By TR Robertson
Ever wonder how the place where you are eating got its name? Believe it or not there is a story behind every single place and many of the stories are very interesting. This article doesn’t cover all fast food and other restaurants still open, but it will give you an idea of how these names have become such a major part of our daily culinary experiences. They are in no specific order.
Starbucks – This name inspired co-founder Gordon Bowker’s desire to find a name that evoked the romantic sea faring tradition of early traders and he felt that words that started with “St” were powerful. The name is from Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby Dick and is the name of Captain Ahab’s first mate, Starbuck. Starbuck’s was founded in 1971 by Gordon Bowker, Zev Siegl and Jerry Baldwin in Seattle, Washington.
McDonald’s – Name comes from Dick and Maurice McDonald. Their first restaurant was called McDonald’s Bar-B-Q. Ray Kroc adopted the name and bought the rights in 1961. The brother’s original restaurant opened in 1940 in San Bernardino and Ray Kroc’s first McDonalds’s opened in 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois. The oldest McDonald’s is still open since 1953 in Downey, Calif.
Burger King – Burger King originated as Insta-Burger King in 1953 in Jacksonville, Florida. It was named after the Insta-Broiler machine that cooked the patties. The name was shortened to Burger King in 1954 after James McLamore and David Edgerton bought the company and replaced the Insta-Burger with flame broilers.
Weinerschnitzel – Originally called Der Weinerschnitzel, founded by John Galardi in 1961. The name came from a suggestion from Martha Bell, the wife of Taco Bell founder Glen Bell. She had seen the name in a cookbook. The name actually means a breaded veal cutlet dish from Vienna, Austria. Schnitzel has never been sold at Weinerschnitzel. Der was dropped in 1971. The first Weinerschnitzel was opened in Wilmington, Callifornia.
Taco Bell – The name came from founder Glen Bell. He previously owned restaurants called Bell’s Drive-in and Taco Tia. He combined his name and Taco when opening his first restaurant in Downey, California in 1962.
In-n-Out – Founders Harry and Ester Snyder came up with the name when wanting to establish a burger restaurant that used a 2-way speaker system for customers and their workers to order, drive through and pick-up their order without ever leaving their car and do it in a quick in-n-out way. The first restaurant was established in Baldwin Park, California in 1948.
Carl’s Jr. – Founder Carl Karcher and wife Margaret ran larger sit-down restaurants, called Carl’s Drive-in Barbecue, after first opening hot dog carts in 1941. They wanted to start smaller, quick service locations, basically junior versions of what they already had. In 1956 they opened the first Carl’s Jr’s in Anaheim and Brea. California.
Jack in the Box – The founder Robert O Peterson opened the hamburger restaurant in San Diego in 1951 at 6270 El Cajon Blvd.. He put a large clown head on top of the restaurant and workers would tell customers to “Pull forward and Jack will speak to you” when ordering from their cars. Peterson originally had the Topsy’s Drive-in and Oscars restaurants, opening in the 1940’s. I used to have burgers after football games at Mission Bay High School at the Oscar’s in Pacific Beach. Girls would roller blade to your car and take your order and roller blade back with the order on metal trays to put on your car door.
Peet-s Coffee – Opened by founder Alfred Peet in 1966 in Berkley, Calif.
KFC – Founder Colonel Harland Sanders began selling pressure fried herbs and spice chicken in Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression of the late 1920’s. He opened the first Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1952 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sanders sold the company in 1964 to John Brown Jr. and John Massey. It was called Kentucky Fried Chicken until 1991 then shortened to KFC.
Coca Cola – Originally the name came from 2 original medicinal ingredients, coca leaves & kola nuts, the formula developed by Pharmacist John Smith Pemberton in 1886 as a brain tonic. He patented the name with Frank Robinson using words from both ingredients. Today there are no coca leaves of kola nuts in Coca Cola. The formula of Coca Cola is kept in a vault in Atlanta, Georgia. Coca Cola was first served at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta.
Pepsi Cola – Pepsi was named by Pharmacist Caleb Bradham in 1893. His original creation was Brad’s Drink. He wanted the name to reflect its original purpose as a digestive aid for dyspepsia (indigestion) and the cola flavor. He changed the name from Pep Kola to Pepsi Cola in 1898. Pepsi was first served at Bradham’s Drug Store in New Bern, North Carolina.
El Pollo Loco – Originally founded by Juan Francisco Ochoa in 1974 in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. The name translates as Crazy Chicken and the name was inspired by a restaurant called El Caballo Loco, Crazy Horse. Ochoa converted his former shoe store into a roadside chicken stand that grew in popularity. In 1980 he expanded to the U.S. One bit of trivia, Brad Pitt once worked for El Pollo Loco, way before becoming an actor, as a yellow feathered chicken mascot beckoning customers to come into the restaurant.
Rubio’s – Named after founder Ralph Rubio, an SDSU alumnus, in 1983 at a San Diego location, a former Orange Julius on Mission Bay Drive in Pacific Beach. Ralph was inspired by a college spring break trip to San Felipe, Mexico, where he discovered fish tacos. First store was called Rubio’s Deli-Mex and changed to Rubio’s Coastal Grill in 2015.
Wendy’s – This restaurant is named for founder Dave Thomas’s 4th child, Melinda Lou “Wendy” Thomas. She was nicknamed Wendy as she couldn’t properly pronounce her name growing up. The Wendy’s classic red headed young girl artwork was taken from a photo of 8-year-old Wendy. Thomas picked her as he felt other children in the family’s names didn’t have the same “ring” as a business name. Thomas once worked in a KFC prior to opening Wendy’s. First restaurant was in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969.
Popeye’s – Named by founder Al Copeland after movie personality Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle, the lead character in the 1971 film “The French Connection” starring Gene Hackman. He originally had a restaurant, Chicken on the Run, in Arabi, Louisiana, which failed in 1972. He felt the name Popeye’s symbolized strength. He opened the first Popeye’s later in 1972 also in Arabi.
Subway – Original name was Pete’s Super Submarines, founded in 1965 in Bridgeport, Connecticut by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck. Name was shortened to Subway in 1968. DeLuca was 17 years old when the first shop opened.
Chick-fil-A – Founder S. Truett Cathy created the name in 1963 to represent Grade A quality chicken fillet. He developed the flavors in the early 1960’s while working at his burger restaurant, called Dwarf House, in Hopeville, Georgia. He first used the name Chick-fil-A in 1967 in Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sonic – Original name was Top Hat but was changed to Sonic in 1959 due to copyright issues. Burger chain was started in 1953 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Founders were Troy Smith and Charlie Pappe. Their slogan was “Service with the speed of sound”. He felt the name complemented their fast service.
Part II will cover another list of great eateries and how they came to be the name we all know today. If you’re hungry after reading this, try one of the places listed and see if anyone in the restaurant knows a bit of trivia about where they work.
