By Michael Karl Witzel ©2007-2008
“Wian plopped on some relish, and began stacking up a ridiculous caricature of the hamburger—a double-decked delight pushing burger creativity to the outer limits!”
Robert Wian learned the restaurant business the hard way.  When his father’s furniture business faltered during the early thirties, he took a job washing dishes at the White [...]

By Michael Karl Witzel ©2007-2008
Richard and Maurice McDonald were planning to franchise their successful burger system in 1952.  To stand above the visual noise created by miles of drive-ins, motels, car washes, bowling alleys, service stations, and coffee-shops—they decided a new structural style was needed.  Without a unique design, nationwide recognition for their walk-up stand [...]

By Michael Karl Witzel ©2007-2008
Sure, history books tell of the Tartar’s fondness for raw meat and how sailors from Germany loved to order Hamburg Style Steak upon their arrival in the New World. The real question is: Who created America’s first all-beef patty, ancestral prototype of today’s Quarter Pounder, Big Mac, and Whopper?
Pinpointing the origination [...]