These fast-food origin stories may sound too good to be true, but we promise they’re legit.
Read on to learn how some of your favorite chains got started.
8 Fast-Food Chains That Never Freeze Their Burgers
McDonald’s started out serving BBQ.
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Today, the nameMcDonald’s is intimately associated with hamburgers.
But the original restaurant debuted in San Bernardino, California, in 1940,serving up pit barbecue.
Burger King was out to beat McDonald’s almost from the start.
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The Home of the Whopper got its start as a restaurant called Insta-Burger King,according to The Balance.
They eventually bought the entire company, nixing “Insta” from the name in 1961.
Carl was not a Junior.
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Today, the chain has more than 1,200 restaurants.
Moe’s wasn’t founded by someone named “Moe.”
“Moe” actually stands for musicians, outlaws, and entertainers.
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Moe’s now has about 680 locations across the US.
The chain has struggled since the pandemic but has madesome major changesthat could help.
But Glen “Taco” Bell did exist.
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Taco Bell founder Glen Bellopened both Bell’s Hamburgers and Taco Tia in California.
And ithopes to have more soon!
Chick-fil-A was originally called the Dwarf Grill.
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Chick-fil-A got its start as the Dwarf Grillin Hapeville, Georgia.
The sandwich was so popular that it would eventually lend its name to the entire chain of family-owned restaurants.
In-N-Out Burger invented the modern-day drive-thru.
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Harry and Esther Snyder opened thefirst In-N-Out Burgerin Baldwin Park, California, in 1945.
Yep, the restaurant’s name is pretty fitting.
The “RB” in Arby’s doesn’t actually stand for “roast beef.”
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That’s half right.
The RB actually stands for"Raffel brothers."
The easy way to make healthier comfort foods.
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Popeyes was named after a gritty crime movie cop, not the cartoon sailor.
Copeland also switched from serving Southern-stylefried chickento spicy, New Orleans-style chickenand the rest is history.
The chain opened its 500th restaurant in 1985 and its 2,000th in 2011.
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Five Guys' founder started the business because his kids didn’t want to go to college.
“My two eldest sons, Matt and Jim, said they did not want to go to college.
I supported them 100 percent.
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Instead, we used their college tuition to open a burger joint,“Murrell told the magazine.
In 1962, Thomas bought four flailing KFC franchises in Ohio and pared down the menu to streamline operations.
Seven years later, he opened his first hamburger restaurant.
Courtesy of Wendy’s
In 1952, Sanders struck out on his own and opened the first Kentucky Fried Chicken.
By the time he sold his interest in the company 12 years later, there weremore than 600 franchises.
Today, there are more than 21,000 KFC locations worldwide.
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The first Sonic was an abandoned root beer stand.
Smith’s restaurant was so successful that he started selling franchisesbut quickly hit a snag.
They settled onSonic, chosen to emphasize the speed of service at each location.
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Today, there are some 3,600Sonic Drive-Insacross the US.
White Castle is America’s oldest fast-food chain.
Shake Shack was named after the movieGrease.
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Shake Shackwas never meant to be a chain restaurant.
That first burger stand in the park grew into a fast-food empire.
Subway was started by a teenager.
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Today, there are more than 40,000 Subway locations worldwide.
Firehouse Subs was started by a family of firefighters.
Pizza Hut is only a “hut” because their first sign was so small.
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They only named itPizza “Hut"because they ran out of room on the sign.
By 1971, the two brothers had grown their business into America’s No.
Potbelly originally sold antiques.
There are more than 400 neighborhood Potbelly locations today, each with its own antique stove.
Blimpie’s founders got the name out of the dictionary.
By 1995, there were 1,000Blimpielocations, and the chain celebrated its 50th birthday in 2014.
Blimpie America’s Sub Shop / Facebook
Whataburger got its fun name from the founder.
Upon viewing the burger they wanted the customer to exclaim, ‘What a burger!'”
What is interesting is that A&W is thefirst chain to serve a bacon cheeseburger.
Whataburger / Facebook
The first official Dairy Queen opened in 1940.
A previous version of this article was published in June 2019.
It has been updated with new information.
Photo: Ken Wolter / Shutterstock
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