Burger Chef - An Indianapolis Original Once Lived Near the Top of the Fast Food Chain

To the chagrin of Hoosiers, Indianapolis occasionally finds itself near the top of one of those "America's Fattest Cities" lists. If this distinction has basis in fact, it may well be that, like many other modern maladies, there is a strong genetic component at play. You see, unknown to most connoisseur , the circle City was the cradle of life to many of the innovations that have led to the current fast-food universe. Indeed, Indy's own Burger Chef paved the way for many of today's most popular hamburger joint fare and customs.

Coming on the heels of their invention of the Flame Broiler, the Thomas brothers (Frank and Donald) founded Burger Chef in Indianapolis in 1954. The United States at the time was getting its first taste of readily available hot junk food, thanks to McDonald's, and was hungry for more. Within a few years, Burger Chef had restaurants all along both coasts and throughout the Midwest. Along the way, in the late 1950s, the Thomases introduced America's first value meal, consisting of a hamburger, french fries, and a soft drink, priced at $.45. This concept was soon picked up by the Golden arches and every succeeding burger place, to the point where it is possible to order an entire meal by citing a single number from a given value menu.

As Burger Chef grew, its success drew the attention of movers and shakers across the land, most notably General Foods Corporation. The industry behemoth snatched up the growing hamburger chain from the Thomas brothers in 1968 and continued to expand the franchise throughout th country. By 1970, Burger Chef was second behind only McDonald's, in terms of the number of stores that it claimed in its franchise landscape.

Along the path to the top of the fast food ladder, and even after changing hands, Burger Chef continued to innovate. They introduced a quarter pound hamburger (Super Chef); the Works Bar, which let patrons top their own burgers; and, in the early 1970s, the Fun Meal. The Fun Meal was geared explicitly toward children and featured a paper/cardboard tray decorated with colorful cartoon characters and filled with the hot, tasty goodness that only Burger Chef could serve up. Chock full of fun activities and sweet treats, the Fun Meal was an immediate hit and caught McDonald's somewhat flat-footed. Burger Chef enjoyed a virtual monopoly in kids' meals until 1979 when its larger competitor finally debuted their own Happy Meal.

In 1982, Burger Chef's road forked again when General Foods sold the brand to the Imasco, the Canadian company which also owned the Hardee's burger chain. Although not all Burger Chef restaurants were immediately converted into Hardee's stores, the writing was on the wall. Those locations that avoided conversion initially were allowed to continue on under the Burger Chef name for awhile or were simply closed. By 1996, the Burger Chef name had been eradicated from America's Burgerland map.

In the ensuing years, there have been some intermittent rumblings about bringing Burger Chef back to life, and some of their signature sandwiches have even made brief reappearances at a Hardee's restaurant in Terre Haute, IN. For hardcore Burger Chef fans, though, all that really remains are the fragrant memories of steamed, delicious hamburgers nestled inside of their little cellophane homes and the smug knowledge that Naptown spawned some lasting fast food concepts. So, the next time that you're bombarded with a "revelation" from one of today's fast food giants, just remember that you may not be witnessing a true innovation. Chances are that Indianapolis' own Burger Chef blazed the trail many years ago.