The Most Famous Restaurant Chains That Failed (For Good Reasons!)
Ever wonder why famous failed restaurant chains like Howard Johnson’s and D’Lites went under? Find out here!
18. Wimpy
Library of Congress
If you think the Wimpy name sound familiar, that’s because the owners took it from the Popeye’s character of the same name. Edward Gold started the fairly ordinary fast food chain back in 1934 in Bloomington, Indiana. From there, Wimpy quickly expanded to 1,500 locations across the world. But then something completely unexpected happened.
Shortly after the passing of the chain’s owner, all the Wimpy locations across the United States started to vanish. Apparently, the reason was that no one purchased the rights and trademarks from Gold’s estate after his death. That means that legally, no one owns the Wimpy name in the U.S., nor can anyone open one. However, there are a few locations still open in the U.K. and South Africa.
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