History tells us that the first Insta-Burger King restaurant was founded in 1953, and it took six years for it to drop the «Insta-» along the way, thus becoming the Burger King we all know. However, few know that in 1956, Harold and Helen Kite decided to enter the fast food market with the name Burger Queen…
There is no point in denying it: If we think of a fast food chain, most likely it is McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Wendy’s, or some very popular local alternative. The media bombardment, advertising, apps, and offers that fall like notifications constantly capture our attention, but more interesting still is to go back in time and learn about its history, its origins. After exploring the early steps of Burger King in Florida in the early '50s, I accidentally discovered that the king was not alone. That's right: Burger Queen also existed.
The History of Burger Queen
Harold and Helen Kite inaugurated the first Burger Queen restaurant in the city of Winter Haven, Florida, in 1956. Five years later, entrepreneurs George Clark and Jim Gannon negotiated the rights to create new establishments and expand the chain to Kentucky. However, the Clarks (George and his brother John) and Gannon joined Harold Kite to form Burger Queen Enterprises in 1968, incorporating a fifth partner, Louis Seibert.
Despite the king's legal threats, Burger Queen came to manage 171 restaurants in 1981 (owned and licensed), including international locations in England, Canada, China, and the United Arab Emirates. That same year, its managers decided to change the name: Burger Queen Enterprises Inc. became Druther's International, and all Burger Queen restaurants became Druther's Restaurant (Druther is a play on words, derived from the expression 'I'd rather').
From a certain point of view, it was the beginning of the end: In September 1990, Druther’s International became the operator of none other than Dairy Queen, converting a large part of its restaurants to that brand. Almost all Druther’s disappeared, or ended up «reconverted» into other chains. Only one Druther’s remains in Campbellsville, Kentucky, the last remote vestige of what was once Burger Queen.
Sources: Vintage Everyday and Druther's
