Wimpy (restaurant)

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This article is about hamburger chain. For other uses, see Wimpy (disambiguation).

Wimpy

Type Wholly owned subsidiary

Industry Restaurants

Founded Coventry Street, London (1954)

Founder(s) J. Lyons and Co

Products Fast Food

(hamburgers • chicken • french fries)

Parent Famous Brands Limited

Website UK website, South African Website

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Wimpy is the brand name of a chain of fast-food hamburger restaurants based in the United
Kingdom. It is well known for its burger known as the Bender, which is actually
a frankfurter sausage and not a hamburger patty.
The restaurants were originally called Wimpy Bars and many people[who?] still refer to them by
this name, despite the fact that the name “Wimpy Bar” was dropped in favour of “Wimpy” many
years ago. The current owners of the Wimpy brand operate in several countries under the name
of Wimpy International.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 History
• 2 International
o 2.1 South Africa
branches
o 2.2 Other countries
o 2.3 Egypt and Morocco
branches
o 2.4 New Zealand
branches
o 2.5 Ireland branches
o 2.6 Kuwait Branches
• 3 Mr Wimpy
• 4 Notes

• 5 External links

[edit]History

A branch of Wimpy in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

The Wimpy brand was created in the 1950s. The name was inspired by the character of J.
Wellington Wimpy from the Popeye cartoons created by E. C. Segar. Eddie Gold was running
12 restaurants by the early 1950s, when the concept of fast food came to the attention of the
directors of J. Lyons and Co. Lyons licensed the brand for use in the United Kingdom and in
1954 the first "Wimpy Bar" Lyons was established at the Lyons Corner House in Coventry
Street, London.[1] Originally the bar was a special fast-food section within the more traditional
Corner House restaurants, but the success soon led to the establishment of separate Wimpy
restaurants serving only hamburger based meals. By 1970 the business had expanded to over
a thousand restaurants in 23 countries.[1]

In 1977, the business was acquired by United Biscuits. By the late 1980s, Wimpy was beginning
to lose ground to McDonald’s, who had opened their first UK restaurant in 1974, and so the new
management of Wimpy began to streamline the business by converting some of the
traditional table service restaurants to counter service. In 1989, the business was sold to Grand
Metropolitan (now Diageo). Grand Metropolitan had acquired Burger King the previous year and
they began to convert the “counter service” restaurants to Burger King restaurants. In 1990, the
remaining 220 “table service” restaurants were purchased by a management buy-out backed
by 3i. A second management buy-out occurred in 2002.

Although Wimpy has decreased in numbers in the United Kingdom, it is still found in some
towns and cities, at RoadChef motorway services and at the Dundee and Newcastle upon
Tyne Megabowl bowling alleys[2]. The branches at the Roadchef and Megabowl locations
typically have a counter service as opposed to a table service format.

There are Wimpys in Liverpool City Centre and Halton Lea that both offer table service as well
as counter service.

Wimpy is the only major fast food chain that offers Quorn burgers on the menu.

On 27 February 2007, Famous Brands, which owns the Wimpy franchise in South Africa,
announced that it had acquired Wimpy UK. Having acquired the brand, Famous Brands has re-
branded Wimpy in the UK to bring it in line with Wimpy South Africa. The "new" logo is actually
one used by Wimpy UK from the 1960s until the 1980s.

Wimpy is currently re-branding and refreshing all its restaurants, an operation which
commenced on 22 October 2007 with the launch of the new format at the Benfleet, Essex
branch. Wimpy features new décor, seating and signage and a return to the original Wimpy
colours of red and white. Supporting the new look is an improved menu and a significant
marketing campaign.[3]

[edit]International

[edit]South Africa branches

Wimpy opened in South Africa in Durban in 1967. The business was sold to Bakers SA Ltd in
the late 1970s and later to the Famous Brands Limited.

[edit]Other countries
In 1976, Wimpy opened their first restaurant in Bogotá, Colombia. There are also branches
trading as Wimpy in Germany where they preceded the U.S.based
chains, Kuwait, Cyprus,Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Beirut, Lebanon, India, Nepal,Pakistan
and Bangladesh. Now owned by Famous Brands who recently completed a takeover of Wimpy
within the UK.

[edit]Egypt and Morocco branches

Wimpy used to have many branches in Egypt and Morocco, it was the first international burger
restaurant in Egypt and the second in Morocco, but it closed its business by 1998 in both
countries.

[edit]New Zealand branches

Wimpy had branches in New Zealand including Hamilton and Nelson but have now closed
except for one Rotorua store.

[edit]Ireland branches
There are a few outlets in Ireland, most combined with petrol stations. It has an outlet
in Urlingford, County Kilkenny, Ireland, which is the location of the rest stop for buses
betweenDublin and Cork; and one in Celbridge, County Kildare. Most are located
in Petrogas (Applegreen) petrol stations, as they hold the master franchise.[4]

[edit]Kuwait Branches
Wimpy opened in Al-duiya in Kuwait in the 1970s.

[edit]Mr Wimpy
Mr. Wimpy Computer Game

During the 1980s, advertising for the Wimpy chain featured a cartoon character called Mr
Wimpy. He was almost entirely hidden under a large hat, and only a nose and a smile were
visible. His physical appearance was a visual pun, as his costume was the red dress uniform of
the Beefeaters at the Tower Of London, playing on the beef-oriented nature of the chain's
menu. In certain branches, a member of staff would dress up in a Mr Wimpy costume for pre-
arranged children's parties.

Mr Wimpy also appeared in an official computer game by Ocean software, released in 1984 on
the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and other formats.

Although the Wimpy chain's name was originally inspired by the Wimpy cartoon character in
Popeye, the chain's own Mr Wimpy bore no resemblance to Popeye's Wimpy.