Back when Wimpy was a fixture on almost every high street in the UK, their tagline was “the home of the hamburger”. This was a time when McDonalds was a distant dream for most of us, and nobody had even thought of putting the words “burger” and “gourmet” together.
Wimpy is not a fast food chain, nor is it a true café. Rather it’s a strange combination of both. It pretty much introduced the concept of the US diner and fast (ish) food to us Brits. Well after all it was originally an American company, born in the 1930s and named after the famous burger eating character from the Popeye cartoons. It was bought by Lyons in the UK back in the 1950s to refresh their by then tired and outdated tearooms.
A menu of burgers, fries, mixed grills, breakfasts and of course the desserts…oh the magic of a brown derby when I was a kid 🙂
Most of the Wimpcy restaurants have long since disappeared, but I am pleased to say there is still one near to me.
So how do they stack up in this modern age?
Really well I am pleased to confirm! I opted for the half pounder with cheese and a side of onion rings (much tastier than fries). The burger is big and beefy with a firm, tasty brown burger roll.
The patties are freshly cooked to order and that makes a big difference, succulent but surprisingly un-charred, the flavour is meaty and well seasoned.
The small amount of lettuce was completely drowned in Wimpy special sauce…which is a good thing!
As the special sauce is so loved it was copied and has now transformed itself into a very British institution…burger sauce! For any of our overseas readers, burger sauce in the UK is kind of like thousand island or Russian dressing, and we love it!
My large portion of onion rings was delicious, not too greasy and they go fantastically with obligatory (in my book) Heinz tomato ketchup.
It’s not on a par with today’s gourmet burger joints, but it is way, way above the standard fast food chains fare. That does mean it is priced accordingly, but you do get table service (all the self service bar based Wimpys became Burger Kings in the 1980s).
Speaking of which, one of the things that came out of the Burger King/Wimpy link-up is that BK took the spicy bean burger for their menu…and in my view ruined it. The original Wimpy spicy bean burger is the only veggie burger I would drive out of my way to go and get. If you have never had one or haven’t eaten one in a while, go try it out.
Although no longer the home of the hamburger, all in all it is still a pleasant experience and one which ignited memories of me begging my folks to take me in whenever we walked passed a legendary Wimpy!
Do you have one near you? If not do you miss them? Most importantly do you have fond memories of the wonderful Mr Wimpy?
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Hi Michael, before I say more, I want to tell you I’m an Aussie:-) I remember the days before Hungry Jacks (I think they’re Aussie although not sure, an American looked at me weird when I mentioned it:-) and McDonalds (we have hundreds of those). I used to like the burgers served at our Fish n Chip shops, the ones with Egg, beetroot, tomatoe, bit of lettuce, the whole lot, so big you couldn’t get your mouth round it LOL!
I believe Hungary Jacks was named that in because the Burger King brand was already trademarked in Australia. I got to love beetroot in the burgers from our local chip shop when I lived in Sydney 🙂
Growing up Wimpy was where we went for toasted tea cakes and tea when we were ‘missing’ school…it was soooo cool to be in the Wimpy as it was the only one in those ‘old’ (LOL) days…and now it remains a very guilty treat – shame they are disappearing – and shame they do paninis now… WHY….. ;(
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It’s true about those paninis…why? It’s not why you would ever think of going there for one. Wimpy should stick to what they are good at 🙂
Michael,
I never went to Wimpy, not sure we have them here in Canada and now that I have adopted a 100% vegan diet… not sure I would visit it any way… but I appreaciate your time to write about it.
thanks so much.
nickc
They never went to Canada. As I mentioned they do a great bean burger!
Michael: You might enjoy visiting “homeofthehamburger.org”. And you have any
knowledge of the status of Wimpys in the US/
Love that site, wish I could make it over there for burger fest! Wimpy never made it to the US…I think you have enough competition over there already 🙂
HI Michael, NOpe can’t say I have ever heard of Wimpy other then on Popeye 🙂 This burger sounds amazing though, but I would have to opt for a quarter pounder, a half is way to much meat for me.. Thanks for sharing this Yummy Burger.. Chery 🙂
My pleasure to share, as much as it was to eat it 🙂
I’ve not heard of Wimpy’s! Here in Canada well at least Winnipeg, we have the regular fast food chains.. However there is one place ( my kids love) called 5 Guys, which has great burgers ( they say). I must admit I have gotten away from the burger combination.. I eat fries, rarely, and onion rings (both with ketchup) on occasion. The idea of eating a burger, well just doesn’t sit well with me anymore, the after math isn’t as enjoyable as the eating!! Must say I do love to drive by the Burger King and smell what I used to think was a scent from heaven!!
Gotta say I don’t mind the occasional Whopper 😉 There are lots of great independent burger joints right across the Globe, I wish I had the time and money to eat in them all!
Wow, I haven’t heard the name “Wimpy’s” for a long time!! I don’t think we have them here in Canada… at least I’ve never seen one… so I thought they were only in the Popeye cartoons. It’s interesting to know there are Wimpy restaurants, and your article only makes me want to visit one!
Willena
If you make it over to the UK try them out. I love those Popeye cartoons, wish they still showed the originals!
Can’t say I ever heard of Whimpy, unless it was from the Popeye cartoon lol.
But what I can say, is any fast food places like this I keep far away from. Always need a “tums” after I eat something like this when I’m on the road!
Donna
Haha yes a lot of fast food places do the same to me 😉
hi Michael, I can honestly say I don’t miss Wimpy!!! my memories are of rather dingy “restaurants” which were a last resort…
I think the ones that are left now have cleaned up their act…and where else can you pick up a knickerbocker glory? 😉
Hi Michael ,
I just know the right person to share your recommendation the next time they visit the UK. It is good to see that you have other options as well as the bigger chains. Thank you very much for taking the time to review.
Rosemary
Rosemary, A pleasure! If your friend needs more recommendations just watch this space 🙂
Oh god, I remember the “Spicy Beanburger” – only veggy product I would eat and enjoy (you can keep your nut cutlets!). On the meat side, not the best burgers out there (then or now) – that accolade had to got to go to the foil-wrapped square “Wendy” burgers where you specified *exactly* how you wanted it, from how it was cooked, to what salad items you wanted and waht toppings! Wendy disappeared, then came back years later as a sub-standard McDonalds competitor. Happily disappeared again, but Oh! if the original good be resurrected!
Back to Wimpy – I believe those that remain are all franchises – and you forgot to mention the big round tomato-shaped ketchup dispensers on the tables, next to the pressed metal ashtrays!
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Pierre
Pierre, Oh those pressed metal ashtrays I had forgotten about them, obviously those are not on the tables anymore! The tomato shaped sauce bottles were legendary and I think they stopped with those as most went home with their customers. Your bang on with Wendy’s, they were great burgers…shame they left the UK. Thanks for sharing your memories 🙂
The Wimpy burger has a unique taste and the mixed grill exceptional. There is a branch near me in Cheshunt UK and i still use it today. Far superior to Burger ‘King’ and Wendy’s they should make a comeback in a big way.
Brett, many people think Wimpy is a fast food joint when really they are a diner, cooking everything fresh. As for Wendy’s I so miss their square burgers 🙁
Wimpy’s began in the 1930s in the Chicago area and got up to several hundred restaurants, mainly in the north-east US/Great Lakes area. They sold the brand to Lyons Tea Rooms in the UK in the 50s and the US brand was killed off while Wimpy became the only UK burger chain until MacDonalds and Burger King arrived in the mid 1970s. Wimpy always cooked to order and so lost out to the (inferior) ‘fast food’ of the American chains. Lyon’s South African subsidiary managed to boom and eventually bought out its ailing UK parent company, after a brief ownership by Burger King (then itself owned by a UK company, Grand Metropolitan, now Diageo) who converted all the profitable Wimpys to Burger Kings. The South African company now runs a handful of Wimpy franchise restaurants in the UK in obscure and provincial towns
Thanks for the details Mark 🙂
Recently moved back to the UK and was happy to see a wimpey 5 mins from my new house. My children new wimpey from our holidays to Cape Town and joberg, and were thrilled to go again in the UK. So far been twice, had the double cheeseburger once and the half pounded once. I preferred the standard double cheese burger as I though the burger sauce made it taste too much like a big mac.
Frank, Great to hear you are enjoying Wimpy again and have one so close to your house 🙂