He invented the "Happy Box," demanded McDonald's and then disappeared: the story of the extinct Burger Chef

Before McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's took over the fast food business, there was a hamburger chain that pioneered several menu items we see today < b>and even made the firm of the golden arches tremble. This is Burger Chef, the brand that marked an era in American hamburger culture and emerged with a fundamental objective that, in reality, was not to sell food.

Frank Thomas Jr. and his brother Donald Thomas were in charge of the General Restaurant Equipment company, which provided various machinery to gastronomic businesses. At the request of Burger King, they designed a new flame grill for their premises. Soon after, Thomas Jr. realized that the best way to promote his new creation was precisely through hamburgers.

So General Restaurant Equipment launched its first location in Indianapolis, Indiana, as a demonstration restaurant to show off what its brand new grill could do. The business debuted in 1957 under the name Burger Chef, and its success led the brothers to open two more locations shortly thereafter. A year later they already had five branches and then they decided that this venture could become a spin-off of their company and they decided to franchise it to continue growing.

Expansion and rivalry with McDonald's

In 1968, the chain was acquired by General Foods Corporation, which paid US$15 million and financed its expansion more quickly. By 1972, Burger Chef already had 1,200 locations in the United States and was the second largest chain behind only McDonald's, which had around 1,600 outlets. From that moment on, his relationship with the firm of the golden arches became tense.

Burger Chef, they say, was the first to launch a burger, soda, and fries combo for just 45 cents. In turn, was a pioneer in children's promotions with its Funmeal' in 1973. This children's box brought games, a doll and included various characters such as the vampire Count Fangburger and the magician Burgerilla. Six years later, McDonald's launched its Happy Meal' (Happy Meal) and its competitor sued it for appropriating the idea. However, this claim did not prosper in court.

Crisis and sale

Towards the end of the 1970s, the chain began to have financial problems and faced millions in losses. Likewise, its international expansion in Australia and Canada had not been successful. In 1982, General Foods divested itself of the brand and sold 679 stores to the Canadian Imasco for US$44 million. These branches came to take the name of Hardee's, the fast food chain managed by its new owner.

"We came to the conclusion that this business was not central to the company's long-term plan," the holding company's chairman, James Ferguson, told the New York Times. Meanwhile, another executive at the firm added: "We overextended ourselves, mainly by taking on very large real estate commitments and expanding very quickly."

Little by little the brand was disappearing and being absorbed by Hardee's. The last Burger Chef brand location closed in 1996 in Cookeville, Tennessee, however this did not mark the end of its name. Hardee's repeatedly brought back the chain's flagship burger, Big Shef, as a limited edition in 2001, 2007 and 2014. And even Burger Chef was featured in Mad Men's seventh season as one of Sterling Cooper agency clients.