Kewpee
Encyclopedia
Kewpee Hamburgers is the second known chain of hamburger
fast-food restaurants, and was founded in 1923 in Flint, Michigan
under the name "Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs". Kewpee's current headquarters is located in Lima, Ohio
. The chain is named after the Kewpie doll
. Kewpee was one of the first to institute curbside service, which morphed into drive-in service, and then finally was transformed into drive-thru service. Its founder, Samuel V. Blair, also claims to be the first to use the flat bun and developed the "deluxe" hamburger. The Lima Kewpee locations have locally raised, boneless beef delivered daily to each Kewpee restaurant. Then employees grind and patty that day’s burgers.
earlier slogans
by Samuel V. Blair under the name "Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs". At its peak, before World War II
, there were more than 400 Kewpee restaurants in operation with half closing during the Great Depression
. The early Kewpees were not franchises and there was no group association. Each differently-owned Kewpee had its own menu with their own different style of hamburger.
Kewpee began operating out of a wagon then from a location on Harrison Street Downtown Flint. In Lansing, Michigan
, the Weston family has owned and operated the Kewpees restaurant since it opened in 1923. The Weston family has had as many as two Kewpee restaurants open at one time in Lansing. The Westons are in their fourth generation of operating Kewpee. Kewpee's early plans under Blair and Adams seem to stay out of major city. After Prohibition
, some Kewpee restaurants add real beer to its staple of root beer, which was on many Kewpee menus joining the standard coffee of other hamburger chains. In 1928, the Lima, Ohio
location opens under the ownership of Hoyt “Stub” Wilson. In 1936 with a Kewpee already located in Findlay, Ohio
, so Wilson opened a restaurant there called Wilson's Sandwich Shop.
Blair, upon his retirement on April 1, 1944, started renting the original location
. Blair died in 1945 and license
s continued to lease the location and paid royalties for use of the Kewpee name from the estate until the Kewpee trademark went up for sale in 1955 and Blair estate owned locations went up for sale in 1958. The original location and the rights to the Kewpee were split up in sale with the original location going to leasor William "Bill" V. Thomas while the trademark went to Ed F. Adams's Kewpee Hotels partnership of Toledo, Ohio
About 1958, Harrison "Harry" E. Shutt goes to work for Wilson at his Lima restaurant.
Ed Adams' partnership, Kewpee Hotels transferred the Kewpee trademark to Kewpee Hotel Systems, Inc. in 1965 of which Ed Adams was president. The number of Kewpee locations dropped considerably in 1967 when the Kewpee Hotel Systems, Inc. demanded a full franchising arrangement and a percentage of the profits. The locations which objected either closed or changed their names. The original Flint location changed its name to Bill Thomas' Halo Burger
which is still a thriving business, but not at the original location which was torn down in 1979. Hortense M. Adams took over as president of Kewpee Hotel System, Inc. by March 1975. In August 1985, a Kewpee International partnership, (later most likely incorporated as Kewpee of Toledo) led by former Kewpee Hotel System Vice President Robert L. Dane, purchase the Kewpee rights from Kewpee Hotel System, Inc.
The Kewpee, Inc. forms in 1969 by Harold J., James F. and Richard E. Meredith based in Lima, Ohio
. "The Kewpee, Inc. of Toledo" assigns the trademark of Kewpee to "The Kewpee, Inc." Shutt becomes president in 1970 of Kewpee, Inc. and purchase's Wilson's Lima location upon Wilson's death in 1980.
According to a 2001 interview with Dave Thomas
, the founder of Wendy's
, as a child, he lived near the intersection of Douglas and Kalamazoo Avenue in Kalamazoo, Michigan
. Thomas used to love eating at a Kewpee restaurant, which stood at Burdick and South. He said it's what inspired him to go into the business. Kewpee's sold square hamburgers and thick malt shakes, much like that famous restaurant that Thomas eventually founded in Columbus, Ohio
in 1969.
In January 2010, Kewpee is named to the National Restaurant News 50: All-American Icons list and the Lima City Council honors Kewpee with a resolution recognizing this honor.
, OH
. It is a local institution with people going there to get intouch with the community with it being a regular stop for local Courier
reporters getting "man-on-the-street perspectives". Various famous people and politicans regularly visit including singer Johnny Mathis
, U.S. Sen. George Voinovich
, R-Ohio, and former Vice President Dan Quayle
.
In 1936 with a Kewpee already located in Findlay, Ohio
, so Hoyt “Stub” Wilson, the Lima Kepee licensee, opened a restaurant there called Wilson's Sandwich Shop. Wilson sold ownership in the 1960s to three employees: Wilbur Fenbert, Harold "Lance" Baker and Woodie Curtis. With the deaths of Baker and Curtis, their spouses took over their ownership interests.In 2008, then Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden
stopped there while on the campaign trail.
Wilson's faced possible closure in 2009 with the downturn in the economy and Occupational Safety and Health Administration fines over their hamburger patty molding machine potentially pinching, electrical shock or electrocution. With training and safety precautions unaffordable, the then manager Mike Fenbert ceased using the machine and move to purchase premade patties.
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
fast-food restaurants, and was founded in 1923 in Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
under the name "Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs". Kewpee's current headquarters is located in Lima, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
. The chain is named after the Kewpie doll
Kewpie doll (toy)
Kewpie dolls and figurines are based on comical strip-like illustrations by Rose O'Neill that appeared in Ladies' Home Journal in 1909. The small dolls were extremely popular in the early 1900s. They were first produced in Ohrdruf, a small town in Germany, then famous for its toy-manufacturers....
. Kewpee was one of the first to institute curbside service, which morphed into drive-in service, and then finally was transformed into drive-thru service. Its founder, Samuel V. Blair, also claims to be the first to use the flat bun and developed the "deluxe" hamburger. The Lima Kewpee locations have locally raised, boneless beef delivered daily to each Kewpee restaurant. Then employees grind and patty that day’s burgers.
Slogans
Their advertising slogan is: Hamburg pickle on top, makes your heart go flippity-flop!earlier slogans
- "Mity Nice Hamburger".
- "We cater to all the folks"
History
Kewpee Hamburgers is a chain of fast-food restaurants founded in 1923 in Flint, MichiganFlint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
by Samuel V. Blair under the name "Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs". At its peak, before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, there were more than 400 Kewpee restaurants in operation with half closing during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The early Kewpees were not franchises and there was no group association. Each differently-owned Kewpee had its own menu with their own different style of hamburger.
Kewpee began operating out of a wagon then from a location on Harrison Street Downtown Flint. In Lansing, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
, the Weston family has owned and operated the Kewpees restaurant since it opened in 1923. The Weston family has had as many as two Kewpee restaurants open at one time in Lansing. The Westons are in their fourth generation of operating Kewpee. Kewpee's early plans under Blair and Adams seem to stay out of major city. After Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, some Kewpee restaurants add real beer to its staple of root beer, which was on many Kewpee menus joining the standard coffee of other hamburger chains. In 1928, the Lima, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
location opens under the ownership of Hoyt “Stub” Wilson. In 1936 with a Kewpee already located in Findlay, Ohio
Findlay, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile . There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6 per square mile...
, so Wilson opened a restaurant there called Wilson's Sandwich Shop.
Blair, upon his retirement on April 1, 1944, started renting the original location
Halo Burger
Halo Burger, sometimes known by its full name Bill Thomas' Halo Burger, is a fast-food restaurant chain based in Flint, Michigan, USA. Begun in 1923 as the original Kewpee location and separating from the Kewpee chain in 1967 with two locations, the chain has since grown to ten locations in the...
. Blair died in 1945 and license
License
The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license or licence refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission.A license may be granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement...
s continued to lease the location and paid royalties for use of the Kewpee name from the estate until the Kewpee trademark went up for sale in 1955 and Blair estate owned locations went up for sale in 1958. The original location and the rights to the Kewpee were split up in sale with the original location going to leasor William "Bill" V. Thomas while the trademark went to Ed F. Adams's Kewpee Hotels partnership of Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
About 1958, Harrison "Harry" E. Shutt goes to work for Wilson at his Lima restaurant.
Ed Adams' partnership, Kewpee Hotels transferred the Kewpee trademark to Kewpee Hotel Systems, Inc. in 1965 of which Ed Adams was president. The number of Kewpee locations dropped considerably in 1967 when the Kewpee Hotel Systems, Inc. demanded a full franchising arrangement and a percentage of the profits. The locations which objected either closed or changed their names. The original Flint location changed its name to Bill Thomas' Halo Burger
Halo Burger
Halo Burger, sometimes known by its full name Bill Thomas' Halo Burger, is a fast-food restaurant chain based in Flint, Michigan, USA. Begun in 1923 as the original Kewpee location and separating from the Kewpee chain in 1967 with two locations, the chain has since grown to ten locations in the...
which is still a thriving business, but not at the original location which was torn down in 1979. Hortense M. Adams took over as president of Kewpee Hotel System, Inc. by March 1975. In August 1985, a Kewpee International partnership, (later most likely incorporated as Kewpee of Toledo) led by former Kewpee Hotel System Vice President Robert L. Dane, purchase the Kewpee rights from Kewpee Hotel System, Inc.
The Kewpee, Inc. forms in 1969 by Harold J., James F. and Richard E. Meredith based in Lima, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
. "The Kewpee, Inc. of Toledo" assigns the trademark of Kewpee to "The Kewpee, Inc." Shutt becomes president in 1970 of Kewpee, Inc. and purchase's Wilson's Lima location upon Wilson's death in 1980.
According to a 2001 interview with Dave Thomas
Dave Thomas (American businessman)
David "Dave" Thomas was an American fast-food entrepreneur and philanthropist. Thomas was the founder and chief executive officer of Wendy's, a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in hamburgers...
, the founder of Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...
, as a child, he lived near the intersection of Douglas and Kalamazoo Avenue in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
. Thomas used to love eating at a Kewpee restaurant, which stood at Burdick and South. He said it's what inspired him to go into the business. Kewpee's sold square hamburgers and thick malt shakes, much like that famous restaurant that Thomas eventually founded in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
in 1969.
In January 2010, Kewpee is named to the National Restaurant News 50: All-American Icons list and the Lima City Council honors Kewpee with a resolution recognizing this honor.
Locations
There are five known remaining Kewpee restaurants, as follows:- Kewpee Sandwich Shoppe, Lansing, Michigan
- Kewpee Sandwich Shop, Racine, Wisconsin
Lima, Ohio
- Kewpee Hamburgers DowntownKewpee RestaurantThe Kewpee Restaurant, also known as Kewpee Downtown, opened under the ownership of Stub Wilson in 1928 as a Kewpee franchise. The building was approved for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, but due to owner objection it was not finally listed....
(listed on the NRHPNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
) - Kewpee Hamburgers West
- Kewpee Hamburgers East
Wilsons
Wilson's Sandwich Shop is a spin-off business of the Kewpee Hamburger chain located in FindlayFindlay, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile . There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6 per square mile...
, OH
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. It is a local institution with people going there to get intouch with the community with it being a regular stop for local Courier
The Courier (Findlay)
The Courier is a daily newspaper based in Findlay, Ohio covering Allen, Hancock, Henry, Putnam, Seneca, Wood, and Wyandot counties in Ohio. The newspaper owned by The Findlay Publishing Company which in addition to daily newspaper operations in Findlay and Fostoria Ohio, operates Allegra Print and...
reporters getting "man-on-the-street perspectives". Various famous people and politicans regularly visit including singer Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
, U.S. Sen. George Voinovich
George Voinovich
George Victor Voinovich is a former United States Senator from the state of Ohio, and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served as the 65th Governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998, and as the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989.-Personal life:Born in Cleveland, Ohio, his father was...
, R-Ohio, and former Vice President Dan Quayle
Dan Quayle
James Danforth "Dan" Quayle served as the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving with President George H. W. Bush . He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Indiana....
.
In 1936 with a Kewpee already located in Findlay, Ohio
Findlay, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile . There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6 per square mile...
, so Hoyt “Stub” Wilson, the Lima Kepee licensee, opened a restaurant there called Wilson's Sandwich Shop. Wilson sold ownership in the 1960s to three employees: Wilbur Fenbert, Harold "Lance" Baker and Woodie Curtis. With the deaths of Baker and Curtis, their spouses took over their ownership interests.In 2008, then Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
stopped there while on the campaign trail.
Wilson's faced possible closure in 2009 with the downturn in the economy and Occupational Safety and Health Administration fines over their hamburger patty molding machine potentially pinching, electrical shock or electrocution. With training and safety precautions unaffordable, the then manager Mike Fenbert ceased using the machine and move to purchase premade patties.