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I know fast food isn’t great for you (or me), but that doesn’t mean you (and I) still don’t love it! Just in moderation, right? Or something like that…
Anyway, we all have our favorite fast food joints, but do you know where their names come from?
Let’s take a look and find out!
1. Whataburger
What a taste, what a place!
The regional burger chain started at a time when there were no patties bigger than 4 inches.
What to do? Founder Harmon Dobson wanted a 5-inch burger that would make people exclaim “What a burger!”
And the name stuck…
2. Wendy’s
Dave Thomas opened the first Wendy’s restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969, and he named his burger joint after his daughter Melinda, who was nicknamed Wendy.
Most of you knew this, right?
Yeah you did. 😉
3. Subway
In 1965, Pete’s Super Submarines was opened in Bridgeport, Connecticut, by Frank DeLuca and Peter Buck.
They renamed it “Pete’s Subway” a few years later. In 1974, DeLuca and Buck wanted to franchise their shop, so they simply renamed it Subway.
4. Starbucks
Starbucks co-founder Gordon Bowker heard from a friend who worked at an ad agency that words that started with “st” were considered powerful.
While brainstorming, they came across a map with a town on it called “Starbo.” Bowker was reminded of the character Starbuck from Moby Dick and a coffee giant was born.
They also considered calling the place “Pequod,” after the ship in Moby Dick.
Side note: Pequod’s is the name of my favorite deep-dish pizza place in Chicago. Booyah!
5. Domino’s
The pizza favorite owes its name to a deadline. Brothers Jim and Tom Monaghan bought a pizza place called DomiNick’s in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1960.
When the original owner decided he wanted to retain his rights to the name, the brothers had to make a decision so they could put their name in the phone book before a deadline.
Domino’s was reportedly dreamed up by a delivery driver named Jim Kennedy. Good choice!
Which of these names surprised you the most?
Let us know in the comments!
