Kewpee Hamburgers; Second-oldest Chain of Fast-Food Restaurants & Toledo, OH Connection

At its peak, just before World War II, there were over 400 of these restaurants in operation! And yes, there is a connection with Toledo, OH!

The kiddos and I have a running bucket list of places we’d like to visit. We try to knock out at least a few each summer, and this summer the timing was perfect for us to take a short road trip to Lima, Ohio. My oldest is a collector of Sonny Angels; they are tiny, cute collectible figurines introduced in Japan in 2005 by Dreams. They have a resemblance to Kewpie dolls created by Rose O’Neill around 1909. Everyone knows the Kewpie doll, the chubby baby with the round face, top curl in their hair, and often naked. So, when my daughter found out there was a Kewpee fast-food restaurant, she added it to our list. And lo and behold, two out of three of my kids were available (my son had work, working at another popular, longtime fast-food restaurant, Rudy’s Hot Dog). I was available, the stars aligned, and we headed for Lima to check it out!!!

Downtown Location

Kewpee Hamburgers

Address: 111 N Elizabeth St, Lima, OH 45801

Phone: (419) 228-1778

Website: https://kewpeehamburgers.com/

Brief History and Fun Facts

Kewpee Hamburgers is the second-oldest chain of hamburger fast-food restaurants, founded in 1923 in Flint, Michigan, under the name “Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs”.

Curious to know the first? A&W in 1919! That’s right, A&W had more locations than McDonald’s! But I digress. The founder, Samuel V. Blair, sold the rights to the Kewpee trademark to Ed Adams.

In 1928, the Lima, Ohio, location opened under the ownership of Hoyt “Stub” Wilson. In 1929, 200 locations existed, and by 1936, at its peak just before WWII, 400 Kewpee fast-food restaurants existed.

Fun Fact: After prohibition, some Kewpee restaurants added real beer to their staple of root beer.

When Ed Adams demanded a full franchising arrangement and a percentage of the profits, the number of Kewpee locations dropped considerably. Most locations objected and either closed or changed their name. The original Fint location changed its name to Bill Thomas’ Halo Burger and is still in operation today. The original location was torn down.

There were once multiple Kewpee restaurants in Toledo up through the 1980s. Kewpee once operated several locations in Toledo, including prominent ones at 2248 Monroe Street and 314 N. Erie Street.

Edwin Adams died in 1974; his widow, Hortense M. Adams, took over as president of Kewpee Hotel System, Inc. in March 1975. Upon the closing of Kewpee’s operations in Toledo, the owner of Kewpee in Lima, Ohio, acquired the Kewpee trademarks in 1985.

Fun Fact: Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s, said that as a child, he loved eating at Kewpee restaurant, which stood at Burdick and South in Kalamazoo, MI, and that’s what inspired him to go into business serving the square burger patties and malt shakes which eventually would be on his menu when he found Wendy’s in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969.

So, here’s the question everyone is dying to ask: how does it taste?

OMG! It’s delicious! I ordered everything but jalapeno and banana pepper on my burger. I didn’t realize sliced green olives would be included. At first, I thought it was odd, but the taste did not disappoint! So why the green olives?

In the Midwest in the 1920s and 1930s, chopped or sliced green olives were a popular topping. This was before lettuce and tomato became the default. Kewpee’s menu has remained relatively unchanged for decades, and the inclusion of olives reflects a commitment to its vintage flavor profile. And I’ll be honest, the sliced green olives, relish, pickles, cheese, tomato, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, mayo, onions, and bacon tasted amazing!!! And I couldn’t get over how fresh the tomato and lettuce tasted. The tomato even tasted like an actual tomato. Sorry, Dave, sometimes your tomatoes are lacking! And as a Toledoian, we know our tomatoes, am I right, Dei Fartelli?

The cheeseburger was so good, I’m already looking forward to our next visit!

Second Lima location…

Kewpee Restaurant

Address: 1350 Bellefontaine Ave, Lima, OH 45804

Phone: (419) 229-1385

Third Lima Location….

Address: 2111 Allentown Rd.

Phone: 419-227-9791

The girls and I decided to make this a semi-annual event. We will get our Kewpee cheeseburgers, malts, and fries, and then go thrifting!!! Let’s just say Lima’s Goodwill did not disappoint!