How This Small Burger Chain May Have Inspired The Creation Of Wendy's

Global fast food chain Wendy's is known for many things. Distinctive among them are the brand's iconically square-shaped beef patties — not round like those offered by its competitors. The real reason Wendy's beef patties are square may actually be due to another, significantly lesser-known burger chain, which is credited with inspiring Dave Thomas' legendary restaurant brand.

A burger business called Kewpee was once going strong in the Midwest and had hundreds of locations prior to World War II. Wendy's founder and former spokesman Thomas is said to have frequented a Kewpee restaurant as a child growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The business served burger patties that were — you guessed it — square, a practice that remaining Kewpee restaurants still follow today. The restaurant also offered hearty malt shakes — possibly not too dissimilar from the thick Frostys that have become a Wendy's trademark. Thomas is quoted as saying that his restaurateur inspiration stemmed from those childhood fast food feasts at the Kalamazoo Kewpee (long before the idea of naming Wendy's after his daughter ever entered the picture).

Thomas, who was born in 1932, was adopted by a Kalamazoo couple when he was six months old. His time spent eating Kewpee burgers would have taken place during the restaurant brand's heyday, between the 1930s and early 1940s. When young Dave was a preteen, his father moved the family to Indiana. But he never forgot those delicious Kewpee burgers.

The scarcity of ground beef during World War II put many of the formerly thriving Kewpee restaurants out of business, and the brand ultimately became obscure. Only a handful of burger shops tied to the original Kewpee brand still exist. Kewpee Hamburgers, one of the names under which the restaurant still operates in extremely limited numbers, has just three remaining locations — all in Lima, Ohio. A dining spot called Weston's Kewpee Sandwich Shop still endures in Lansing, Michigan, and a chain now known as Halo Burger operates five sites that were formerly part of the Kewpee brand, all also located in Michigan. A diner called Wilson's Sandwich Shop in Findlay, Ohio, was also reportedly once a Kewpee restaurant before rebranding.

The credited inspiration behind Wendy's may barely have a pulse as a restaurant chain these days. However, Dave Thomas' empire is going more than strong decades after his 2002 death and over half a century after he opened the very first Wendy's. The brand now operates more than 7,000 restaurants in over 30 countries, serving up those tasty square burgers and fries that are famously saltier than the competition's, delighting diners across the globe. So, while the Kewpee brand may be languishing in obscurity, those signature square beef patties will continue to thrive and delight diners so long as there's a Wendy's nearby.