What Happened to Burger Chef? McDonald’s Forgotten Rival

In 1973, a kid could open a box at Burger Chef and find a burger, fries, a drink, a cookie and a toy. It was called the Funmeal — six years before McDonald's sold its first Happy Meal. Burger Chef was once America's second-biggest hamburger chain, right behind McDonald's. It had a flame broiler, a build-your-own Works Bar, the Big Shef, and two cartoon mascots on TV every week. So why has almost nobody heard of it today? In this documentary we follow the money: how two brothers from Indianapolis turned a kitchen-equipment invention into a national chain, why General Foods — the company behind Jell-O and Maxwell House — bought it in 1968, how the franchise owners ended up fighting their own parent company in court, and how the chain was sold off and turned into Hardee's. Did you ever eat at a Burger Chef? Tell us what you remember in the comments. CHAPTERS 0:00 1973: the first kids' meal 1:03 Fire on the Grill 2:17 The Franchise Machine 3:17 Sold to Big Food 4:32 The Inventions America Forgot 6:06 Cracks Under New Owners 7:30 Sold Again, and Gone 8:59 Who Took the Credit SOURCES Wikipedia, "Burger Chef" and "Hardee's" Tasting Table, "The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Burger Giant You Might Have Forgotten About" Lost Indiana, "Burger Chef (Indianapolis)" Wikipedia, "Hamburger University"; FundingUniverse company histories (General Mills, Pillsbury) The Business Behind tells the stories of the American companies you grew up with: who built them, how they made their money, and why they disappeared. Subscribe for the next one. #BurgerChef #FastFoodHistory #BusinessDocumentary