America loves its fast food. While chains like McDonald's and KFC are available nationwide, each state has its own regional specialties. These are some of the oldest fast food joints in the country, serving up classic Americana alongside their hot dogs and burgers. Due to COVID-19, be sure to check local restrictions, including state travel advisories and individual restaurant websites for dine-in, takeout and/or delivery options before you visit.
Located on one of Montgomery’s most iconic streets, Chris’ has been serving hotdogs (and yes, also hamburgers) topped with its signature chili sauce for over 100 years. As Montgomery’s oldest family-owned and operated restaurant, Chris’ was founded in 1917 by a Greek immigrant named Christopher Katechis who was known to most as “Mr. Chris.” Over the years the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley and Martin Luther King Jr. have all stopped in for a meal.
Lucky Wishbone’s signature sign is a familiar landmark in downtown Anchorage. Since opening in 1955, this friendly restaurant has been a local favourite for fast food lovers in the city. Lucky Wishbone is best known for its pan-fried chicken and hand-crafted hamburgers, but is also a destination for thick and creamy milkshakes, with over 40 flavours to choose from.
Arizona is home to its own Lucky Wishbone – in this case, a small chain of fast food joints that specialise in breaded and deep-fried chicken strips, shrimp and “steak fingers”. The first Lucky Wishbone opened in 1953 and continues to be a go-to for anyone looking for a satisfyingly rib-sticking meal. There are now several locations in the Tucson area, making it a true local favourite.
It might seem a bit strange to call authentic Arkansas barbecue “fast food” – especially when a place like Jones smokes its meat for 12 hours. But from a customer’s point of view, if you’re eating pork and Wonderbread (the only item on the menu) off a paper plate, it counts. This little country smokehouse first opened in 1910 and has since become one of the most iconic barbecue houses in the country, as well as the first restaurant in Arkansas to have won a James Beard Award.
California is jam-packed with historic fast food restaurants. The state is home to the oldest operating McDonald's and In-and-Out Burgers, but its oldest chain is A&W, which started as a root beer stand in Lodi in 1919. That original roadside stand is long gone (though it is marked with a plaque). But A&W’s history is celebrated at the current Lodi location, which displays plenty of old memorabilia and typically hosts classic car meetups.
Denver’s Cherry Cricket is a bar, but veers into fast food territory with its baskets of juicy burgers topped with anything from peanut butter and grape jelly to Fritos and fried eggs. The restaurant first opened in 1945 and has gone through many different owners. In the Sixties, then-owner Bernard Duffy put up the famous neon sign that still stands today, even though the restaurant dropped the "Duffy's" long ago.
Louis’ Lunch is responsible for introducing burgers to the world. Established in 1895, the restaurant is recognized by the Library of Congress as the birthplace of the hamburger. It still crafts its old-fashioned burgers with five cuts of meat and serves the patties on slices of white sandwich bread instead of the now-typical bun.
Deerhead Hot Dogs dates back to 1935, beginning when a woman named Beulah R. Tilghman created what has become the restaurant’s famous secret sauce while she was working at the Hotel Olivere. The dogs are now a Delaware tradition, typically topped with the secret sauce as well as mustard and onions. The restaurant also serves up burgers, steak sandwiches, fries and other quick-service classics.
Many of Florida’s historic restaurants are focused on seafood, not fast food, though the state was the home of the first (now shuttered) Burger King location. In 1953, Fort Lauderdale also welcomed Georgia Pig, a quick ‘n’ dirty little barbecue joint that is still open today. The Pig (as locals call it) serves up saucy BBQ sandwiches, as well as platters and more standard burgers and hot dogs.
Nu-Way Weiners claims to be the second oldest hot dog restaurant in America, having opened the same year as New York City’s famous Nathan’s Hot Dogs. The word “wiener” was misspelled on the restaurant’s original sign and Nu-Way has stuck with it for over 100 years. It’s famous for its chili dogs as well as hot dogs topped with homemade coleslaw. Hamburgers and other sandwiches are also on the menu.
The Rainbow has been serving iconic Hawaiian plate lunches to both tourists and locals since 1961. At the original Honolulu location and several newer outposts, Rainbow customers can enjoy island specialties like Spam, BBQ pork or hamburger patties served alongside scoops of rice and macaroni salad. On a good day, the flagship restaurant serves up to 1,000 of these traditional lunch plates.
The food tent that eventually grew into Hudson’s Hamburgers first popped up on a street in Coeur d’Alene in 1907, making it one of Idaho’s oldest surviving restaurants. For five generations, the descendants of original owner Harley M. Hudson have continued to sling delicious no-nonsense hamburgers and other simple meals like ham and egg sandwiches.
Founded in 1946, this retro restaurant on historic Route 66 has a lengthy fast food-oriented menu, but the main attraction is its signature Cozy Dog, which is essentially an early version of the now-familiar corn dog. Ed Waldmire started toying with recipes for corn batter-coated deep fried hot dogs on a stick back in the 1940s and they’ve continued to be a favourite in Illinois.
Billed as the oldest coney dog stand in America, Fort Wayne first opened in 1913. Coney dogs didn’t originate at New York’s Coney Island –they’re actually a Greek American concoction thought to be from the Midwest consisting of a frankfurter in a steamed bun, topped with an all-meat chili, onions and yellow mustard. Coney dogs are the star of the menu at Fort Wayne, but guests can also get hamburgers or chili bowls.
Maid-Rite sandwiches are a fast food must-try in Iowa, but aren’t particularly well-known in most other parts of America. The sandwiches are kind of like a hamburger, but the seasoned meat isn’t pressed together into a patty and is left to spill out of the bun. Taylor’s opened in 1928 and tops its sandwiches with mustard and pickles or onions, though, after 90 years it started to offer guests ketchup as well.
A classic American drive-in, Bobo’s first opened in Topeka in 1948 and has been in its current location since 1953. There is a counter to sit down at inside the restaurant, but most customers still elect to eat in their cars at the drive-in area in the parking lot. The menu is what you’d expect from this vintage Midwest restaurant: burgers, chili cheese fries, coney dogs and fried chicken.
Specialising in breaded and deep-fried fish and other seafood items, Mike Linnig’s has been a Louisville institution since 1925. It started as a little roadside fish stand run by a man named Mike Linnig and at one time had facilities for square dancing and other activities. Mike Linnig passed away in 1966, but his legacy remains as a third generation of his family continues to serve fish sandwiches, plates of fish and chips, fried clam strips and other regional specialties.
Parkway started as a German bakery in 1911, but by 1929 it was under new ownership and specialising in po’boy sandwiches, a relatively new invention at the time. It closed in the early Nineties, but was rejuvenated by a new owner who didn’t want to see his neighbourhood fall into disrepair. He reopened it in 2005 (just before Hurricane Katrina). The shop has seen its ups and downs, but still serves unbelievable po’boy sandwiches.
Maine’s signature fast food dish is the succulent lobster roll and they don’t come much better than the rolls at Red’s Eats. The roadside stand has been a Wiscasset mainstay since 1938, specialising in soft buns full of fresh lobster meat with a side of Maine butter. The menu has 70 other items, including hamburgers, fried scallops and ice cream, but the lobster roll should really not be missed.
When J.T. Thrasher started his food stand in Ocean City in 1929 he wanted to focus on one thing: the humble French fry. Over its almost 100-year history the company has only changed hands twice and the restaurant’s three locations all use Mr. Thrasher’s original recipe. The fries remain incredibly popular – fry fans can check in to an online webcam to gauge how long the line in front of the shop is.
One of the oldest operating diners in the United States, Casey’s has existed in one incarnation or another since 1890, when it consisted of a horse-cart with four stools pulled up around it. Its current lunch car location has been around since 1922 and is now run by the fourth generation of the original owner’s family. It falls into the fast food realm because of its specialty steamed hot dogs, known for having a distinctive “snap” when they’re bitten into.
Arguments about who invented the coney dog is a Midwest pastime and the biggest of the coney dog rivalries is between American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island, which is located next door. American was opened first, in 1917 by brothers Gust and Bill Keros, but Bill split off a few years later to open Lafayette. The Keros family still runs American (the less flashy Layfayette was sold decades ago), but both serve authentic coney dogs topped with chili, onions and yellow mustard.
Winona’s oldest restaurant, the Lakeview Drive Inn first opened in 1938 and still offers an old-fashioned car hop service. The restaurant, which sits on the shore of Lake Winona, is only open seasonally (from March through to September) and doles out made-to-order burgers (including locally raised bison and elk burgers), fish sandwiches, hot dogs and mugs of root beer.
The oldest continuously operating drug store in Mississippi, Borroum’s first opened in 1865 and the same family has been operating the shop and restaurant since the Civil War. The vintage-style shop serves a variety of sandwiches and ice-cream treats, but the specialty here is the regional delight known as a slug burger. Named for their cheap price (back in the day they cost no more than a dime or a “slug”), this Southern-style burger is made with a combination of meat and a soybean filler.
Tennis pro Ted Drewes actually opened his first frozen custard stand in Florida in 1929, but he soon brought the concept to his home state of Missouri. While the frozen custard business floundered through the middle part of the century, by the Eighties the treat was coming into vogue and has since become a local staple. In the winter months the shop sells Christmas trees that are grown on the Drewes’ family Christmas tree farm in Nova Scotia.
One of Helena’s most iconic restaurants, the RB Drive-In has been a haven for burger-lovers since 1948. It got a bit rough around the edges over the years, but in 2020 it came under new ownership and has found a new life. The new owners have kept the Drive-In’s nostalgic feel and its matching menu, which is heavy on burgers, milkshakes and fried fish.
Originally a down-home little chicken shack, Lee’s Chicken has been serving Lincoln since 1945, though its roots stretch back even further. The original tavern has seen substantial additions over the years, but it still serves that tasty fried chicken, along with fries, burgers and fried seafood.
Billed as Reno’s oldest casual dining restaurant, the Gold ‘n’ Silver Inn is a family-run spot that first opened in 1956. Because this is Nevada, the restaurant is open 24/7 and includes a fleet of video poker and slot machines. The menu consists of unpretentious fast food items like hamburgers, jumbo hot dogs and pizza.
Moe’s Italian Sandwiches was born in 1959 when an unsatisfied cheese salesman decided he wanted to go into the restaurant business. Owner Phil Pagano started with just one sandwich: salami and provolone with peppers, onions, dill pickles, olives, tomatoes and olive oil on a roll. Today the restaurant has multiple locations, all of which offer a much wider variety of sandwiches – though the original remains the gold standard.
White Manna was founded at the 1939 World’s Fair but didn’t set up shop in its permanent (and adorable) location in Hackensack until 1946. The restaurant is all about its world-famous burgers, topped with onions and cheese and wedged into soft potato rolls. They’re simple but the fresh meat and signature buns make these some of the most well-rated burgers in America.
Today, Blake’s Lotaburger looks like a typical modern fast food chain, but this beloved regional brand got its start back in 1952. There are now Blake’s locations in Arizona and Texas as well as throughout New Mexico, where people clamour for the signature burgers with a hit of Hatch Valley green chile. Since it’s in the southwest, the locations also serve hearty breakfast burritos and chili con carne.
New York’s original Nathan’s shop is the most famous hot dog restaurant on Brooklyn’s Coney Island. The shop opened in 1916 and after expanding to a second restaurant in 1955 it slowly grew to become one of the most recognisable hot dog brands in the country. Today Nathan's restaurants have fairly large menus, but the original hot dogs are still the stars of the show.
This odd little hot dog shop opened up in 1940 and retains a sense of old-school charm. The epitome of a hole-in-the-wall, the Roast Grill only has 13 seats and serves nothing but hot dogs, Coke in glass bottles, beer, and a small selection of Greek desserts. That’s it. The ownership is famously anti-ketchup, preferring to put a dash of hot sauce on the dogs along with chili and mustard.
Sammy’s Pizza has been a family-run favourite in Minot since 1954. The pizzeria was founded by Sam Perrella, who sensed the post-War enthusiasm for pizza, fueled by soldiers who had discovered Italian food while serving overseas. The original Sammy's location is in Hibbing, but the brand has since spread to 14 other locations, all using the original Sammy’s recipes developed by Perrella.
Kewpee Hamburgers actually started in Flint, Michigan in 1918, but the small chain’s biggest presence has always been in Lima, Ohio, which still boasts three locations. The first Lima Kewpee opened in 1928, with the additional locations opening in the Sixties and Eighties. The menu is simple, with hamburgers (which can be dressed up with Miracle Whip, banana peppers and olives among other toppings) and freshly baked pies.
While Hamburger King’s name may seem like a copy of the much more famous Burger King, this Oklahoma restaurant first opened in 1927, nearly 30 years before the international chain. Founded by George Macsas, Hamburger King remains a family-owned restaurant, run by Macsas’s grandchildren. The menu is simple and wholesome, with their signature hamburgers the most popular item.
Known as “the hot dog folks”, Roake’s has a long history, which began when it opened as a drive-in called the Jiffy Way Lunch in 1938. The restaurant became Roake’s in the 1970s after being purchased by long-time customer and hot dog enthusiast Jim Roake, who still owns it today. Hot dogs are at the top of the menu (including chili-topped coney dogs), but Roake’s also serves a selection of hamburgers, fries and milkshakes.
Philadelphia is best known for its cheesesteak sandwiches, but those weren’t invented at Pat’s King of Steaks until 1930, whereas this Italian sandwich spot has been going strong since 1920. Family owned and operated, Ricci’s specialises in hoagies: cold sandwiches that are like a sub, but usually on a slightly harder roll. Ricci’s serves sandwiches stuffed with Italian cold cuts, tuna or seafood salad, chicken cutlets or roasted peppers and eggplants.
The Greek family that owns this uniquely named restaurant originally ran a candy store in New York, but in the 1930s they settled in Rhode Island and started a small restaurant on Providence's Olneyville Square. It moved in 1953, but kept the Olneyville name and continued to make its signature hot wieners, topped with a coney-style sauce. Olneyville sells packets of the sauce’s spice mix so that customers can replicate the experience at home.
The “Groucho” of Groucho’s Deli is actually Harold Miller, a man who looked, talked and acted so much like Groucho Marx that he earned himself a distinctive nickname. Miller started his quick service deli in 1941, serving up his original recipes for sandwich dressings, potato salad and coleslaw. While the multiple Groucho’s locations also have a retail aspect, they’re most famous for their sandwiches topped with Miller’s Formula 45 sauce.
In the Forties and Fifties, Zesto was a Missouri-based regional chain of drive-in restaurants with locations throughout the Midwest and the South. But by the mid-Fifties the chain had gone out of business. A few franchised Zesto locations continued to run independently, including this little one in Mitchell, which was the first fast food restaurant in town. The food is typical drive-in fare, with burgers, corn dogs, wings and grilled-cheese sandwiches.
Located on Memphis’ historic Beale street, Dyer’s Burgers was first opened in 1912 by Elmer “Doc” Dyer, who claimed that the secret to great burgers is cooking them in the same grease day after day. Every burger at Dyer’s is cooked in oil that is at least partially 109 years old (the restaurant does occasionally top it up with new oil). When the restaurant has moved locations over the years, the grease has been accompanied by a police escort so that not a drop was spilled.
This tiny restaurant and market began life as a food stall in 1938, later growing to become a deli and eventually a fully-fledged burger restaurant. Despite the name the food goes far beyond grab-and-go sandwiches. The current menu lets the cooks get creative, with creations like a Frito pie burger and a mac ‘n’ cheese-topped burger, as well as more standard hot dogs and salads.
Utah is a hotbed of fast food options, including many regional chains that aren’t seen elsewhere in the country. Arctic Circle's 60-plus hamburger joints are mostly in Utah and Idaho. The chain can be traced back to a refreshment stand that opened in 1924, with the first official Arctic Circle popping up in 1950. The restaurants are best known for a signature fry sauce and they claim to have invented the kids’ meal too.
Al’s French Frys was first opened as a rural fry stand in the late Forties and numerous additions have turned it into a full restaurant with a loyal following in Vermont. The fries are definitely still a selling point, but Al’s also serves burgers and dogs, chicken sandwiches, clam strips, and to keep things slightly healthy, a selection of salads and wraps.
According to legend, at least, Abe Doumar invented the waffle cone at the 1904 World’s Fair when he bought a waffle from one vendor and topped it with ice cream from another. Doumar transferred his idea to his own string of ice cream stands, which eventually grew into the family business that is Doumar’s Barbecue. Today the restaurant still serves hand-rolled waffle cones, as well as pork barbecue and hamburgers.
Zip’s Drive-In was founded in 1953 by Robert “Zip” Zuber and its very first location was in Kennewick, Washington. While there are now Zip's restaurants throughout the state (with the largest concentration in Spokane) as well as Idaho, this location is the original. It’s a classic mid-century drive-in, with juicy burgers, fish and chips, chicken strips and other greasy goodness.
Coleman’s Fish Market set up shop in Coleman’s historic Old Centre Market in 1914 and it remains one of Virginia’s most beloved places to eat. It’s a functional fish market, but more importantly, it specialises in fried fish sandwiches, with the fillets placed simply between two pillowy slices of white bread. It’s dead simple, but given the constant line-up outside of the shop, it's deceptively delicious.
Kopp’s Frozen Custard was founded in 1950 by Elsa Kopp, who made a name for herself by experimenting with out-of-the-box custard flavours. The original Milwaukee stand is no longer open, but Kopp’s has three locations in the city’s suburbs that are still family run and still feature Elsa’s trademark “flavours of the day”. The restaurants also serve jumbo burgers and other sandwiches to complement the frozen treats.
Since 1968, the Red Baron Drive-In in Afton has been offering locals and visitors a big serving of Fifties-style charm along with classic fast food. The selection of burgers and sandwiches is robust, with lots of special burger toppings and a nice range of fish and chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and specialty soft drinks.
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