McDonald’s was late in coming to my city.   One had to drive  150 miles to get to one when I was growing up.   But that’s not to say my town was fast food-less.   In addition to locally-owned establishments, our first burger chain entry was Henry’s, followed a few years later by Sandy’s.

Both were Midwestern chains, eventually both reaching between 150-200 outlets before fading from the scene.    Sandy’s was started in Illinois by a couple of guys who had one of the first McDonald’s franchises, got mad at Ray Kroc, sued him, then started up their own deal.

Henry’s was started as an off-shoot of Bressler’s Ice Cream, in order to cash in on the drive-in craze, and to have additional outlets to sell their ice cream.   In the early days, Henry’s outlets far-outnumber McDonald’s.

I remember our family going to Henry’s on very rare occasions, probably when my mom was managing the brood because my dad was out of town.  I do remember the sign that touted the 15 cent burger, or ten for a buck promotion.

Sandy’s was a bit more full-line, with a “Scottish” theme, eventually sold out and converted the units to Hardees.

Here’s an old Sandy’s commercial.