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Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Restaurant |
Founded | 1954 |
Defunct | 1996 |
Fate | Sold to Hardee's |
Successor | Hardee's |
Headquarters | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
Products | Hamburgers, fast food |
Parent | General Foods (1968–1982) Imasco (1982–1996) |
Burger Chef was an American fast-food restaurant chain. It began operating in 1954 in Indianapolis, Indiana, expanded throughout the United States, and at its peak in 1973 had 1,050 locations, including some in Canada.[1] The chain featured several signature items, such as the Big Shef and Super Shef hamburgers.
In 1982, the General Foods Corporation, owners of the Burger Chef trademark and name, divested itself of the restaurant chain, gradually selling to the owners of Hardee's. The final restaurant to carry the Burger Chef name closed in 1996.[2]
In 1996, the final Burger Chef franchise in Cookeville, Tenn. was converted into a "Pleasers" restaurant.