Burger Chef
Gone. General Foods agreed to sell the chain to Hardee's in 1981, most stores became Hardee's, and the last restaurant carrying the Burger Chef name, in Cookeville, Tennessee, dropped it in 1996. Hardee's still owns the name; its Big Shef revivals were sandwiches, not the chain.
Last verified Nov 8, 2026
Indianapolis's flame-broiled burger chain began as a showroom for its founders' broiler and swelled to about 1,200 restaurants by 1972 — a genuine rival to McDonald's, until Hardee's bought it and changed the signs.
Filed under: Fast Food · the ’70s & earlier
📅 Timeline
- 1957The first Burger Chef opened in Indianapolis, founded by Frank and Donald Thomas, whose General Equipment company built the flame broiler it showcased.
- 1968General Foods bought the chain.
- 1972Burger Chef peaked at about 1,200 restaurants, according to the Indiana State Library.
- 1973The chain introduced the Fun Meal for children.
- 1981Hardee's agreed to buy Burger Chef from General Foods for about $44 million; most locations were converted to Hardee's.
- 1996The last restaurant using the Burger Chef name, in Cookeville, Tennessee, gave it up.
❓ People also ask
What happened to Burger Chef?
General Foods sold it to Hardee's in a deal announced in December 1981, and most of the restaurants were converted into Hardee's. A handful of franchisees kept the name for years; the last, in Cookeville, Tennessee, dropped it in 1996.
Did Burger Chef invent the kids' meal?
It sold a Fun Meal for children in 1973, six years before McDonald's introduced the Happy Meal in 1979.
Is Burger Chef coming back?
Hardee's still owns the trademark but has not reopened the chain. It brought back the chain's Big Shef sandwich as a limited-time item in 2007 and at some Midwest stores in 2014.
🧾 Sources
- Indiana State Library / Indiana Historical Bureau, Burger Chef: Hoosier Fast-Food Pioneer (2018)
- TIME, Mad Men: A Brief History of the Real-World Burger Chef (2014)
- Wikipedia, Burger Chef (2026)