At over 50 years old, Blimpie is America’s oldest submarine sandwich chain. Featuring huge classic subs, fresh ingredients, and a unique name, it’s a chain that’s beloved by many – though it’s certainly seen better days. At its prime, Blimpie had nearly 2000 locations. Today, it’s down to only 304 in the United States. The…
The origin of Applebee’s name is a somewhat difficult history to unravel. Almost nothing is mentioned about it on their website and, despite what most people think, the casual dining chain is not named after any of the founders of the business. Although the original name, which was much longer and more whimsical, did contain…
In 1993, Steve Ells, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, had the bright idea that burritos and tacos could be a million-dollar industry. Besides receiving his pedigree from one of the best cooking schools in the country, Ells was also a sous chef for one of the founders of California cuisine, Jeremiah Tower…
Ice cream is ice cream. Right? Well, sure it is – unless it’s Dairy Queen. Can you take a cup of ice cream and turn it upside down without all of that delicious goodness ending up on the floor? No? Well, you can if it’s a Dairy Queen treat. In fact, in Texas, Louisiana, and Canada,…
The small college town of Ypsilanti, Michigan might not be the first place you’d imagine a multibillion-dollar food franchise beginning, but that’s exactly where Domino’s started back in 1963. The original Domino’s location was located on 507 Cross Street in Ypsilanti (known locally as Ypsi) and was owned by Dominick DiVarti. The store was located…
Colonel Harland Sanders has been a fixture of the American consciousness for a few decades now. Most people would imagine that the Colonel, as well as the KFC brand, started in, well, Kentucky, but the Colonel was actually born in Henryville, Indiana, and the first Kentucky Fried Chicken was opened in Salt Lake City, Utah….
Tim Hortons is known as the king of Canadian donuts. Founded in 1964, the company became a multi-million-dollar company within less than half a decade and as of today, is Canada’s leading restaurant chain with 4,478 establishments worldwide. The first Tim Hortons was located on 65 Ottawa St N at Dunsmure in Hamilton, Ontario, an industrial…
If you grew up in America, you were probably brought up on the concept of the American Dream – the idea that anything you put your mind to you can achieve. In a list of The 30 most American things ever… the American Dream is number two, beaten for the number one spot only by the Constitution…
Everybody knows her face. The fire-red pigtails, the blue bows, the dusting of freckles. Wendy, the namesake and iconic logo of the fast food hamburger giant, is a genuine piece of Americana, spotted on nearly every highway and in every city across the country. Though the story of how Wendy’s got its name is simple,…
Carl’s Jr. finds its origins in the purchase of a hot dog cart in 1941. Carl Karcher and his wife, Margaret, invested all they had and successfully opened Carl’s Drive-in Barbeque. Less than 5 years later. Carl’s Jr. came along when the couple opened smaller locations of the original barbeque restaurant during the 1950s. Corporate…