Comments on: Wimpy – still the home of the hamburger?

By: The Food Curator

The Food Curator — Tue, 02 May 2017 11:20:13 +0000

In reply to Frank Bellew. Frank, Great to hear you are enjoying Wimpy again and have one so close to your house :)

By: Frank Bellew

Frank Bellew — Mon, 01 May 2017 13:29:07 +0000

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.

By: The Food Curator

The Food Curator — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 12:03:22 +0000

In reply to Mark Frost. Thanks for the details Mark :)

By: Mark Frost

Mark Frost — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 00:31:57 +0000

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

By: The Food Curator

The Food Curator — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:25:18 +0000

In reply to Brett. 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 :(

By: Brett

Brett — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 17:50:14 +0000

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.

By: The Food Curator

The Food Curator — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 09:26:52 +0000

In reply to 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 :)

By: Pierre

Pierre — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 19:22:16 +0000

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!

—
Pierre

By: The Food Curator

The Food Curator — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:21:29 +0000

In reply to Rosemary O'Shaughnessy. Rosemary, A pleasure! If your friend needs more recommendations just watch this space :)

By: Rosemary O'Shaughnessy

Rosemary O'Shaughnessy — Sun, 19 May 2013 08:22:32 +0000

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