20 Photos of the Original Locations of Iconic Fast Food Restaurants

Food & Drink History Nostalgia May 2, 2025

Last Updated on May 2, 2025 by Matt Staff

Before fast food became a global industry with uniform buildings and neon signs, it started in much humbler places. Some of the biggest names in the business began as small burger joints, walk-up shacks, or local diners run by ambitious founders with a simple idea. These original locations often looked nothing like the sleek, branded chains we know today, but they were the foundation for what would become household names.

You’ll see the first storefronts and stands of now-iconic restaurants, some nearly forgotten, others still standing in tribute to their roots. It’s a rare glimpse into the early days of fast food, offering a nostalgic look at the first places where burgers sizzled. Here are 20 photos of the original locations of our favorite fast food restaurants.

1. The oldest McDonald’s restaurant

A vintage McDonald’s restaurant with two large yellow arches and a retro red sign advertising 15-cent hamburgers and “We have sold over 1 million.” Trees and a fence are visible in the background.
brucemarlin

This restaurant was located in Des Plaines, IL. It is now a museum that contains the restaurant’s original design and exhibits showcasing its historical significance.

2. The first Wendy’s, Columbus, Ohio

A vintage Wendy’s restaurant with striped exterior panels, large “Old Fashioned Hamburgers” signs, and several classic cars parked outside on a sunny day.
subange

This location opened on November 15, 1969, and was known as the first fast food restaurant to introduce the modern drive-thru window that we see today.

3. The original White Castle, 1921

Black-and-white photo of a small, castle-shaped White Castle restaurant with a sign reading “White Castle No. 1 Hamburgers” and decorative battlements along the roof. There are small windows and a single door.
killer0ntheroad

This location opened on September 13, 1921. And yes, people were actually buying their burgers by the sack.

4. The original Pizza Hut building

A small, red-brick building with several windows and a simple roof, displaying a "Pizza Hut" sign above the entrance. Leafless trees stand behind the building, and the ground is covered with dry grass and small shrubs.
4reddityo

The restaurant opened on May 31, 1958, and as you can see, there wasn’t a whole lot of room in there.

5. The first Starbucks building

A street view of the original Starbucks store at Pike Place Market in Seattle, with people outside, the vintage logo on the window, and "STARBUCKS" spelled out on an old-fashioned sign above the entrance.
johnanderson

They even have the vintage Starbucks logo. This location opened in Seattle in 1971.

6. The oldest Taco Bell

A vintage Taco Bell restaurant with a large colorful sign, outdoor seating, and umbrellas. Palm trees and a classic white station wagon are visible, evoking a retro, sunny California atmosphere.
roadsidepuctures

This location closed, but the building was saved from demolition and moved to Taco Bell’s corporate headquarters in Irvine. It is now known as “Taco Bell Numero Uno.”

7. The original Dunkin Donuts

Split image: Top shows a vintage black-and-white Dunkin’ Donuts storefront and sign; bottom shows a modern Dunkin’ Donuts storefront at night with neon lights and a sleek design.
alanboston

This restaurant was originally opened in 1950 in Quincy, MA, but was remodeled in 2022. How could you remodel the original Dunkin?

8. The first Burger King in Miami, FL

A vintage black-and-white photo of a Burger King restaurant offering burgers for 19 cents, featuring a large sign with a king mascot, "Self Service" signs, a parked car, and a person standing at the window.
southbeachcars

This restaurant opened in 1954 and was created by James W. McLamore and David Edgerton.

9. The original Chipotle

A street view of a Chipotle Mexican Grill with its green sign, next to a brick building with a Cinema Graphics "The Ultimate Poster Shop" sign, surrounded by trees and parked cars on a cloudy day.
cw221

This location opened in Denver, Colorado, in 1993, and due to its popularity, it became a chain that year.

10. The first-ever Panera Bread

A Saint Louis Bread Co. bakery and café at night, with large windows showing empty tables and chairs inside, illuminated by indoor lights. The storefront has yellow and purple awnings with leaf designs.
mebluemaumau

This location, originally called the St. Louis Bread Company, opened in 1987 in Kiekwood, Missouri.

11. The original KFC

A white building with steep, pointed gable roofs and dark brown trim, featuring red awnings over the windows. A yellow sign reads "Sanders Cafe." Green shrubs line the front under a blue sky.
brent_nashville

The first KFC restaurant is located in Corbin, Kentucky. This restaurant was known as the Harland Sanders Cafe, and is still open today.

12. The original Papa John’s building

Papa John's pizza restaurant at dusk, with bright green, yellow, and red neon lights illuminating the building. Two cars are parked outside, and the sky is dark blue with scattered clouds.
sniegowski

This location is in Kentucky and was opened in 1984.

13. The original Chick-fil-A, known as the Dwarf Grill

Exterior of a Chick-fil-A restaurant with a red roof, large windows, and a sign reading "Dwarf House" on a brick wall. Shrubs and a trash can are visible near the entrance.
wallyg

This location was opened in 1946 by Truett Cathy. This was the birthplace of the boneless breast of chicken sandwich.

14. The first-ever Dairy Queen

A vintage black-and-white photo of a Dairy Queen stand with large signs advertising sundaes and milk shakes. A woman in a coat stands outside. Snow is on the ground, and vehicle tire tracks are visible.
jasonvoorhees2582

This location opened on June 22, 1940, in Joliet, Illinois.

15. The original Subway

A restaurant called "Pete's SUBWAY" with large yellow letters on a red-brown exterior. A person is visible inside behind the counter, making sandwiches near the window.
ilovepubliclibraries

Founded in 1965 by Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck, this restaurant offered affordable and customizable sandwiches. The business expanded into a franchise and was renamed Subway in 1972.

16. Did you know the first Whataburger was a shack?

A small white building displays faded signage reading “Whataburger 35¢” and “Milk Shake 15¢” with a painted barrel, under a bright blue sky. The structure stands alone on a patch of grass with houses in the background.
shaydatticus

This location opened in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1950.

17. The original In-N-Out Burgers

A small white In-N-Out Burgers stand with red striped awnings and a large vintage sign reading "IN-N-OUT HAMBURGERS NO DELAY," surrounded by a gravel path, grass, and picnic tables on a sunny day.
romeys

This location in Baldwin Park opened in 1948. It became a chain restaurant the same year it opened.

18. The original Krispy Kreme

A vintage coffee shop with a large sign reading "The Original Recipe CRISPIE CREME DONUTS Since 1929" stands in a snowy parking lot. People are visible inside through the windows.
yerwag

They changed the spelling of the restaurant in the mid ’30s. It was known here as “Crispie Creme.”

19. The first-ever Quiznos

A large sign reads "Quiznos - The First Location - Since 1981" outside a Quiznos restaurant, with a few cars parked in front and a brick building in the background under a cloudy sky.
hearduthefirsttime

This location opened in Denver in 1981. Unfortunately, the chain lost the fast food race and went bankrupt in 2014.

For more early franchise history and photos, the Smithsonian’s “History of Fast Food” collection is a gold mine.

20. The original Shake Shack

A Shake Shack restaurant kiosk with a green roof and outdoor seating. People are walking and sitting nearby under trees, with the restaurant’s sign and menu items visible on the building.
beyond_my_ken

This original location, located in Madison Square Park, opened in 2001 and grew increasingly more popular in the following years.

Thought for 15 seconds

Hungry for more fast-food nostalgia? Relive the Happy Meal heyday in 17 Fast Food Toys That Made Your Childhood Magical, remember the bites we still miss in 15 Infamous Discontinued Fast-Food Menu Items, or soak up retro restaurant vibes in 15 Photos That Prove the ’90s Were the Peak Pizza Hut Era.

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