Burger Baron
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| Independent | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | Calgary or Lethbridge, Alberta |
| Products | Fast food (hamburgers, donairs) |
The Burger Baron name is used by several fast-food restaurants in Western Canada.
Founded in 1957 in either Calgary or Lethbridge, Alberta (the location and ownership of the first site is disputed), Burger Baron was the first drive-through chain in Western Canada. The company expanded quickly throughout the region but suffered when the big American chains began to move to the area. The original franchise operation collapsed into bankruptcy and current restaurants are independently operated, with different menus, recipes, signage and advertising. Today, there are still dozens of Burger Barons throughout Western Canada, but they are mostly concentrated around Edmonton and in small towns in Alberta. Many of the owners are Lebanese Canadians, connected to Rudy Kemaldean of Calgary, who bought the first of his seven restaurants in 1964, hired family and friends and encouraged them to open their own operations under the Burger Baron name.
Among other things, Burger Baron is famous for being endorsed by former Edmonton Oilers hockey coach Glen Sather.
Several Burger Baron buildings formerly belonged to other chains. Five of them were part of the local Burger King chain, which became defunct when the worldwide Burger King company acquired the rights to the name for northern Alberta in 1995. The local Burger King chain had previously held franchising rights to Kentucky Fried Chicken, and had buildings in the then-standard KFC design. The Burger Baron on 111 Avenue formerly housed the Burger King headquarters along with a Burger King/Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet.
An attempt in the 1980s to return to a franchise system ended when independent owners were unable to reach agreement. A legal dispute over the trademark between family members of early owners was settled in the 1990s.
Burger Barons typically feature multiple unusual variations of hamburger, such as a "Salisbury Burger", and a "Teriyaki Burger". Their mushroom burger is particularly popular. In recent years one the chain's main features has been Halifax-style donairs.
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Wikipedia