Who remembers Burger Chef?

[johnnystorm]

Our Red Barn was the one in Altoona Pa. a couple more pages into the site. I travel around the state a lot and I see quite a few of these re-done Red Barns. The structures must have been pretty well constructed as they still use 'em. Lots of these seem to have become Chinese Buffets, haven't they?

I remember they had an all-you can eat fried chicken night on wednesday. I had a friend who could consume unbelievable amounts of food. He wasn't a big guy either, not heavy or large, in fact quite skinny. But it wasn't unusual to see him eat 2 half-gallons of ice cream while watching tv. Anyway, we went there three Wednesdays in a row, and the third time they shut him off from more chicken, so we never went back. They closed a few months later.

[ramsey37]

Mom used to take us to Burger Chef regularly when we lived in Indianapolis circa 1975-1977. There used to be a Burger Chef here in Glasgow, about a ten minute walk from my current home. It went belly-up shortly after we moved here in 1977. Since then the building was a Famous Recipe chicken joint for years until that went under a few years ago. They razed the building recently and now there's a Family Video on the site.
George

[hobub]

Ahh Burger Chef and Jeff. I guess McDonalds hopes no one remembers that they invented the Fun Meal that MD's are banking upon as the legendary Happy Meal.

Locally to this region, we had anther fast food chain called Winky's. I remember they had great shakes. Pittsburgh area resident's do you remember?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J52VxXUDQ38

Or for that matter Isaly's?? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaly's

[kryptosmaster]

The Red Barn was a great place, I really miss that one. I was amazed to see how much collectible stuff from the chain goes for on Ebay!

The Red Barn Restaurant When the Hungries hit, hit the Red Barn!

Heck yeah, my Grandma used to take me to the Red Barn where I grew up in western NYS. There was one in Hamburg, NY that we went to. I think that may have turned into a Taco Bell or KFC at some point. NOt sure if it's still there (the building). I remember that theme song from the commercials, too (When the hungries hit...hit the red barn)
Rich

[thunderbolt]

I remember them well, used to hit it when we went to St Louis and Peoria. It was nice to have alternates to BK and McD's. Now we are just starting to get Five Guys and Whataburger's out this way.

[johnnystorm]

Ahh Burger Chef and Jeff. I guess McDonalds hopes no one remembers that they invented the Fun Meal that MD's are banking upon as the legendary Happy Meal.

Locally to this region, we had anther fast food chain called Winky's. I remember they had great shakes. Pittsburgh area resident's do you remember?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J52VxXUDQ38

Or for that matter Isaly's?? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaly's

Good God, WINKY'S. My first job was there...wearing that Pac-Man Yellow shirt and paper lieutenant's hat!

Awhile back somebody started a thread about fast food jobs, here's what I posted then:

**My first job wayyyyy back in '77 was at a local fast-food place called WINKY'S. I had a friend whose mom knew the owner and got us jobs there. There was an old lady in charge, I can't even remember her name, but she hated the guys working there and let all the girls slack off. At this place, the girls worked the counter and the boys made the food and did the cleaning. The girls would be sitting in the booths drinking cokes and me & my buddy are swabbing the decks with this old bat harping on missed spots.My friend quit about a month into it, but my parents told me I had to stick it out.
Anyway, back then everything got deep-fried in the same vats, and if that grease got changed three times a year I'd be surprised. They sold fried chicken, fish, apple pies, fries, all in the same grease. The owner was a canary- you know: CHEEP, CHEEP, CHEEP. This was in the disco era and he was maybe early 40s in age, he wore those polyester shirts with no buttons open to the navel with the gold zodiac medallions!

So one Saturday I'm working there, busting my butt while the girls chat, and somebody comes in and orders a 3pc chicken dinner. I dump the frozen pieces into the fryer and reach over to the windowsill where the dinner boxes are stacked (by the way, the girls also folded boxes and put a piece of wax paper in them then stacked them neatly by the window- I emptied 400 lb. garbage bags and carried them out to the dumpster...but I digress...)...anyway, when I grabbed the box there was an enormous bug crawling in it. I threw it into the trash can and reached for another. The owner happened to see this and starts yelling at me for wasting the box as they cost a nickle a piece. He took it out of the trash, put the chicken in it and sent it up to the customer, who went off unaware (Honest guy, if you ate that and died- I'm sorry, it wasn't my fault!).
I never went back after that, my mom told me it was ok to quit.**

Those chicken boxes are shown in that video you posted! Always cool to revisit something like that, I wasn't aware any of that stuff was out there...of course, you never think about it to look until one of these great threads gets started!

[huedell]

I never heard of BURGER CHEF before today...it's as if it never existed.

I thought you guys were talking about that 80s video game where
you played the chef who poured on salt on animated food characters.

(Then I remembered that was Burger TIME)

[cjefferys]

S
I seem to remember a hamburger joint similar to the early McDonald's called Harvey's that I've never heard anyone mention before and I'm 99.99999% sure it wasn't Hardee's.
Rich

Harvey's is a Canadian burger chain. You used to live in the Buffalo area didn't you? So you probably saw them if you went across the border.

Harveys is still around everywhere in Canada, and is my favourite burger place. Their burgers are great, and they put your choice of toppings on them right there at the counter.

[kryptosmaster]

Now we are just starting to get ...Whataburger's out this way.

Interesting, since the two closest Whataburgers to me recently closed down. They make a good burger.

Rich

[kryptosmaster]

Harvey's is a Canadian burger chain. You used to live in the Buffalo area didn't you? So you probably saw them if you went across the border.

Harveys is still around everywhere in Canada, and is my favourite burger place. Their burgers are great, and they put your choice of toppings on them right there at the counter.

I wonder if there could've been some bleed-over near the border because I'd almost swear it was in the US and not in Canada that I went to Harvey's. Either way, at least I know I'm not crazy. It did/does exist.
Rich

[jessica]

My husband says there was one in his neighborhood in Harlingam, in Nairobi when he was growing up. Not sure if it would have been the same type of burger joint, though.

[kryptosmaster]

The owner was a canary- you know: CHEEP, CHEEP, CHEEP. This was in the disco era and he was maybe early 40s in age, he wore those polyester shirts with no buttons open to the navel with the gold zodiac medallions!

So one Saturday I'm working there, busting my butt while the girls chat, and somebody comes in and orders a 3pc chicken dinner. I dump the frozen pieces into the fryer and reach over to the windowsill where the dinner boxes are stacked when I grabbed the box there was an enormous bug crawling in it. I threw it into the trash can and reached for another. The owner happened to see this and starts yelling at me for wasting the box as they cost a nickle a piece. He took it out of the trash, put the chicken in it and sent it up to the customer, who went off unaware

Did he also own the Pig Burgers restaurant?

"Everybody Wants One!!"

Rich

[almitysufx]

I had one by us as a kid and even though McD's and BK were both closer, If I got to pick, it was Burger Chef every time. I loved the trays for the kids meals! I can't remember what their food tasted like but I always had fun!

[huedell]

BONUS toys when you're a kid is just the best ^^^^

(ACTUALLY it's STILL pretty cool!)

[ScottA]

I remember Burger Chef. The building is still standing. Last time I went by it they sold appliances like stoves and refrigerators in it. But it's still there. I also think they use to see Bar-B-Q at one time as well.