Type | Private Corporation |
---|---|
Industry | Fast Food Restaurant |
Founded | 1929 |
Defunct | 2000 |
Fate | Closed |
Headquarters | , USA |
Number of locations | 17 (at peak) [1] |
Area served | Western Michigan |
Products | Burgers, onion rings [1] |
Mr. Fables, a DBA of Grand Rapids Innkeepers Management, Inc., was a chain of cafeteria-style family restaurants located throughout Western Michigan. Two cousins formed the chain after taking over the Kewpee Beefburger stand from, dad and uncle, Gerald Boyles. The name "Fables" was the result of putting together the last names of the two cousins: Faber & Boyles. It was known for its olive burgers and secret recipes for Mr. Fables hamburger dressing and onion ring batter. At its peak, the chain had 17 restaurants. [1] Their advertising slogan for many years was, "People like Mr. Fables, people like you." [2]
In 1929, Gerald Boyles opened a licensed Kewpee location on North Division Avenue in Grand Rapids. Gerald developed two secret recipes for a burger dressing and onion ring batter. In 1963, Gerald's son, John Boyles and his cousin, Dick Faber, purchased Gerald's Kewpee business and renamed it Mr. Fables (Fab+les). In 1988, Boyles and Faber sold the chain including licensing for the secret recipes (provided that they remain secret) [1] to Colonel Chicken, Inc., incorporated by Donald W. Reynolds (later Fables-Innkeepers Management, Inc. then Grand Rapids Innkeepers Management, Inc.). [3] Faber and Boyles hoped the new owner would grow the chain. [1]
Mr. Fables fell victim to the national chains in the late 1990s. [2] While the Fables stores occupied many of the premium real estate locations throughout Grand Rapids, they were sold off piece by piece. Some of those locations were purchased by New Beginnings Family Restaurants. [4] Mr. Fables was one of the original tenants of the Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids and of the Westshore Mall in Holland.[ citation needed ] In addition to Grand Rapids and Holland, Mr. Fables also operated locations in Grand Haven, Muskegon, Big Rapids, and Benton Harbor over its many decades in business.[ citation needed ]
They were known for the Deluxe or a Mr. Fabulous. [4] Such that the Filling Station, a member restaurant of the Mr. Burger restaurant business, mimics it with its “Mr. Fabulous Burger”. [6] Harvard Bar and New Beginnings Family Restaurants also attempt to copy the Mr. Fables with olive burgers. [4] They also had kids meals (called a 'Munch Box') with toys.[ citation needed ]
Gerald Boyles developed two secret recipes for the chain when it was still a Kewpee: burger dressing/sauce and onion ring batter. It was distributed by Gordon Food Service and made by Chadalee (now Litehouse Inc.) at its Lowell facility. [1]
Bill Lewis, Yesterdog restaurant owner and former Mr. Fables employee, apparently owns the Mr. Fables trademark and would be allowed access to the Mr. Fables secret recipes by Boyles and Faber if he wished to restart the Mr. Fables restaurant. [1]
A hamburger is a food, typically considered a sandwich, consisting of one or more cooked patties of ground meat, usually beef, placed inside a sliced bread roll or bun. The patty may be pan fried, grilled, smoked or flame broiled. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chiles; condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish, or a "special sauce", often a variation of Thousand Island dressing; and are frequently placed on sesame seed buns. A hamburger topped with cheese is called a cheeseburger.
The Big Mac is a hamburger sold by international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was introduced in the Greater Pittsburgh area in 1967 and nationwide in 1968. It is one of the company's flagship products.
Fry sauce is a condiment often served with French fries or tostones in many places in the world. It is usually a combination of one part tomato ketchup and two parts mayonnaise.
Cheese fries or cheesy chips is a dish consisting of french fries covered in cheese, with the possible addition of various other toppings. Cheese fries are generally served as a lunch- or dinner-time meal. They can be found in fast-food locations, diners, and grills around the globe.
Sweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine and cooking methods. It is commonly used in East Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been used in England since the Middle Ages. Sweet and sour remains popular in Europe and the Americas.
An onion ring is a form of appetizer or side dish in American cuisine. They generally consist of a cross-sectional "ring" of onion dipped in batter or bread crumbs and then deep fried; a variant is made with onion paste. While typically served as a side dish, onion rings are often eaten by themselves. The cooking process decomposes propanethial oxide in the onion into the sweet-smelling and tasting bispropenyl disulfide, responsible for the slightly sweet taste of onion rings.
Harvey's is a fast food restaurant chain operating in Canada, with locations in every province. It serves hamburgers, poutine, hot dogs, french fries, onion rings, and other traditional Canadian fast-food fare. The chain is owned by Recipe Unlimited.
A blooming onion is a dish consisting of one large onion which is battered, deep-fried, and cut to resemble a flower. It is served as an appetizer at some restaurants.
Kewpee Hamburgers is the second oldest chain of hamburger fast-food restaurants, founded in 1923 in Flint, Michigan under the name "Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs". Kewpee's current headquarters is located in Lima, Ohio. The chain is named after the Kewpie doll. Kewpee was one of the first to institute curbside service, which later morphed into a drive-in service, and then finally was transformed into drive-thru service. The Lima Kewpee locations have locally raised beef delivered daily to each Kewpee restaurant. The Kewpee Restaurant in Lima, Ohio is considered a historic site.
A&W Food Services of Canada, Inc. is a Canadian fast food restaurant chain. The chain was originally part of the U.S.-based A&W Restaurants chain, but was sold to Unilever in 1972, and then bought by its management in 1995. It no longer has any corporate connection to A&W operations outside of Canada.
Mighty Casey's was a fast food restaurant that started in Atlanta, Georgia in 1980. It was popular in the Atlanta metropolitan area for serving quality fast-food, generous helpings, and creative menu offerings. It was bought out by Krystal in 1994 and most of the restaurants were converted into Krystals.
When In-N-Out Burger first opened in 1948, the company only provided a basic menu of burgers, fries and beverages. The foods it prepared were made on-site from fresh ingredients, including its french fries which were sliced and cooked to order. Unlike other major competitors in the hamburger fast food restaurant business, as the chain expanded over the years, it has not added products such as chicken or salads to its menu since 1976 and has never changed its preparation methods.
Wendy's is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. The company moved its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of December 31, 2018, Wendy's was the world's third-largest hamburger fast-food chain with 6,711 locations, following Burger King and McDonald's. On April 24, 2008, the company announced a merger with Triarc Companies Inc., a publicly-traded company and the parent company of Arby's. Wendy's headquarters remained in Dublin. Following the merger, Triarc became known as Wendy's/Arby's Group, and later as The Wendy's Company.
The cuisine of Wisconsin is a type of midwestern cuisine found throughout the state of Wisconsin in the United States of America. Known as "America's Dairyland", Wisconsin is famous for its cheese and cheese products, such as cheese curds, and dairy products, such as frozen custard. Other notable foods common to the region include bratwursts, beer and Old Fashioned cocktails, butter burgers, fish fries and fish boils, and booyah stew.
Smashburger is an American fast-casual hamburger restaurant chain founded in Denver, Colorado. As of February 2018, it has more than 370 corporate and franchise-owned restaurants in 37 states and 9 countries.
Olivier salad is a traditional salad dish in Russian cuisine, which is also popular in other post-Soviet countries, many European countries, Turkey, Iran, Mongolia and also throughout Latin America. In different modern recipes, it is usually made with diced boiled potatoes, carrots, brined dill pickles, green peas, eggs, celeriac, onions, diced boiled chicken or bologna sausage, and tart apples, with salt, pepper, and mustard added to enhance flavor, dressed with mayonnaise. In many countries, the dish is commonly referred to as Russian salad. A variation called Stolichny salad exists, and is also popular in the Russian cuisine.
Yesterdog is a restaurant that specializes in hot dogs located in Eastown, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The restaurant is known for being the model for the restaurant hang out of the characters in American Pie film. Despite being a hot dog restaurant, the Yesterdog does not serve a true Coney Island hot dog per the definition of a coney in "Coney Detroit".
Thousand Island dressing is an American salad dressing and condiment based on mayonnaise that can include olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar, cream, chili sauce, tomato purée, and ketchup or Tabasco sauce.