Marian Ilitch opened the first Little Caesars Pizza restaurant in Garden City, Michigan. In 1962, the Ilitches sold the first Little Caesars franchise. Today Little Caesars has about 2,000 pizza outlets on five continents.

Website: www.littlecaesars.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Little Caesars in the USA here in Canada here

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Name: Long John Silvers

Type of Food: Sea Food

Interesting Fact: The name and concept were inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s book Treasure Island.

History: The history of Long John Silver’s can be traced to 1929, when Jerome Lederer, the company founder, opened a six-seat hamburger stand he called the White Tavern Shoppe in Shelbyville, Kentucky. The concept proved popular and thrived until World War II caused Jerome to close 10 shops due to shortages of meat, sugar, and manpower.

Lederer regrouped in 1946, establishing his company as Jerrico Inc. and introducing a new restaurant in Lexington, called Jerry’s Five and Dime. There the focus was promoting 15-cent roast beef sandwiches. In 1947, realizing that people were not willing to pay that much for a roast beef sandwich, Lederer converted Jerry’s menu around the newly popular hamburger.

As he rebuilt his company, Lederer hired Warren W. Rosenthal to manage his restaurants in 1948. Soon the two men were looking for a restaurant concept they could duplicate across the country. Rosenthal, who had been made chief executive officer of Jerrico, eventually served as president and gained ownership of the company as well when Lederer died in 1963.

In 1969, Rosenthal was inspired to try out a new market for quick-service seafood in face of massive competition in the market of standard American favorites such as hamburgers, pizza, and fried chicken.

Shortly after taking Jerrico public in 1969, Rosenthal launched Long John Silver’s Fish ‘n’ Chips, in Lexington, Kentucky. (The original location, on Southland Drive just off Nicholasville Road, was previously a seafood restaurant named the Cape Codder, which accounts for the Cape Cod style of Long John Silver’s early chain restaurants.)

In 1971 Long John Silver’s became Jerrico’s most successful chain and it expanded to more than 200 units. In 1990 the company divested its other restaurant concepts to focus on Long John Silver concept and renamed themselves Long John Silver Restaurants Inc.

By end of the 1990’s Long John Silver Restaurants Inc. becomes part of Yorkshire Global Restaurants Inc, which in turn was purchased by Tricon Global Restaurants, which is now known as Yum! Brands.

Today, Long John Silver has over 1200 units worldwide – and more than 200 additional locations in multi-brand restaurants. The chain hosts nearly four million customers each week.

Website: www.ljsilvers.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Long John Silvers: here

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Name: New York Fries

Type of Food: French fries and hot dogs

Interesting Fact: New York Fries is a Canadian company with no New York location.

History: New York Fries was founded in Brantford, Ontario by Jay Gould and his brother, Hal. In 1984, the brothers were reading the New York Times and noticed an article that read: “The best french fries are at a little stand at the South Street Seaport.” When the two brothers found the “little stand” they discovered New York Fries. They enjoyed the fries so much, they decided to buy the company. The location in New York City at South Street Seaport has since closed, but New York Fries can be found in South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. New York Fries has over 200 locations worldwide, most are located in major shopping centers and movie theaters.  In 2005, New York Fries Company opened a chain of stores called South St. Burger Co. that makes the same fries as New York Fries  but also sells hamburgers and salads.

Website: www.newyorkfries.com

View the menu: here

Find your local New York Fries: here

Name: McDonald’s

Type of Food: Burgers, Fries

Interesting Fact: McDonald’s operates over 31,000 restaurants in more than 119 countries on six continents, employing more than 1.5 million people.

History: Ray Kroc, at 52 years old, invested his entire life savings to become the exclusive distributor of a milk shake maker called the Multimixer. Hearing about the McDonald’s hamburger stand in California owned by Dick & Mac McDonald running eight Multimixers at a time, he packed up his car and headed West. It was 1954. Ray Kroc had never seen so many people served so quickly. He pitched the idea of opening up several restaurants to the McDonald brothers, convinced that he could sell eight of his Multimixers to each and every one. “Who could we get to open them for us?” Dick McDonald said. Well,” Kroc answered, “what about me?”

Ray Kroc opened the Des Plaines, Illinois restaurant in 1955 and never looked back. In 1965 McDonald’s went public with the company’s first offering on the stock exchange. In 1967, the first McDonald’s restaurant outside the United States opened in Richmond, British Columbia. In 1968, the Big Mac® sandwich was introduced, followed by the Egg McMuffin® breakfast sandwich in 1973. Milestones and accomplishments have followed ever since.

Website: www.mcdonalds.com

View the menu: here

Find your local McDonald’s: here

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Name: Mike’s Restaurant

Type of Food: Pizza, Pasta and Hot Submarines

Interesting Fact: Canadian based Italian restaurant that moved into the USA, the first location was Las Vegas.

History: Mike’s Restaurant was originally founded in 1967, in Montreal, as a sandwich shop by the Marano Brothers. The menu has grown to include pizzas, pastas, steaks, salmon, brochettes and more. There are over 108 Mikes restaurants in USA and Canada

Canadian Website: www.mikes.ca

American Website: www.mikesusa.com

Canadian menu here

American menu here

Find your local Mike’s Restaurant in Canada here and American locations here

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Type of Food: Fruit Smoothie

Interesting Fact: The unique Orange Julius® name was inspired by Julius Freed’s friend, Bill Hamlin, who trying to keep up with hoards of thirsty customers shouted: “Give me an orange, Julius!”

History: The first location was an orange juice stand opened in Los Angeles in 1926, by a man named Julius Freed. Sales were initially modest. In 1929, Bill Hamlin, Freed’s real estate broker, developed a mixture that made the acidic orange juice less bothersome to his stomach. Freed’s stand began serving the drink, which had a frothier, creamier texture. The sales at the stand increased substantially after the introduction of the new drink. In 1987, Orange Julius became a fully-owned subsidiary of International Dairy Queen. At present, Orange Julius has more than 200 stand-alone stores and more than 225 combination Dairy Queen/Orange Julius locations in the U.S. plus additional locations in Canada and other international markets.

Website: www.orangejulius.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Orange Julius: here

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Type of Food: Pizza, submarine sandwiches, pasta

Interesting Fact: Papa Gino’s Pizzeria is the official pizza of the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox.

History: Papa Gino’s began in 1961 as a single East Boston pizza shop. When the family of Papa Gino’s founder, Michael Valerio, sailed from Italy to Boston in 1936, they brought with them authentic Italian family recipes handed down through generations. These were the recipes Michael and his wife, Helen, used when they opened their first pizzeria, Piece O’ Pizza in 1961

In 1968, the owners, Helen and Michael Valerio, changed the name to “Papa Gino’s” and began expanding the business to multiple locations. Papa Gino’s has been established as the leader of New England pizza chains.There are over 200 Papa Gino’s locations in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

Website: www.papaginos.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Papa Gino’s Pizzeria here

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Name: Papa John’s Pizza

Type of Food: Pizza

Interesting Fact: Papa John’s Pizza is the third largest take-out and delivery pizza restaurant chain in the United States, behind Pizza Hut and Domino’s Pizza.

History: In 1983, “Papa” John Schnatter delivered his last campus pizza, picked up his business degree from Ball State University, and went back to Jeffersonville, Indiana. There, at age 22, he knocked down the broom closet in his father’s tavern (Mick’s Lounge), sold his prized 1972 Z28 Camaro, purchased $1,600 worth of used restaurant equipment, and began delivering pizzas out of the back of the bar. In 1985, the first Papa John’s restaurant was opened. Today, there are more than 3,300 Papa John’s stores worldwide including over 2,600 in the U.S., and more than 500 worldwide in over 30 different countries.

Website: www.papajohns.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Papa John’s Pizza in the USA here and in Canada here

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Name: Pizza Donini

Type of Food: Pizza

Interesting Fact: Pizza Donini was the first pizza chain in the Montreal area to develop and use a state-of-the-art computerized one-number central telephone system to process customers’ orders.

History: Founded in 1987 by Mr. Peter Deros, Pizza Donini Inc, started business in early 1987. Original operating delivery counters with only 3 sizes of pizza. Donini, Inc., a New Jersey Corporation was established in 2001 when the company acquired control, by way of a reverse merger, of Pizza Donini, a Canadian company that has been operating and licensing Italian style restaurants specializing in pizza and related products within the Greater Montreal Area in province of Quebec for over 20 years.  The Company has recently completed a consolidation of its operations by establishing two Subsidiaries, Donini Group Inc. and Pizzacorp Franchises DTC Inc., whose purposes are, respectively, to hold and control the intellectual property of the Company and to license the trade marks and oversee the licensed franchisees of the marks.   The Company plans to expand its operations into the United States and the rest of Canada. Through its Canadian Subsidiaries, the Company is a full-support franchise management company in the Greater Montreal area, Quebec, Canada that currently supports nine (9) Pizza Donini delivery restaurants with limited seating of between 25 to 50 seats and one (1) 120-seat fully licensed Italian restaurant with delivery operating under the name “Donini Resto Bar”. Besides pizza, the menu includes pasta dishes, a variety of hot submarines, chicken wings, salads and desserts.

Website: www.pizzadonini.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Pizza Donini: here

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Name: Pizza Hut

Type of Food: Pizza

Interesting Fact: The true reason it was called ‘Pizza Hut’ is because when Dan and Frank Carney got the sign to put in front of their first restaurant in ‘Wichita, Kansas’ there was only enough room for a three letter word after Pizza.

History: Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 by two brothers, Dan and Frank Carney, in Wichita, Kansas. A family friend gave them the idea of opening a pizza parlor, and while the concept was relatively new at the time, the brothers quickly saw the potential of this new enterprise. Borrowing $600 from their mother, they purchased second-hand equipment and rented a small building on a busy intersection in Wichita, Kansas. The result of their efforts was the first Pizza Hut and the foundation for what would become the largest and most successful pizza restaurant in the world. Today Pizza Hut chain has nearly 34,000 restaurants, delivery-carry out units, and kiosks in 100 countries.

Website: www.pizzahut.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Pizza Hut: in the USA here in Canada here

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Type of Food: Fried Chicken & Biscuits

Interesting Fact: “Popeyes,” is named after the character Popeye Doyle in the movie “The French Connection”, not the cartoon sailor character of the same name.

History: The Popeyes story began in New Orleans back in 1972, when Al Copeland opened a quick-service restaurant called “Chicken on the Run,” in a small New Orleans suburb of Arabi. But business was slow, and Copeland realized that he’d have to sell a spicier alternative to his standard chicken recipe if he wanted to impress flavor-seeking New Orleanians. Copeland had already been experimenting with the flavorful Cajun recipes he’d been enjoying all his life and soon reopened his restaurant as “Popeyes.” Today, Popeyes has more than 1818 restaurants in the U.S. and 27 international markets.

Website: www.popeyes.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits here

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Name: Quiznos Sub

Type of Food: Sandwiches

Interesting Fact: To celebrate its 25th Anniversary, Quiznos gave away twelve restaurants in 2006, providing twelve lucky people the chance to achieve their own American Dream.

History: In the kitchen of Footer’s Italian restaurant in Denver, the first Quizno’s recipes were born. The owners of Footer’s used the baguette-style bread, red-wine vinaigrette dressing and tuna salad created in their kitchen to establish their new venture, opening the first Quizno’s in Denver in 1981. Rick Schaden (current franchisor-owner) bought his first franchise in Boulder, Colorado in 1987. Over the next few years, he purchased two more franchises. In 1991, he and his father, prominent aviation attorney Dick Schaden of Boulder, bought the franchise operation, which consisted of 18 restaurants. Today there are over 4000 Quizno’s restaurants operating in twenty-one countries.

Website: www.quiznos.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Quiznos Sub here

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Type of Food: Roast beef sandwiches, burgers and fried chicken

Interesting Fact: The Roy Rogers name was used because it was felt Roy personified an honest, wholesome image, as well as the nostalgia invoked of the ol’ West’s reputation for good beef and “down home cooking.”

History: Marriott International, Inc., founded the chain, licensed the name from Roy Rogers, and operated the restaurants from 1968 through 1990. The first location opened in 1968 in Falls Church, Virginia. In 1990, Marriott sold the chain to Hardee’s, who proceeded to convert 220 locations to Hardee’s, selling the rest of the locations to McDonalds and Wendy’s. By the end of the 1990’s just 13 Roy Rogers franchisees were in existence. Most were located along highways in the Northeast. In 2003 brothers Jim and Peter (Jr.) Plamondon announced their purchase of the Roy Rogers restaurant trademark and franchise system. An initiative began to revive the Roy Rogers brand. As of 2005, 55 restaurants are operating under the Roy Rogers Family Restaurants name.

Website: www.royrogersrestaurants.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Roy Rogers Family Restaurants here

Type of Food: Pizza and Pasta

Interesting Fact: Sbarro is located in more than 65 airports worldwide from Holland to New Zealand.

History: In 1956, Gennaro, Carmela, and their sons Mario, Joseph and Anthony, left Italy and settled in New York City. The family opened their first Salumeria (Italian grocery store) in Brooklyn. The success of the Sbarro Salumeria led to the opening of more locations throughout the New York City area. In 1967, Sbarro opened its first mall-based restaurant in Brooklyn’s Kings Plaza Shopping Center, marking the birth of the modern Sbarro concept: delicious, fresh and authentic Italian food in an open kitchen that allowed for fast self-service. Currently Sbarro is the largest mall-based Italian restaurant chain in the world, with some 1,000 locations across more than 30 countries. The company has grown to include mall locations also restaurants in airports, hospitals, travel plazas, universities, rest stops, train stations and casinos.

Website: www.sbarro.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Sbarro here

Type of Food: Hamburgers, Hot Dogs and Wraps

Interesting Fact: When required by lawyers to change their name from the Top Hat Drive-In, Sonic was chosen to reflect the first slogan “Service With the Speed of Sound”. (A nod to the intercom system used by patrons to order food to their cars.)

History: Originally named Top Hat Drive-In, Sonic was founded in 1953 by Troy Smith in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The name was changed to Sonic in 1959. One of the unique features of Sonic is the Carhop, a member of the Sonic crew who delivers food directly to customers’ cars. Today’s Sonic Drive-In menu harkens back to its beginning, featuring made-to-order favorites such as hamburgers, french fries, malts and shakes. Today, SONIC has more than 3,000 SONIC® Drive-Ins from coast to coast and in Mexico, SONIC is the nation’s largest drive-in chain.

Website: www.sonicdrivein.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Sonic: here

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Name: South St. Burger Co.

Type of Food: Burgers and Fries

Interesting Fact: The name South St. Burger Co. comes from the name South Street Seaport, in New York City where the brothers founded the original New York Fries.

History: In 2005, Jay and Hal Gould, the brothers behind New York Fries,  opened a chain of stores called South St. Burger Co.  Each South St. Burger Co. makes the same fries as New York Fries but also sells hamburgers and salads. South St. Burger Co. has 12 locations across Canada, and it now expanding outside the Greater Toronto Area.

Website: www.southstburger.com

View the menu: here

Find your local South St. Burger Co.: here

Type of Food: Sandwiches

Interesting Fact: Doctor’s Associates, Inc. (DAI), is the national franchisor of Subway sandwich shops. The name was chosen because Dr. Peter Buck, co-founder, was a scientist with a doctoral degree, and Fred DeLuca had aspirations of becoming a medical doctor.

History: The company wad co-founded by Fred Deuce and Dr. Peter Buck. They opened their first Subway in Connecticut in1965. The elder Dr. Buck had suggested to family friend Fred Deuce try opening a submarine shop, and with $1000 to get him started, they were on their way. By 1974 they owned and operated 16 units throughout the state of Connecticut. It was at that time, they realized they needed franchisees to make it really expand. Brian Dixon, a good friend of Fred’s, was the first franchisee but he would not be the last. In 2006, the Subway chain entered its 41st year of operation with 26422 restaurants in 85 countries.

Website: www.subway.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Subway here

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Type of Food: Burritos, Fajitas, Tacos, Quesadilla

Interesting Fact: Nearly 150 million people see a Taco Bell commercial once a week – more than half of the U.S. population. Over 2 billion tacos and 1 billion burritos of all varieties are served in Taco Bell restaurants each year.

History: Originated by Glen Bell, Taco Bell® became a reality on March 21, 1962. The first Taco Bell® restaurant was built in Downey, California, and the first franchise was sold in 1964. Taco Bell® went public in 1969 and was acquired by PepsiCo in 1978. In October of 1997, PepsiCo spun off KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell®, thereby forming Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc., the world’s largest restaurant company with revenues in excess of $22 billion. In May of 2002, Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc. changed its name to Yum! Brands, Inc., after acquiring Long John Silver’s and A&W All-American Food Restaurants. Today there are 6,500 restaurants in the U.S. and over 280 restaurants in 17 other countries.

Website: www.tacobell.com

View the menu: here

Find your local Taco Bell: here

Type of Food: Burrito, nachos, chimichanga, quesadillas

Interesting Fact: Founder Bill Waugh also founded Casa Bonita, a chain with two remaining locations in Lakewood, Colorado, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

History: Taco Bueno was started by Bill Waugh, an Abilene Christian University art graduate in 1967. The company has locations in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas. The chain currently has 169 restaurants. The company is currently owned by Palladium Equity Partners.

Website: www.tacobueno.com

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Name: Taco Tico

Type of Food: Burrito, nachos, enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos

Interesting Fact: This is Howard Stern Show regular Richard Christy’s favourite restaurant.

History: Taco Tico was founded by Dan and Robin Foley in 1962 in their native Wichita, Kansas.They began franchising new locations in 1967. The company kept expanding and was a regional hit by the 1980’s. Today, Taco Tico has restaurants throughout the Midwest and Southeast.

Website: www.tacotico.com

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Type of Food: Donuts, Coffee, Baked Goods, Sandwiches and Soup

Interesting Fact: The Tim Horton Children’s Foundation was founded by Ron Joyce, in honour of his friend Tim Horton after he died in a car accident in 1974. The Foundation’s largest single fundraiser is Camp Day, when Tim Hortons store owners donate their entire coffee sales and public donations from the 24-hour period to the Foundation. Since 1975, the Foundation has offered thousands of children from across Canada and parts of the United States a camping adventure they’ll never forget.

History: Tim Horton was hockey player who played on four Stanley Cup teams. Realizing his hockey career would not last forever, Tim decided to try his luck in the coffee and donut business. The first Tim Hortons franchise opened in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario. In 1967, with three stores in operation, Tim became full partners with former police officer and franchisee of Tim Hortons Store #1, Ron Joyce. Sadly, Tim did not live to witness the chain’s great success. He was traveling back to Buffalo from a game at Maple Leaf Gardens when he was killed in an automobile accident on February 21, 1974. At the time of Tim’s death, there were 40 Tim Hortons stores. Today there are over 2930 locations in Canada and the USA.

Website: www.timhortons.com

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Type of Food: Hamburgers, Chicken Burgers, Chili

Interesting Fact: Wendy’s hamburgers are square, because founder Dave Thomas claimed he didn’t want to “cut corners”.

History: Wendy’s was founded by Dave Thomas and Robert Barney in 1969 and named after Dave’s 8-year old daughter, Melinda, who had the nickname of “Wendy” (originally “Winda”, stemming from the child’s initial difficulty saying her own name). The corporate headquarters is located in Dublin, Ohio. The first Wendy’s restaurant was opened in Columbus, Ohio on November 15, 1969, and grew rapidly. Today there are over 6700 locations in 33 countries.

Website: www.wendys.com

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Type of Food: Burgers

Interesting Facts: Whataburger is not to be confused with What-A-Burger, a chain of restaurants in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina that predated the first Texas Whataburger restaurant. The Texas Whataburger sued the Virginia What-A-Burger in 2003 over trademark infringement. The decision was they would coexist as Whataburger was not interested in the same regional locations as What-A-Burger.

History: In 1950, an entrepreneur named Harmon Dobson opened up the world’s first Whataburger on Ayers Street in Corpus Christi, Texas. The small, wooden kiosk sold the enormous 5-inch burgers for 25 cents each. On August 8, 1950, company founder Harmon Dobson opened his first Whataburger restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas. The small, wooden kiosk sold the enormous 5-inch burgers for 25 cents each, and before the first week was out, lines stretched down the street.

In 1952, Joe Andrews, Sr. brought his family to the newly opened Whataburger in Kingsville, Texas. After one bite, he knew Whataburger was something he wanted to be a part of. Joe was awarded the first franchise location shortly thereafter (the fifth Whataburger restaurant) which opened in Alice, Texas in 1953. The company began expansion outside of Texas in 1959, when Whataburger #21 opened in Pensacola, Florida.

By 1960, there were over 17 Whataburger locations in Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. The familiar orange- and white-striped Whataburger A-frame started as a back-of-the-napkin sketch for Harmon Dobson. That sketch led to the opening of the very first A-frame Whataburger at the twenty-fourth Whataburger location in Odessa, Texas in 1961. In 1962, the menu grew with the addition of hot fried pies and French fries. In 1966, Whataburger added inside dining rooms to the A-frames establishment and in 1967, the official company logo, the familiar “Flying W,” was commissioned.

Later in 1967, an airplane crash took the life of company founder Harmon Dobson. Dobson’s wife, Grace, took control of the business. By the end of the decade, there would be 60 Whataburgers completely finished and six more under construction. Whataburger doubled its number of restaurants from 1971 to 1979. The first drive-through was installed in 1971, and in 1972 the company opened its 100th restaurant. Whataburger kept expanding. In the 1990’s Tom Dobson, Harmon’s son, oversaw expansion to over 500 units (and beyond), making Whataburger the country’s eighth largest hamburger chain. Today, there are more than 700 locations in 10 states.

Website: www.whataburger.com

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Type of Food: Hamburgers

Interesting Fact: White Castle was the first fast-food hamburger chain ever.

History: The company was founded in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, when entrepreneur Billy Ingram partnered with cook Walter Anderson, who had developed an efficient way of cooking hamburgers quickly. Anderson’s original method used freshly ground beef and fresh onions. In 1933, Ingram bought out Anderson, and the following year the company moved corporate headquarters to Columbus, Ohio. The company remains privately held and its restaurants are company-owned; they are not franchised in the United States. Today there are more than 380 restaurants which are strictly limited to the eastern/southeastern sections of the Midwest, with the major exception of the greater New York area.

Website: www.whitecastle.com

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Name: Zaxby’s

Type of Food: Chicken, chicken fingers, buffalo wings, salads.

Interesting Fact: At Zaxby’s, they love the letter Z. On their menu, for example, appetizers and salads become Zappetizers and Zalads at Zaxby’s.

History: Zaxby’s founders Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley looked around their community and saw plenty of fast food or sit-down dining options, but felt something was missing. They decided to provide the most delicious chicken fingers and Buffalo wings in town. That hatched a simple idea to create a fun atmosphere where food quality is of the utmost importance. In March 1990, they opened the first Zaxby’s in Statesboro, Georgia. Its menu is built around buffalo wings and chicken fingers, including them on platters, in sandwiches, and on salads (called Zalads on their menu).

McLeroy and Townley opened four more restaurants, and in 1994, they began to franchise the brand. The food and service was so popular, the Athens, Ga.-based chain has boomed to more than 470 units in 11 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) and is still expanding.

Website: www.zaxbys.com

View the menu: here

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