20 Things You Never Knew About America's Biggest Fast Food Chains
There's More to Your Favorite Drive-Thru Than You Think
Whether you're grabbing a quick burger on your lunch break, picking up a bucket of chicken for dinner, or making a late-night run for tacos, America's biggest fast food chains are probably familiar territory. But even if you've been ordering from the same restaurants for years, there's a good chance you don't know much about how they got started, who came up with their signature menu items, or the unusual decisions that helped them become household names.
1. McDonald's Started With Two Brothers, Not Ray Kroc
Contrary to common belief, Ray Kroc did not found McDonald's. McDonald's brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald first opened their restaurant in 1940 in San Bernardino, CA, and created the Speedee Service System in 1948 to offer menu items more quickly and efficiently. Ray Kroc was brought on board to help with the franchising process and bought the rights to the McDonald's name in 1961.
2. The Egg McMuffin Was Inspired by Eggs Benedict
What began as McDonald's franchise owner Herb Peterson's attempt to provide customers with a "to-go" version of Eggs Benedict transformed into the much-beloved Egg McMuffin. He eventually substituted American cheese, added Canadian bacon, and developed special rings to give the eggs their familiar round shape.
Wright Brand Bacon on Unsplash
3. Subway Was Originally Called Pete's Super Submarines
In 1965, Fred DeLuca (age 17) and Peter Buck decided to start a sub shop together in Bridgeport, CT. Buck, an older family friend of DeLuca, supplied $1,000 toward the venture with the hope that DeLuca would use his earnings to attend college. Their original restaurant was called Pete's Super Submarines, and the first location reportedly sold 312 sandwiches on its opening day.
4. Wendy's Founder Was Once a Successful KFC Operator
Dave Thomas, the man behind Wendy's, already had considerable experience in the fast food industry before launching his own restaurant. He worked with Kentucky Fried Chicken and became a successful franchise operator before selling his restaurants and using the proceeds to pursue another business idea. When he opened the first Wendy's in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969, he named it after his daughter Melinda, whose nickname was Wendy.
5. Taco Bell Started With a Small Restaurant in California
There was a time when Taco Bell consisted of one restaurant and a fairly limited selection of tacos, burritos, and nachos. In 1962, founder Glen Bell opened a restaurant in Downey, CA, offering cheap, fast Mexican dishes. The first franchise followed in 1964, helping the business expand beyond its original neighborhood and eventually become one of America's best-known fast food chains.
6. Burger King Had a Different Name When It First Opened
Burger King first opened as "Insta-Burger King" in 1953, after the Insta-Broiler machines that its founders used to make their burgers. Financial failure ensued, and the business was acquired by two Miami-based restaurateurs. The reworked business eventually became the Burger King brand millions of customers recognize today.
7. KFC's Famous Colonel Didn't Open His First Restaurant Until Later in Life
As all good things come to those who wait, the Colonel spent decades perfecting his 11-herb-and-spice chicken recipe before franchising it. He perfected his famous blend of 11 herbs and spices in 1939 and signed his first franchise agreement in 1952.
8. Pizza Hut Began With a Small Loan From Two Brothers' Family
Brothers Dan and Frank Carney got a $600 loan from their mother and set about opening Pizza Hut in 1958. The humble store opened in Wichita, KS, and became the namesake "Hut" due to space constraints that prevented a longer name from fitting on the store sign. In 1959, Pizza Hut saw its first franchise open.
9. Chick-fil-A's First Restaurant Was Inside a Shopping Mall
Before having drive-thrus and sprawling locations across the US, Chick-fil-A opened in Atlanta's Greenbriar Mall. Founder S. Truett Cathy leased a modest 384-square-foot space and opened the world's first Chick-fil-A there.
10. Domino's Once Had a 30-Minute Delivery Promise
Domino's became particularly famous for its promise that customers would receive their pizza within 30 minutes or qualify for a discount or free pizza, depending on the circumstances. The guarantee helped distinguish the chain from competitors and made fast delivery a major part of its identity. However, the company eventually abandoned the policy in the United States in 1993 following safety concerns and lawsuits involving delivery drivers.
11. McDonald's Once Had a University Dedicated to Hamburgers
You read that right: McDonald's went to the extent of running a "university" dedicated solely to the craft of making hamburgers. Launched in the basement of one of its stores in Elk Grove Village, IL, in 1961, McDonald's Hamburger University trained franchisees and staff and conferred a Bachelor of Hamburgerology upon completion.
12. The Filet-O-Fish Was Created to Solve a Specific Business Problem
Lou Groen ran a McDonald's franchise in Cincinnati that struggled to attract enough customers, as many were of the Catholic faith and abstained from eating red meat and white meat. To remedy this, Groen came up with a fish sandwich in the 1960s, which caught on so well that McDonald's began offering it nationwide in 1965.
13. Starbucks Originally Sold Coffee Beans Instead of Prepared Drinks
It's hard to imagine, but the coffee giant didn't originate with the likes of Grande Caffè Lattes. Starbucks first opened its doors at Seattle's Pike Place Market in 1971, selling ground coffee, teas, and accessories. The company would grow from this to sell the hot and blended beverages now available in its stores worldwide.
14. Arby's Name Comes From Its Founders' Initials
Arby's has one of the more unusual names in the fast food business, and it doesn't actually refer to roast beef. The name comes from the initials of the Raffel Brothers, Leroy and Forrest, who founded the restaurant in Boardman, Ohio, in 1964. The chain's name has occasionally led customers to assume it stands for something related to roast beef, but the family connection came first.
15. Chipotle Was Originally Supposed to Fund a Fine-Dining Restaurant
Chipotle founder Steve Ells left culinary school with a goal of starting a more upscale dining establishment. Short of the capital needed to start this business, he opened Chipotle in 1993 in Denver, CO. His vision has grown into a hugely profitable chain, and it seems unlikely he'll open any fine-dining establishments soon!
Alexandra Mendívil on Unsplash
16. Sonic's Original Business Relied on Carhops
Sonic's distinctive service style has roots in the traditional American drive-in restaurant. Founder Troy Smith opened a restaurant called Top Hat in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1953, where customers could order food without leaving their cars. Carhops delivered orders directly to vehicles, and the concept eventually evolved into the Sonic Drive-In brand that became famous for its outdoor ordering stalls.
17. Little Caesars Made Its Name Famous With a Repeated Phrase
Little Caesars introduced the now-familiar "Pizza! Pizza!" advertising slogan in 1979 to promote a deal involving two pizzas for the price of one competitor's pizza. The company originally delivered the offer in a distinctive way, packaging the two pizzas separately rather than stacking them together. The catchy phrase became so recognizable that it eventually turned into one of the most memorable advertising lines in fast food history.
18. Popeyes Was Originally Called Chicken on the Run
Chicken on the Run was the original restaurant name adopted by founder Al Copeland when he opened his first location in 1972 in Arabi, LA. Dissatisfied with the lackluster sales of this new venture, he changed course, offering hot and spicy chicken and renaming the establishment Popeyes, after Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle.
19. Dairy Queen Helped Popularize Soft-Serve Ice Cream
Dairy Queen grew from a humble start in Joliet, IL, in 1940 by selling its trademark soft-serve ice cream to patrons. While soft-serve is now ubiquitous in our society, it wasn't widely offered in 1940, and DQ enjoyed huge success. Its early success helped establish soft-serve as a popular dessert option, and the chain eventually expanded its menu to include burgers, hot dogs, and other quick meals.
20. Wendy's Introduced Its Famous Salad Bar Decades Ago
Wendy's might be best known for square hamburgers and Frosty desserts, but the chain once had another popular feature that attracted plenty of customers. In 1979, it introduced a salad bar that allowed diners to customize their own salads with a variety of ingredients. The idea remained popular throughout the 1980s and eventually disappeared in 2006 as the company shifted toward more convenient takeout and portable salad options.
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