10 Defunct Burger Chains We're Never Getting Back

Despite being categorized as an American delicacy, the hamburgers that we know today were originally born from food trends out of Hamburg, Germany, whose beef trade was well-known and respected. When immigrants from the area moved to the United States, they brought with them the "Hamburg-style" chopped steak. This new meal melded not only with the popularization of at-home meat grinders but with James H. Salisbury's promotion of a high-protein, meat-rich diet as a factor of health during the American Civil War.

Over time, this cheap and flavorful meat dish took advantage of the available ground beef surplus and went from a fork and knife dish to one that was eaten on a bun. The hamburger craze spread across the country, culminating in the very first fast-food hamburger chain: White Castle. In part due to the concerns around the meat-packing industry at the time, White Castle built their brand on cleanliness and fundamentally altered the perception people had of hamburgers from food that was low value to one that was high-quality.

Today we still have White Castle as well as giant's of the fast food industry like McDonald's and Burger King and growing restaurant chains like In-N-Out. But there are many burger chains that tried and failed to stand the test of time. These are 10 burger chains that are no more.

Based in Indianapolis, Burger Chef was founded in 1954 by brothers Frank and Donald Thomas and Robert Wildman, with the first restaurant opening in 1957. The cooking technique of flame-broiling (we're sure you're thinking of Burger King when we say that!) was originally used at Burger Chef on a piece of equipment that they designed while working at General Equipment Sales Inc. Instead of merely licensing the rights to the product, they decided to open their own chain of burger restaurants culminating in over 1,200 locations across the country, according to IndyStar.

One claim to fame of Burger Chef is that they were the originators of something called a "Fun Meal." It was a kid's meal that offered a toy alongside a burger, fries, dessert, and drink. This was back in the early '70s and when McDonald's introduced the Happy Meal in 1979, Burger Chef sued them, although they ended up losing the suit.

Despite sustained popularity for decades, eventually the General Foods Corporation — the owner of Burger Chef — began divesting itself of the restaurants, culminating in a sale to the owners of Hardee's. The last Burger Chef was shuttered in 1996 but Hardee's has done limited releases of famous Burger Chef menu items over the years.

Burger Queen was born in Winter Haven, Florida, by Harold and Helen Kite. But the expansion of Burger Queen wasn't due to the Kites, rather a pair of entrepreneurs who had bought the chain in the 1960s and expanded beyond Florida. Initially founded on single patty burgers and milkshakes, over time, the chain grew to operate hundreds of restaurants across the Southern and Midwest United States.

When the brand expanded internationally they had to change their name as the "Queen" moniker was deemed confusing amid Queen Elizabeth II's reign, operating instead under the name Huckleberry's. To adjust to other market trends, Burger Queen also dabbled in the fish craze, which was started by McDonald's much beloved Filet-O-Fish.

Eventually, Burger Queen was renamed to Druther's Restaurant, in large part due to its previous name being so similar to the competition (Dairy Queen and Burger King come to mind). Dairy Queen absorbed many Burger Queen's, and Druther's restaurants were left shuttered over time. Today, there's only one Druther's restaurant open in Kentucky, though it resembles nothing of the Burger Queen's that were stapled to the Floridian and Midwestern dining routine.

Utah's first burger joint, Dee's Drive-In had more than 50 drive-in's, employing over 1,200 people at its height, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Dee Anderson, who founded Dee's Drive-In, started his restaurant experience with a concession stand at the local carnival. Eventually, he decided to open a more permanent restaurant in 1932. In his autobiography, "A Boy From Ephraim," Dee noted the incredible growth of the business, resulting in grueling hours spent working. Over the years, he opened more restaurants across Utah, opening his first drive-in restaurant.

After visiting one in Long Beach, California, in 1953, Dee's battled against McDonald's and their low prices when the chain came to Utah, lowering their prices to match the incredibly affordable 15-cent burgers popularized by the Golden Arches. As with many other chains, Dee's was eventually sold to a larger company. Bought by Hardee's in 1982, the franchise shrunk, now no longer a landmark.

If you grew up driving past a building with a dachshund wearing a chef's hat on top, then you probably visited Doggie Diner. Started in 1948 in Oakland, California, Doggie Diner's founder Al Ross was a boxer turned ice cream entrepreneur turned burger king. He helmed the 30 strong restaurant chain until 1969, when it was sold to the Ogden Corporation.

Despite their unsettling visage, the dog mascot of Doggie Diner were famous. They enthralled children and adults alike and capitalized on the mascot and roadside attraction trends of the time. Even after the final Doggie Diner closed in 1986, the dog heads were still visible, posed, and ready for a photo-op.

Since its closing, there have been several pop-ups to recreate the campy and fun nature of the chain, but worry not. The Doggie Diner heads are still available to see at Golden Gate Park, though they were set ablaze back in 2023.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? At least, Geri's Hamburgers thought so. Modeled in large part after McDonald's (one of Geris' founders was a vice president at McDonald's), Geri's had a towering arched shape sign as well as mascots that looked a little bit like (a lot, actually) Mr. Speedee and Mayor McCheese.

It was originally formed as a take-out first restaurant. That meant a remarkable lack of seating within and outside the building to encourage quick ordering and service. But as the chain grew, it added more seating, expanded its menu, and altered its branding.

The restaurant had a small footprint compared to others of its time with less than 15 stores at its height. In 1981, Geris' corporation closed, causing the shuttering of most of the restaurants. Though a few still operated independently, the very last Geri's closed in 1999 in Wisconsin, another seeming casualty to the bigger, more popular burger chains of the time.

Not quite the mom and pop origin story as other chains, Henry's Hamburgers was started by the Bresler's Ice Cream Company in Chicago during the 1950s. Named after one of Bresler's founders, Henry's offered hamburgers, fish sandwiches, and french fries at its drive-in restaurants. It soon became a Green Bay staple and with franchising, the Henry's brand was in 200 locations across the country.

When drive-thru restaurants became popularized, Henry's didn't budge on the transition. This was especially difficult for business given that by 1970, there were 118 million cars on the road in the United States and not all of them had the time to park and eat. By 1987, Bresler was sold and with it, went most of the Henry's Hamburgers restaurants. Today, one Henry's Hamburger still stands and according to the restaurants website, "This was strictly a carryout business until the addition of drive-thru service in 1988, which now accounts for over 70% of sales."

In Starke, Florida, Milligan's Beefy Burgers introduced to the sunshine state the idea of the drive-thru restaurant by Elmer B. and Dorothy Hair Milligan. As we've established, drive-thrus — as opposed to drive-ins — revolutionized fast food, and this helped Milligan's establish its reputation for not only offering delicious burgers but quick, efficient service to its customers. The Jaxson shares that "during their first year of business, Milligan's served over 450,000 beefy burgers," and by 1967, they had 10 locations in Jacksonville alone.

By the mid-70s the remaining Milligan's locations closed as competition from McDonald's and Burger King made it more difficult for smaller chains to stay afloat. Today, the chain is remembered as one that prioritized good service and great food in a hometown, accessible way, which is a sentiment many have for the local chains that never grew too big to transcend local legend. And in case you were curious as to what could've inspired such loyalty, even decades beyond the final restaurant closing, a dozen hamburgers back in 1964 from Milligan's would've cost you $1, which, accounting for inflation, would be around $10 today.

Another family affair, Yankee Doodle Dandy was the brainchild of brothers Chris and Bill Proyce just outside of Chicago in Bensenville, Illinois. It was originally named Yankee Doodle House and, with franchising, had almost 30 restaurants by the mid-70s. As to be expected, the branding for the chain was patriotic American, with a Betsy Ross-stylized woman in the television ads and the slogan, "Come On Down Where The Good Times Are! Yankee Doodle Dandy!"

When the Proyce's decided to shift their focus away from the fast-food industry, they converted several of their Yankee Doodle restaurants into those with the name Bailey's Restaurant & Bar and closed the remaining ones they owned. Following this, the rest of the Yankee Doodle Dandy franchise restaurants closed sometime in the 1980s. As such, you can't visit an original Yankee Doodle for a burger and fries, but there is a Bailey's Restaurant & Bar still standing in Trinley Park, Illinois.

Welcome to Wetson's, a chain founded on Long Island, New York, thanks to a visit to California. One of the founders had visited the original McDonald's location in San Bernardino and was inspired to open his own fast-food restaurant back home. The Queen's Chronicle shares that once back in New York, the founding team wanted to fill the open market of the area that had yet to be conquered by other burger chains.

At its height, there were over 70 Wetson's selling juicy and delicious hamburgers and fries for cheap, but soon they felt the difficulties of facing off against national chains that had moved in. By 1975, the New York Times reported that Nathan's Famous (the hotdogs that are famous for a reason) wanted to acquire control of the brand. They succeeded and many of the restaurants closed down. Today, you can't have a Wetson's hamburger, but the Wetanson family — one of the founder's families — owns a new restaurant chain called Dallas BBQ.

The Erenstein brothers, Harold and Bernard, had started Winky's in large part due to the increased purchase orders their meat company received. Jiffy Steak Company saw large hamburger patty orders from Virginia, what turned out to be a McDonald's franchise, and the entrepreneurial spirit bit them causing the first Winky's to be born in Pennsylvania.

Cutting out the middleman, the Bernard's were able to supply their own burger meat through Jiffy Steak allowing them to offer 15-cent burgers. According to The Pittsburgh Press by April 1965, "there are [sic] 14 [restaurants]; four more are under construction, and altogether between eight and 10 will be added this year." By 1967 the Pittsburgh Press shared that they had plans to expand nationally. Unfortunately, economics played a factor in the demise of the brand as Bernard Erenstein shared with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Winky's couldn't keep up with national chains. This resulted in the company filing for bankruptcy, ending the brand.