George Webb Restaurants
Encyclopedia
George Webb Restaurants is an American
chain of 36 lunch counter
-style restaurants in the state of Wisconsin
. After starting as a single lunch counter operation, George Webb Restaurants evolved into a chain of full-service family establishments serving made to order breakfast
s, hamburger
s and other sandwich
es, soup
s, chili
, and premium blend coffee
.
. It began as a family business, with George, his wife Evelyn, and their three sons, Jim, Tom and Bob, all performing various tasks in the restaurant.
In 1953, Jim Webb became the first George Webb franchise owner, when it was suggested by his father that he take over one of the restaurants. In 1957, not long after the business was passed on to his son, George Webb died. Jim Webb took over the management of the company, serving as president during a period of strong growth from the 1960s through the 1980s. In 1985, Jim Webb sold the now thriving chain to Dave Stamm, who had been a franchisee with the company for over 30 years.
businessman Philip Anderson, who had previously built a national rubber
seal distributorship before taking on the task of managing George Webb Restaurants. George Webb celebrated its 60th birthday in 2008, though struggling to make this milestone. The company was in danger of going bankrupt in the middle of 2008. In an effort to get George Webb Restaurants out of the financial crisis, Anderson, who had lent money for the 2005 purchase of the company, pushed out owner Jayne Aliota and took over day-to-day operations.
prediction
game that began in the 1940s and continues today. Webb was a baseball fan, and each year he predicted that the minor league
Milwaukee Brewers
would win 17 straight games. He continued the prediction as a publicity stunt when the Boston Braves
(now Atlanta Braves) moved to Milwaukee in 1953. He printed napkins saying "George Webb's predicts the Braves will win 12 straight games." The Braves left Milwaukee for Atlanta in 1965. The Milwaukee Brewers major league club began in 1970 and he continued the promotion. George Webb promised to give away free hamburgers if the team won 12 straight games. The prediction continued in the 1970s with three 10-game wins streaks. On April 19, 1987, the Brewers won 12 straight games after a dramatic late inning win and in a three day time period, 168,194 hamburgers were given away. In addition to their 12 win prediction, George Webb's offers 6 burgers for just $5 when the Brewers score 5 runs or more in ANY game, win or lose, home or away. Offer is valid the moment the 5th run is scored until midnight the following day. For spring training, the promotion is expanded, allowing customers to get the 6 for $5 deal any time during a ten day period, regardless of the score.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chain of 36 lunch counter
Lunch counter
A lunch counter is a small restaurant, much like a diner, where the patron sits on a stool on one side of the counter and the server or person preparing the food serves from the other side of the counter, where the kitchen or limited food preparation area is. As the name suggests, they were most...
-style restaurants in the state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. After starting as a single lunch counter operation, George Webb Restaurants evolved into a chain of full-service family establishments serving made to order breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work...
s, hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
s and other sandwich
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
es, soup
Soup
Soup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.Traditionally,...
s, chili
Chili con carne
Chili con carne is a spicy stew. The name of the dish derives from the Spanish chile con carne, "chili pepper with meat". Traditional versions are made, minimally, from chili peppers, garlic, onions, and cumin, along with chopped or ground beef. Beans and tomatoes are frequently included...
, and premium blend coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
.
History
In May 1948, George Webb opened the first "George Webb and Sons" lunch counter on the corner of Ogden and Van Buren Streets on the east side of Milwaukee, WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. It began as a family business, with George, his wife Evelyn, and their three sons, Jim, Tom and Bob, all performing various tasks in the restaurant.
In 1953, Jim Webb became the first George Webb franchise owner, when it was suggested by his father that he take over one of the restaurants. In 1957, not long after the business was passed on to his son, George Webb died. Jim Webb took over the management of the company, serving as president during a period of strong growth from the 1960s through the 1980s. In 1985, Jim Webb sold the now thriving chain to Dave Stamm, who had been a franchisee with the company for over 30 years.
Current
In 2005, after leading the company for 20 years, Dave Stamm turned operations over to Whitefish BayWhitefish Bay
Whitefish Bay is a large bay on the eastern end of the southern shore of Lake Superior between Michigan and Ontario. It begins in the north and west at Whitefish Point in Michigan, about 10 miles north of Paradise, Michigan and ends at the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie on the southeast...
businessman Philip Anderson, who had previously built a national rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
seal distributorship before taking on the task of managing George Webb Restaurants. George Webb celebrated its 60th birthday in 2008, though struggling to make this milestone. The company was in danger of going bankrupt in the middle of 2008. In an effort to get George Webb Restaurants out of the financial crisis, Anderson, who had lent money for the 2005 purchase of the company, pushed out owner Jayne Aliota and took over day-to-day operations.
Gimmicks
George Webb was a man noted for his gimmicks, and the restaurants continue that tradition. Locations have signs that display senseless phrases such as "Free rabbit lunch tomorrow", or "pay $10.00 for 1,893 pennies".Clocks
George Webb Restaurants are known for displaying two clocks side by side in every restaurant, and there are two stories describing how this came about. One says that Webb originally had a wall full of clocks so that his patrons who used a nearby streetcar service would know the time. He had different clocks set at the current time at different places around the world. The streetcar rattled the clocks so violently that most of the clocks eventually fell off the wall. If you ask at a restaurant, a worker will tell you that there had been a local law stating that no business could be open 24 hours per day. So Webb installed two clocks and set them one minute apart. Technically, the company was closed one minute per day on one clock but not the other and Webb announced that his restaurants were open "23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds, seven days a week and on Sundays". Currently, all George Webb locations are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except on holidays. In the late 50's, there was at least one George Webb Restaurant with the two clocks, with a sign under one, that read "CORRECT TIME IN THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE", but the other clock had no minute hand nor hour hand, just the "seconds hand" and the sign under that clock read "CORRECT TIME FOR THOSE WHO NO LONGER CARE"Baseball prediction
George Webb Restaurants are famous for the traditional baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
prediction
Prediction
A prediction or forecast is a statement about the way things will happen in the future, often but not always based on experience or knowledge...
game that began in the 1940s and continues today. Webb was a baseball fan, and each year he predicted that the minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
would win 17 straight games. He continued the prediction as a publicity stunt when the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(now Atlanta Braves) moved to Milwaukee in 1953. He printed napkins saying "George Webb's predicts the Braves will win 12 straight games." The Braves left Milwaukee for Atlanta in 1965. The Milwaukee Brewers major league club began in 1970 and he continued the promotion. George Webb promised to give away free hamburgers if the team won 12 straight games. The prediction continued in the 1970s with three 10-game wins streaks. On April 19, 1987, the Brewers won 12 straight games after a dramatic late inning win and in a three day time period, 168,194 hamburgers were given away. In addition to their 12 win prediction, George Webb's offers 6 burgers for just $5 when the Brewers score 5 runs or more in ANY game, win or lose, home or away. Offer is valid the moment the 5th run is scored until midnight the following day. For spring training, the promotion is expanded, allowing customers to get the 6 for $5 deal any time during a ten day period, regardless of the score.