Burger Chef Commercial

[vmvlkc]

I want one of those little dune buggies.

Come to think of it, I want my whole friggin' childhood back.

[NYKID10014]

WHY DID BURGER CHEF CLOSE?

[lowellriggsiam]

@NYKID10014 Between aggressive expansion and increasing competition it was loosing money at an incredible rate.

[djrage70]

We had Burger Chefs here in Houston.. had to be 60s to early 70s.. I've seen 2 of those A-frame buildings and signs on the southeast side of town. Me and some friends got the nerve to enter one boarded up on the way home from school (sometime in 82) Booths and kitchen still in tact.. All the windows were broken out though.. glass everywhere.. They were before my time but seeing this commercial.. wish I could have tried one.

[MattTheSaiyan]

2 people didn't eat their fun burger (yes, I realise this is a bad, over-used, annoying YouTube meme).

[cranie4]

Wow..I remember that burger box. It made me feel so happy for a sec when I saw it. I remember it was packed just like that and the prize was always something cool. And you know what? No one ever died from any of those toys. Today they are so hyper careful "Mustn't hurt the children with any toy that might be fun..only poison them with lead from the paint we use on our glasses"

[anniem63]

that voice sounds familar....

[firefoxy2010]

Hmmm... So The Fun Burger Was The Happy Meal's Rival In The 70's.

[stilettospike]

I would sneak out of high school at lunch and go to BC(Burger Chef) and buy a fish sandwich with extra TD(tartar dressing). I think they cost 35 cents. On Washington's birthday or some other day they sold 10 cent burgers. BC and A&W Root Beer were two of our main hangouts.

[Schluderrike]

very nice;-)

[rjmendera]

fuzzling pickles???....cheers

[SurferDude531]

OMG I love these vintage commercials!

[bluecatky]

Just put some prozac in their soft drinks. Then the customers won't be so angry.

[pnkwhite]

I would love to see the Burger Chef name come back, I would be the 1st in line for the food. Lets keep our fingers crossed that this company attempting to bring the name back will succeed.

[jeliigirado]

I want a fun burger :(

[imajerkRodriguez]

coool commercial , what year was this out?

[Kraftman63]

HAHAHAHA!

[fluffydolly]

any in new england never seen one.....????

[Rosenherz49]

hallo my friend stars for you

gggvlg M-Louise

[utubeguy35]

The Timeline, shall we?

1972-1975  Burger Chef makes the Funburger later the Funmeal

1978 Burger Chef is cursed with you-know-what!

1979 McD's steals the idea and makes the happy meal.

1982-1996 Burger Chef closes :'(

[GeekBoy03]

@utubeguy35 Thanks to freakng Hardees. It seems Burger King is trying the idea with the fixings bar like BC had in one or two stores. I loved piling on those veggies.

[pnkwhite]

I was a manager a several here in WV back in the early 80's... I just loved their food and really hated to see it go. There are a couple old Burger Chef's that changed over to a private name called Suzi's Hamburgers in the Charleston, WV area. They still have all of the same great tasting burgers but just different names for them. I hope you are envious of me for still being able to enjoy Burger Chef in a little way.

[lowellriggsiam]

Nice to meet you, In Auburn, WA there is a fast food restaurant called Herfy's that has very similar food

[GeekBoy03]

@pnkwhite I understand there is a company in the works filing in the Patient and Trademark office to get the name away from Hardees and conisder the Trade Name abandoned because they have not been using it in commerce.

Seems they want to restart the franchise.

I have not eaten at Shitdees since they pulled my favorite burger away

[BlondCT]

@pnkwhite It might be worth a trip from New England to Suzi's. My local Burger Chef in the 1970s was on Route 1 in Jupiter, Florida.

[corydwalker]

@pnkwhite That's neat that you got to work there. What was it like? I am a big B.C. enthusist and think it's a shame that it doesn't exist any more.

Inbox me if you wish.

[Cones247]

maybe even a bubble pipe!!

hahah giving away bongs with a burger......

[BurgerChefGuy]

I sure miss my old Burger Chef!

[SteveCarras]

How large was this nationally...seems like here Southern California had the KING, and the CLOWN [YOU know which hamburgers folks, c'mon!]

[lowellriggsiam]

About 40 states, here in my small town we had 2. There were even a number in Canada.

[MattJFisher]

Where in Canada? I'm from Newfoundland and Labrador, and I've never heard of these guys before. :)

[lowellriggsiam]

I don't currently have a list handy , however they shut down in 1984.

[WarshipAngelus]

@lowellriggsiam Never heard of Burger Chef, but seeing a couple of commericals they look like a Burger King rip off. This was before my time, I guess, because from what I read in some other comments someone posted mention they are nolonger around.

[lowellriggsiam]

@WarshipAngelus, the creator created the instabroiler for Burger King that's where the similarities end. Frank Thomas saw the potential as fast food was in it's enfant stage. They had a works bar where you could buy a plain hamburger and put your own stuff on it, as well as a salad bar.

[WarshipAngelus]

@lowellriggsiam

A while back in the late 80's the Burger King in my town had it's own works bar too, but it didn't last long. The only fast food place that does a works bar now for hamburgers is Fuddruckers.

[587680KLC]

@WarshipAngelus The Burger Chef chain was headquartered in Indianapolis. In it's prime, (late 60's to early 70's), the only chain with more outlets was McDonalds. Unfortunately, they downsized thru the 70's and were eventually bought out by by the Hardee's chain. Growing up in central Indiana during the 60's and 70's, I patronized Burger Chef more than occasionally.

[DMMc59]

@WarshipAngelus

Burger Chef predates Burger King. Burger King bought most of it's equipment from Burger Chef At one time it was the second largest fast food chain in the world and was the innovator or many things including flame broiling, and salad bars.

[regressing2apes]

burgr chef was a dumpo.. my aunt linda worked at the seabrook nh store and stole all the toys.. i still have the gloe in the dark wolf and frankenburger,, they had a mouse in the fryalater and maggots all over the loading area///

[nauort23]

regressing: So does the Ritz-Carlton... I've been in a fair share of kitchens/loading areas over the years.

[BurgerChefGuy]

When I was about 10 years old (about 1973), all my friends and I used to live at this place back the early 1970s. I miss those old model airplane kit give-a-ways they had. I sure miss that old Burger Chef gang of mine! Long live a childhood friend----the Burger Chef next to the old Cheverly Theater in Bladensburg, MD.

[nauort23]

!!!! I turned 10 in 1974, and my twin brother always made my Dad take us to the Burger Chef on Rt. 1 in College Park/Beltsville (MD), just a few miles away. I'm sure we probably hit the Bladensburg BC a few times...

[musicguru76]

did anyone recognize the chef's voice as the voice of tigger back in the 60's & the multi talented june foray as jeff!!! bring back the gold ole days

[danielion999]

it's all competition...a hamburger is still an anonymous cow ground into patties, cooked and placed on a bun....no matter what you call it. I think they should've called it "Fun Ground Cow!!!": )

[thesixtiesguy]

I remember before our Burger Chef in Portsmouth Virginia, you could buy a hamburger for 35 cents and they had a fixins bar that had everything on it. You could pile it high with stuff and make a burger that would sell for $5 today. Greed got us into this.

I have some Burger Chef records that they gave away.

[bigg3469]

Wasn't that the voice of June Foray as the voice of Jeff?

[kirkmach32]

Very interesting, that they used Paul Winchell for this commercial's Chef voice. Paul Winchell also did the Early Jack In The Box drive through commercials, in the voice of Jack.

[1959AverellHarriman]

McDonald's ripped off their "Happy Meal" idea from Burger Chef, just as McDonald's also ripped off the name of the "Big Mac" from the pre-existing Burger Chef "Big Shef" sandwich. Yet, we're stuck with McDonald's.

[SURFSTYLEY2]

and Burger Chef ripped off McDonald's Golden arch, albeit they made it squared off. and Burger Chef Ripped off selling hamburgers.. McDonalds was doing it before them.

[lowellriggsiam]

Actually their founder ripped off the flame broil grill they had developed for Burger King.

[TheJediCharles]

@1959AverellHarriman

Well said.

[evoclin]

mcdonalds stole the happy meal idea from them making them they had a fun meal.

[shunt1974]

history of my town burger chief turned into hardies and now hardies is a wallgreens prety bad :(

[coolcat453]

omfg lol that's so funny!!! X

[LiquidLen333]

Tigger selling burgers! I went to burger chef when I was very young. I remember the cool sign.

[Doolsey]

Sounds like Paul Winchell as the Burger Chef.

[VodeoJMC63]

the funburger was the embyonic happy meal...er funmeal. so the big chef burger came before the big mac huh? figures! those of us who remember know who came first....right mcdonalds?

[albee1000]

Anybody remember the little plastic records they gave out with the meals? I don't remember the circumstances but I know we had one of the records.

[HallofWisdom]

Does anyone remember 'That's what you get at Burger Chef! That's what you get today!"

?

[dee99999999999999]

this website brings back memories of the day burger chef was my first job i made $75.00 a week and thought that was good money

[pekoe]

I mean TRUTH>>> This site is a magical wonderland of anything ___ at all you have a memory of...

[jickeys]

Every now and then you can see the old building and the sign that used to be a burger chef drive-in,now its usually a place for a flea market or something.Great childhood memories.

[kookomusician]

never heard of it, shur want to go find one. do they still give those cool prizes, Je wizz!!!! lol

[kirkenbunken]

I used to love Burger Chef. I remember when McDonalds Hppy Meal came out Burger Chef unsucessfully sued them. If you hear McDonalds claim they came up with Happy Meal originally it's a lie. It was Burger Chef and McDonalds ripped them off.

[33Mark221]

Not the first time. The "Big Mac" came AFTER the "Big Shef" sandwich. What a rip-off. Was there anything McDonald's didn't co-opt from Burger Chef? If Burger Chef were still around, they'd still have the Super Shef, and I'd be first in line.

I loved Funburgers when I was nine. They were a blast, along with the toys and the black-and-white cartoon strips on the inside of the cardboard panels.

[ultragor]

I KNEW IT!! I knew Burger Chef came up with the idea of the Happy Meal first!!

[enmaxus]

OMG!!! Thank you so much. I forgot about Burger Chef and Jeff. Good memories. They had the best burgers

[evoclin]

the fun meal....... mcdonalds stold the idea and made the happy meal. i remember the fun meals they came on a cardboard tray. and it was better than damn mcdonalds.

[TServo2049]

Is the voice of Jeff the same guy who did Tom Terrific? Teeeeeeeeeeeeee-riffic!

[sneekspeeks]

Thank you

[sneekspeeks]

I'm from Michigan and moved to Phoenix about 21 years ago. I haven't even THOUGHT about Burger Chef since then. Oh my goodness. I forgot all about Burger Chef. It must be an East Coast/Midwestern burger place. There isn't one out West. Can anyone add any info? Is there still Burger Chefs in existence? Thanks

[lowellriggsiam]

They were bought out by Hardee's from General Foods in the early 80's. By then General Foods was shutting stores down due to market loss and dwindling sales from increased competition from Burger King, McDoanlds, and Wendys. When they were bought out in 1983 they had to change, or shut down when their franchise licenses ran out.

[noblesvillejames]

i remember going to burger chef as a kid.why do all the good things end

[Devilzone00]

Yes Burger Chef was the first to offer kids a toy in a meal box. Like the happy meal at Mcdonalds.

[lowellriggsiam]

Incrediburgable? that is to say if I even spelled it right.

[Nausicaa30]

I can just imagine all the children who saw this commercial and wanted the toys shown trying to pronounce "imburgernable" to their parents. LOL I'm not even sure if I spelled it right...