Burger Chef Locations

Annapolis, MD

1300 Forest Drive (?)

I now live in Annapolis, Maryland, and recently discovered that  The Annapolis Seafood Market at the corner of Forest Drive and Tyler Avenue is rumoured to have been a Burger Chef.   I have not been able to substantiate this information with long-time Annapolis residents.  (I've lived here now for 33 years, so it had to have been in the 1960's or early 1970's)   If I can get a (current) picture of the building in question, I would be happy to e-mail it to you.  Thank you!

Posted by: C. Derr | July 5, 2006 at 06:35 PM

Aspen Hill, MD

I was the Manager of the Aspen Hill store in the late 70's. It was a very high volume store, and not an easy one to manage. I remember when we had coffee on sale for 10 cents a cup. We had trouble making it fast enough!!

Posted by: Bill Ore | 08/12/2006 at 10:31 PM

Yes I used to go here all the time with my mom and Dad I think this store opened in the late 60's

Posted by: Steve | 08/22/2006 at 09:27 AM

Baltimore, MD

Reisterstown Road and Hayward Avenue

Check out photos at Agilitynut.com.

--R.T.

Beltsville, MD

Route 1

Just north of the USDA Research Park - it currently houses a Jerry's Sub shop. I remember it as the first fast food restaurant I ever went to that had kids meals.  March 24, 2006 at 03:57 PM

UPDATE: I was recently back in the area and took a quick shot of the restaurant while driving past(sorry for the sub-par photo) - thought you might want it for your website. Thanks for the memories!

Posted by: Stu Johnson | August 7, 2006 at 11:41 AM

I was the manager at the Beltsville store in the late 70's for a short time, not long after the salad bar and works bar were added. It was a low volume store, and I remember the crew as being very good.

Posted by: Bill Ore | 08/12/2006 at 10:35 PM

Camp Springs, MD

Allentown Road

Hi, I'm Alice and work with your "evil little brother."  We were discussing the lack of customer service in today's service industry and I mentioned that my first real job was at a Burger Chef and how it was mandatory to be pleasant, nice, smiling and courteous to the customers. Your brother
showed me your website--what a flood of memories it brought back. I worked at a Burger Chef located on Allentown Rd in Camp Springs, Md. It was located just south of the Rt 5 and Allentown Rd intersection near Andrews AFB. I worked there in 1977 and 1978 while I was in high school.  I wish I had some memorabilia to share, but all I have is this very bad photo:

I'm the one on the right and that's my girlfriend Anita on the left in our Burger Chef uniforms. They were polyester (of course) and dark brown with orange stripes on the shirts.  What a great fast food restaurant they were-- I wish they were still around.

Posted by: Alice | December 20, 2006 at 07:27 PM

Nice pic, Alice. Since you worked at Camp Springs, you may remember a manager from there by the name of Bill Crompton, or maybe his brother Tom. Bill eventually became the equipment maintenance person in the area, and his brother worked for me for awhile as an Assistant Manager in Springfield, VA.

Posted by: Bill Ore | January 05, 2007 at 03:34 PM

Cheverly, MD

5401 Landover Road

Regional franchise director, Robert Holtzman, announced the opening of this drive-in location on April 28, 1960.  The store would be managed by William Platt.  Holtzman also stated that another unit was opening on West Glebe Road in Alexandria, VA that same morning.  The two stores were the third and fourth stores to open in the greater Washington area. (2 More Burger Chefs, article by S. Oliver Goodman, The Washington Post, 28 Apr 1960, Page D7.)

Soft drinks were on the house opening day. (On the Town, article by Paul Herron, The Washington Post, 29 Apr 1960, Page C11.)

A plate glass window and an automobile window were broken during a fight that broke out October 1 ,1960 at this location.  At least a dozen participants were involved, using fists, a tire chain and a knife.  Police determined that that melee was sparked by a dispute over the right-of-way in the Drive-in's parking lot and some insulting remarks made to a lone girl returning from a dance at the Bladensburg fire house.  One adult was allegedly injured after a trash can was hurled into the drive-in shattering its window. (3 Hurt as Dozen Fight in Bladensburg Brawl, The Washington Post, 2 Oct 1960, Page A3)

This site is now Peking Garden Chinese Restaurant.

--R.T.

District Heights, MD

Walters Lane and Marlboro Pike

I came from the District Heights, Maryland area where the closest Burger Chef was at the corner of Walters Lane and Marlboro Pike - across the Pike from Mt. Calvary.

I've enjoyed browsing your site.

Posted by: Mike McDaniel | August 19, 2007 at 09:12 PM

Hagerstown, MD

Had two locations

--R.T.

Do you, or anyone else, know when they closed? Do you know any other history about them? I remember going to one when I was a kid visiting my God Parents (late 60's & early 70's). I think the one I went to was near the 'Dual Highway'.

Posted by: Dave | March 27, 2008 at 05:06 PM

Halfway Boulevard and Virginia Avenue

Yes, Hagerstown had 2 Burger Chefs. One was at the intersection of Halfway Blvd and Virginia Ave. There is an auto parts store at this location now. I don't know exactly when they closed , but I do know they were still open in the middle eighties.

Posted by: Larry | May 04, 2008 at 09:55 PM

A guy I had worked with in Virginia, Bob Bryant, was a supervisor for corporate in that area around 72 or 73. I remember him telling me about Hagerstown. As I remember, both stores were owned by the same franchisee. Bob said he was a really nice guy and a good businessman.

Posted by: Bill Ore | May 14, 2008 at 03:42 PM

Pennsylvania Avenue

One was on Pennsylvania ave (there is a pizza place at this location now.) This Burger Chef was the first fast food restaurant in Hagerstown. I ate my first fish sandwich here. I think I ate a burger chef fish every week for years, they were the best fish sandwiches i've ever ate. I don't know exactly when they closed , but I do know they were still open in the middle eighties. I still crave those fish sandwiches.

Posted by: Larry | May 04, 2008 at 09:55 PM

A couple of days ago, I contacted Mr. Smedley Lynn, the franchisee running the two stores in Hagerstown, MD. He got back to me, telling how he took over the two Hagerstown stores in 1970 and was gracious enough to send me a picture of store #14 in Hagerstown as it looked when he took it over in 1970. He granted me permission to send it to you. He told me the only real change they made to the store was to add inside seating, and it's still in operation today basically in the same configuration. As a matter of fact, he and his wife ate dinner there just a couple of evenings ago! He's also going to take a current picture, which I will send when I get it, so we can have a "then" and "now". That's really rare to have both, since I've noticed only a couple of original pictures of Burger Chefs on the site. Most are only pictures of what they've become, or where they used to be.

Posted by: Bill Ore | May 30, 2008 at 11:59 AM

Just as he had said he would, Mr. Smedley Lynn sent me pictures of Store #14 in Hagerstown, MD. as it is today. He told me that he and his wife had added indoor seating in 1971, and it basically remains in the same configuration today. All they did was take out the front counter to allow for more seating. So now we have a "Then and Now".

 

Posted by: Bill Ore | June 13, 2008 at 03:43 PM

Be sure to check out this letter regarding Hagerstown from Bill in the Mailbag.

--R.T.

Laurel, MD

Route 198

I grew up with a Burger Chef just about a mile from my home.  It was on Rte 198 in Laurel, Maryland.    

Posted by: C. Derr | July 5, 2006 at 06:35 PM

LaVale, MD

Route 40

There used to be a Burger Chef in LaVale, MD on Route 40.  Currently there is a Thai restaurant where the Burger Chef used to be.

Posted by: Andy Wolodkin | April 9, 2007 at 1:48 PM