Kewpee Hamburgers: A Mity Nice History - Paperback

by Gary Flinn (Author)

Catering to all the folks

In business for more than a century, Kewpee is the second oldest hamburger chain in the United States. Beginning with the Kewpee Hotel in Flint, Michigan, founder Samuel "Old Man Kewpee" Blair soon opened his original hamburger stand. That location served the world's first deluxe hamburger, crafted from fresh, never-frozen beef and topped with tomatoes, lettuce and mayo. By licensing the Kewpee name, Blair and Ohio Kewpee Hotel operator Edwin Adams expanded into a chain of hundreds of hamburger stands and restaurants, mainly in the Midwest. A small number of Kewpee locations survived competition and still serve Olive Burgers, fries, malts and pie to lucky customers.

Author Gary Flinn tells the full story of Kewpee, its many locations long gone and its spinoff, Halo Burger.

Author Biography

Gary Flinn is a product of the Flint (Michigan) Community Schools and a graduate of Mott Community College and Michigan State University who lived in the Flint area most of his life. His earliest writings were for Flint Central High School publications the Tribal Times and the Arrow Head. Besides Broadside, he also contributed articles for the Uncommon Sense, Your Magazine, the Flint Journal and Downtown Flint Revival magazine. He presently lives on Flint's west side.