 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Headquarters | Webster, New York, United States |
| Website | www |
Bill Gray's is a chain of restaurants based in Webster, New York (a suburb of Rochester, New York) that currently has 14 restaurants in the Rochester area in western New York, including seven tap room-style restaurants, and one tavern-style grill named Flaherty's. Ten of these locations also sell Abbott's Frozen Custard. [1]
In 1938, Bill and Alberta Gray began selling hot dogs in Webster. [2] Within a few years, Bill Gray's expanded and added multiple items to its menu.
Local businessman Bruce Hegedorn became a partner with Bill Gray in the early 1960s. With Bill as the head of operations and store management and Bruce as the financial person and location expert, they continued to expand and build the restaurant chain. They acquired competitor Tom Wahl's in 1986. [3]
Bill Gray's mostly operates stand-alone restaurants in Monroe County, New York. The one exception is the facility in the Strong National Museum of Play (Bill Gray's at the Skyliner).
Marie Callender's is an American restaurant chain. Its headquarters are in the Marie Callender's Corporate Support Center in Mission Viejo, Orange County, California. As of April 2024, the company operates 24 locations in California, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah.
Frozen custard is a frozen dessert that is a type of ice cream that is made with egg yolks in addition to cream and sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and an additional flavoring such as cocoa, vanilla, or fruit such as strawberries or peaches. It is usually kept at a warmer temperature compared to ice cream, and typically has a denser consistency.
Nick Tahou Hots is a restaurant in Rochester, New York, best known for a dish called the Garbage Plate. The restaurant was founded in 1918 by Alex Tahou, the grandfather of the 21st-century owner, and named for Nick Tahou, the founder's son, who operated the establishment until his death in 1997. While there are other Upstate New York variants, Nick Tahou's is the originator of the trademarked Garbage Plate.
Ted Drewes is a family-owned frozen custard company in St. Louis, Missouri, founded by Ted Drewes, Sr. in 1929. There are two locations, one on Chippewa Street, with the other on South Grand Boulevard.
Culver Franchising System, LLC, doing business as Culver's, is an American fast-casual restaurant chain. The company was founded in 1984 by George, Ruth, Craig, and Lea Culver. The first location opened in Sauk City, Wisconsin, on July 18, 1984, under the name "Culver's Frozen Custard and ButterBurgers." The privately held company is headquartered in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. The chain operates primarily in the Midwestern United States, and had a total of 930 restaurants in 26 states as of October 2024.
Freddy's, LLC, doing business as Freddy's, is an American fast-casual restaurant chain based in Wichita, Kansas. Its menu includes steakburgers, Vienna Beef hot dogs, and chicken sandwiches. The company also provides frozen custard and specialty sundaes.
Brigham's Ice Cream is a brand of ice cream and formerly a restaurant franchise. Brigham's is sold in quart containers throughout New England, and was served at franchised restaurants located in Massachusetts until 2013. It was founded in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts. Since the purchase by HP Hood, its offices are located at Kimball Lane, Lynnfield, Massachusetts. The company maintains a strong regional identity, using regional terms such as "wicked" (extremely) and "frappe", and makes reference to events with special significance to New Englanders, such as the Big Dig and the 2004 World Series. At one time, there were 100 Brigham's restaurant locations; the last was in Arlington, Massachusetts, and changed its name in August 2015. The ice cream is currently owned and manufactured by Hood.
Cassano's Pizza King, currently operating under the brand Cassano's, is a pizzeria chain based in Dayton, Ohio which produces Dayton-style pizza. Established on June 4, 1953, by the grocer Victor "Vic" J. Cassano, Sr. and his mother-in-law Caroline "Mom" Donisi, the company currently (2005) operates 34 Cassano's Pizza King restaurants in the Dayton area, and has three other western Ohio franchises, plus a franchise in Quincy, Illinois, and another in Hannibal, Missouri. The company also operates dozens of Cassano's Pizza Express kiosks in gas stations, convenience stores and hotels, and sells frozen pizza dough under the name Cassano's Fresh Frozen Dough Company.
Rita's Franchise Company, LLC, doing business as Rita's Italian Ice, is a privately owned and operated American quick service restaurant chain originating in the Philadelphia metropolitan area that expanded throughout and now operates primarily in the Mid-Atlantic United States. The chain is known for its Italian ice or "water ice" and frozen custard, but also offers multiple types of frozen treats and specialty creations.
Shake Shack is an American fast casual restaurant chain based in New York City. It started out as a hot dog cart inside Madison Square Park in 2001, and its popularity steadily grew. In 2004, it received a permit to open a permanent kiosk within the park, expanding its menu from New York–style hot dogs to one with hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and its namesake milkshakes.
Gray's Papaya is a hot dog restaurant located at 2090 Broadway at 72nd Street in New York City. It had other locations, all of which had closed by June 2020. Gray's Papaya is famous for its inexpensive high-quality hot dogs, considered among the best in New York City. They once sold for 50 cents each and, as of 2024, sell for $3.25.
Kopp's Frozen Custard is a restaurant chain located in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. It specializes in frozen custard and large "jumbo" hamburgers. Founded by Elsa Kopp in 1950, the restaurants continue to be heralded by local publications for their quality food. They have locations in three Milwaukee suburbs—Greenfield, Brookfield, and Glendale.
Abbott's Frozen Custard is a frozen custard franchise founded and based in Rochester, New York. The franchise has stores throughout New York state, and has expanded to other states including Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Tom Wahl's is a chain of fast-food restaurants based in the Rochester, New York area that currently has several restaurants around the Finger Lakes region. USA Today named it one of "51 great burger joints across the USA" in 2010.
Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard is a Golden, Colorado–based fast-food restaurant specializing in premium burgers and frozen custard. As of July 2023, the chain operates 31 locations, down from 38 in 2015.
Kline's Dairy Bar is a small ice cream shop with four locations in Virginia, United States. It was established in 1943 in downtown Harrisonburg in the Klines' family home. After the death of owner John Kline, it was bought out and expanded to three other locations. It uses an old fashioned way of production called continuous freeze instead of the newer and more popular soft serve method. This means that there is less air added into the ice cream as it freezes, making for a denser product more like old-fashioned frozen custard. Since this means of production takes more time, the shops only make three flavors a week. They update their customers on the flavors using their website and their Twitter account.
