• Home
  • Burger News
    • Events
    • McDonald’s Hamburgers in News
    • Burger King Hamburgers in News
    • Wendy’s Hamburgers in News
    • Tim Hortons News
  • Who Is Hamburger Harry?
    • Meet Hamburger Harry
    • Hamburger Harry’s Fame
    • Hamburger Harry on YouTube
    • Hamburger Karl
  • Museum
    • Who Is Hamburger Harry?
      • My Hamburger Patty
    • Hamburger Harley
      • HamburgerHarley & Other Promotional Products
      • Burger Bike Specifications and Credits
    • Burgerbilia Donations
    • The Hamburger Beds
      • Kayla Kromer’s Hamburger Bed
      • The Cheeseburger Water Bed
    • Good Burger Car
    • Design by Eugene Tsui
    • Hamburger Art
    • Custom Harley Shovester
    • Interactive Burgers
  • Burger Shop
  • Contact
  • Join Our Team
  • Login

Burger Web

Hamburger Museum

  • Cheesy Media
    • Other Burger Blogs
    • Music
      • Rock & Roll
    • Celebrity Ham(burger)s
    • Cheesy Movies
    • Ketchup on Your TV Shows
  • Lettuce Laugh
    • Photos
    • Jokes
    • Cartoons
    • Riddles
    • Stories
  • Food For Thought
    • Hamburger History
    • Recipes
    • How To
  • For YOUR Marketing
    • Promotional Products – Rent a Burger
    • Advertise On BurgerWeb
  • Directory of Burger Joints
You are here: Home / Food For Thought / Hamburger History / Original Burger King

Original Burger King

April 4, 2015 by Danny O'Leary Leave a Comment

While the chain we know today as Burger King started off as Insta-Burger in the 1950s in Florida, there was already another monarch on the block to contend with: Known as the original Burger King, an Illinois restaurant that’s been around since 1954 — and trademarked that name before the nationwide chain — is changing hands after decades of ownership by the couple who founded it.

Back in 1952, the couple bought a Frigid Queen in downtown Mattoon, IL and renamed it Burger King, opening in 1954, reports the Herald Review.

When the Burger King we all know today came around, the owners of the solo eatery had already trademarked the name in Illinois, prompting the two businesses to go to federal court to settle things. The judge ruled in 1968 in favor of the national chain, giving it the right under its federal trademark to name its restaurants as such everywhere else in the United States… except in Mattoon.

To this day, there can be no other Burger King within 20 miles from the Mattoon Burger King, a restriction that will remain in effect with the new ownership.

The locals have fond memories of the place, and the new owners say they want to keep those warm feelings going forward.

“I hope we can continue what they started so many years ago,” the new owner said of the couple who’ve owned the restaurant for decades, noting that he often stopped by the Burger King with his teammates growing up. “They are great people and they have done great things for Mattoon.”

Meanwhile, the couple says they’re happy to hear from their customers during this time, and they’re not going to just kick back and relax in their retirement. The new owner has pledged to work with them to tap their vast wealth of knowledge running a restaurant.

“We do appreciate the support we have gotten. We could not have done this without the customers,” the husband half of the equation told the Herald-Review. “We don’t plan to just sit in a porch swing. We can’t do that.”

Filed Under: Hamburger History, Stories

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill In The Blank: * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hamburger History Posts

  • History of Hamburgers
  • Cheeseburger History
  • Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • White Castle
  • New Haven, Connecticut
  • Hamburg, New York
  • Athens, Texas
  • Seymour, Wisconsin

Search the Menu!

Our H-D Key Sponsor

Trickkey custom motorcycle keys for H-D

Advertisers


ADVERTISE HERE
Reach people searching for Hamburger related terms, and our members.

Request AD BLOCK #1.

Help Build The International Hamburger Hall of Fame & Rebuild the GoodBurgerMobile



Mixed Platter!



Harry Sperl – Largest Collection Of Hamburger Related Items Guinness World Records 2016 Photo Credit: Al Diaz/Guinness World Records

Press

Members of the Press should email Hamburger Harry.

cruising Daytona

Advertise whatever you want as long as Hamburger Harry approves!

Request AD BLOCK #2.

Your Other Ad Here

Reach people searching for Hamburger related terms, and our members.

Request AD BLOCK #3.

Ad Block #4

Reach people searching for Hamburger related terms, and our members.

Request AD BLOCK #4.

Ad Block #5

Reach people searching for Hamburger related terms, and our members.

Request AD BLOCK #5.

Let’s Socialize!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Copyright 1996 - 2026 ©World of Hamburgers, Inc. · PRIVACY · TERMS of USE · HEY! Need A Website?