189 articles
Whataburger
Whataburger: Texas-founded fast-food hamburger chain (Corpus Christi, 1950, Harmon Dobson), known for quarter-pound made-to-order burgers, orange A-frame restaurants, Fancy Ketchup, and 2019 BDT Capital majority sale; roughly 1,180 locations in 17 states.
Where's the beef?
"Where's the beef?" is the 1984 Wendy's slogan spoken by Clara Peller in the "Fluffy Bun" commercial by Dancer Fitzgerald Sample; it became a national catchphrase, boosted Wendy's revenue 31% in 1984, and entered politics via Walter Mondale's debate jab at Gary Hart.
White Castle (restaurant)
White Castle, founded 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, by Walt Anderson and Billy Ingram, is credited as the first fast-food hamburger chain, known for square steamed Sliders, standardized operations, and Columbus, Ohio family ownership.
Whopper
Whopper: Burger King's signature flame-grilled hamburger, introduced 1957 in Miami by McLamore and Edgerton for 37 cents; flagship of the "Home of the Whopper" brand, basis of Have It Your Way and the Impossible Whopper.
Wimpy (restaurant)
Wimpy, also Wimpy Bar or Wimpy Grills, is a hamburger chain founded in Indiana in 1934, named after Popeye's J. Wellington Wimpy. Now owned by South Africa's Famous Brands, it has about 544 South African restaurants and 61 table-service UK outlets.
Wingstop
Wingstop (Wingstop Inc.), American fast casual chicken wings chain founded 1994 in Garland, Texas, Nasdaq: WING since 2015; 3,056 restaurants, ~98% franchised, $5.3 billion fiscal 2025 system-wide sales.
Yoshinoya (吉野家)
Yoshinoya (吉野家) is Japan's oldest major gyudon beef bowl chain, founded 1899 in Nihonbashi, Tokyo; flagship of Yoshinoya Holdings with about 1,291 domestic and 1,095 overseas stores, known for its secret sauce and the 2003-2006 BSE gyudon suspension.
Yum! Brands
Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), formerly Tricon Global Restaurants, is a Louisville, Kentucky-based fast-food franchisor spun off from PepsiCo in 1997. It owns KFC, Taco Bell, and Habit Burger & Grill, operates over 63,000 restaurants in 155 countries, is over 98% franchised, spun off Yum China in 2016, and sold Pizza Hut for $2.7 billion in 2026.
Zaxby's
Zaxby's is an American fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in chicken fingers and wings. It was founded in 1990 in Statesboro, Georgia, by Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley.