Hugely famous food businesses have been brought to life in the USA. From internationally renowned brands such as McDonalds and Starbucks to regional favorites like In-N-Out and White Castle, American restaurant chains, grocery stores, and more have earned their founders fame and fortune in the years since they were established. Here we take a look at the fascinating vintage photos that reveal where these companies began, including small burger stands, tiny stores, and even gas stations.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the places where some of our favorite all-American food companies got their start.
America's largest supermarket chain grew from just one tiny grocery store. In 1883, its eponymous founder Barney Kroger used his entire life savings of $372, which is $11,779 in today's money, to open a small grocery store on Pearl Street in downtown Cincinnati. Kroger was very picky about the products he stocked; he sold bread and other baked goods, which differentiated his store from the competition (and cemented its success).
Laying claim to being the first fast food restaurant in the world, the original White Castle opened in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas. Over 100 years later, there are more than 400 restaurants, loved throughout the Midwest and Tri-State Area. Founder Billy Ingram not only developed the concept of fast food, but he also came up with the idea of carry-out, using the tagline ‘Selling ‘em by the sack’ to encourage customers to take their meals home. Not all innovations were so fast, though – it took 41 years to get a cheeseburger on the menu.
The world's largest chain of convenience stores originated in 1927, when Southland Ice Company employee John Jefferson Green began selling basics like eggs and bread on a stand in front of one of the firm's ice houses in Dallas. Company chairman Joe C. Thompson loved the concept and opened several locations in Texas. The chain's name was changed to Tot'em Stores, then 7-Eleven in 1946, to reflect its long opening hours.
KFC started small in 1930, when its famous founder Colonel Harland Sanders snapped up a Shell service station on Route 25 just outside North Corbin and began selling fried chicken – and other diner staples, such as country ham and steaks – to hungry travelers. Today, the location has been carefully restored, and it's open to visit as Sanders Cafe and Museum. Visitors can eat in the café, view memorabilia, and see a model motel room.
After relocating to Hollywood from New Hampshire, the McDonald brothers opened a food stand called the Airdrome on Route 66, adjacent to LA County's Monrovia Airport, in 1937. The compact stand started off selling hot dogs – hamburgers were added later, along with all-you-can-drink orange juice. The octagonal stand was moved to San Bernardino in 1940, and the family started franchising the concept in 1955.
Entrepreneur Sam Walton made his first foray into retail in 1945 when he paid $25,000, which is $351,000 in today's money, to franchise a Ben Franklin five and dime store in Newport, Arkansas. Buoyed by the store's success, Walton opened the tiny Eagle department store – and then a five and dime in Bentonville, Arkansas – before launching the very first Walmart location in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962.
Dunkin', formerly Dunkin' Donuts, started in 1948 as a single donut store in Quincy, Massachusetts that sold the sweet treats along with cups of coffee. Founder William Rosenberg called it Open Kettle, then in 1950 changed the name to Dunkin' Donuts – as suggested by an architect working for the firm, who enjoyed dipping the store's donuts in the coffee.
The burger joint of choice for many in California and the southwest, In-N-Out is renowned for its (not-so-secret) secret menu, with options like Animal Style fries and burgers. The chain got its start in 1948 in Baldwin Park, where Harry Snyder opened the first drive-thru burger stand in the state. While Snyder sourced fresh produce and made burger patties by hand, his wife Esther kept things running behind the scenes, working on the accounts from their home.
Whataburger’s distinctive A-frame buildings were its most recognizable features for many years, but the first ever location was set up long before they came along. Located in Corpus Christi, Texas, it was opened in 1950 by Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton, who wanted to sell a burger so big and tasty that customers would exclaim “What a burger!” on their first bite. While it’s no longer there, you can see a replica on the same site.
When the first Sonic opened in 1953, it was under the name Top Hat Drive-In. Founder Troy N. Smith took over an abandoned root beer stand and started selling hot dogs and burgers, later adding a drive-in after he saw an intercom being used at a Louisiana restaurant. Four Top Hat Drive-Ins opened in total, but Smith and his partner Charlie Pappe had to change the chain's name due to trademark issues. They chose the new name Sonic, reflecting their slogan ‘Service with the speed of sound,’ and started franchising.
What’s now an international chain was started by two students in 1958. Brothers Frank and Dan Carney were studying at Wichita University when they opened the very first Pizza Hut restaurant, selling one of the most fashionable new fast foods at the time. Friends and family staffed the small restaurant, which was an instant success. In 1986, the building that housed the original location was moved to Wichita State University’s campus, where it can still be viewed today.
Originally DomiNick’s Pizza, Domino’s began in Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1960, when two brothers bought the ready-named DomiNick’s pizza restaurant. The next year, two became one as James Monaghan gave half of the business to his brother, Tom, swapping it for a Volkswagen Beetle. In 1965, Tom Monaghan renamed the business Domino’s Pizza, Inc., and he began franchising it in 1967. By the 1980s, the pizza chain was expanding outside of the US, with 5,000 stores opened before the brand’s 30th birthday.
Like many famous American companies, Arby’s began as a family business. Brothers Forrest and Leroy Raffell started out selling restaurant equipment; however, when their customers began to feel the heat from fast food competitors, they decided to throw their hat in the ring. After spending a year developing the perfect roast beef sandwich, they opened their first restaurant in Boardman, Ohio, in 1964. The following year, they started franchising their business.
These days, Subway has tens of thousands of locations in over 100 countries. However, the chain started extremely small in 1965, with just one sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut, called Pete's Super Submarines. The shop was initially named after co-founder and nuclear physicist Dr. Peter Buck's words to student Fred Deluca: "Let's open a submarine sandwich shop." It did a roaring trade, selling an average of 312 sandwiches a day, and owners Buck and Deluca franchised the concept not long after.
A mall in Atlanta, Georgia was home to the very first Chick-fil-A location. Founder S. Truett Cathy was already a successful businessman, having run a restaurant with his brother for over 20 years before he started Chick-fil-A in 1967 at the Greenbriar Shopping Center. The company has remained in the family, with Cathy's son – and later, grandson – taking over as CEO. The first location closed in 2023, but you can still get a taste of the original menu at Cathy's first business, The Dwarf House, in Hapeville.
Loved for its iconic square beef patties and frozen desserts, Wendy’s has been delighting customers since 1969. The quick-service chain opened its first location on November 15 that year, at 257 East Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio. Owner Dave Thomas, pictured here, followed the momentous opening by introducing a drive-thru window the following year. By 1978, there were 1,000 Wendy’s locations, and today there are many more around the world.
The very first Starbucks was opened at 1912 Pike Place, Seattle on March 31, 1971, by three University of San Francisco graduates (pictured) – and back then, it only sold coffee beans. The company stayed small until entrepreneur Howard Schultz bought it out in 1987 and embarked on an ambitious expansion plan. The original Starbucks location is still at Pike Place Market, and it's retained its appearance from back in the day.
Whole Foods Market co-founders John Mackey and Renee Lawson borrowed money from friends and family in 1975 to set up their first business, a vegetarian natural foods store in Austin, Texas called SaferWay – and they were forced to live in it for a time after they were evicted from their apartment. Two years later, the store merged with Clarksville Natural Grocery, and Whole Foods Market was born.
Now a subsidiary of Unilever, ice cream company Ben & Jerry's started out in May 1978 as an ice cream parlor in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont. Founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield invested $12,000 (worth $58,900 today) to open the store. From the beginning, the brand was committed to social change, and maintaining that philosophy was a condition of its sale to Unilever.
With an emphasis on quality double-patty burgers and large portions of fries, this fast casual chain is loved for its customization options. The original ‘five guys’ were Jerry Murrell, who started the business with his wife Janie, and his four sons. A couple of years after the first restaurant opened in Arlington, Virginia, in 1986, a fifth son came along, and the younger five guys are now all part of the family business. Using simple systems for preparing food, the business quickly grew.