After a friend of mine gave me a Burger Chef sign, I obsessively looked up stories online about the long-gone burger chain. I had never eaten at one and, unfortunately, never would be able to. It was a sense of nostalgia for something that I missed out on that caused me to start a Burger Chef collection.
Then the burger chain collection bug bit me. After storing everything in my parent’s spare bedroom (my old bedroom, as a matter of fact) for years, I was forced to act when they needed the room back.
Initially, a portion of the collection was on display in my company’s offices, but it quickly outgrew that space after 2 years.
The more than 1500 square foot Burger Museum by Burger Beast featured over 3000 pieces of historical artifacts, collectibles & ephemera (paper items that were meant to be discarded like, for example, napkins or wrappers) from all over the United States.
Burger Beast’s extensive collection featured everything from a 1950s Krystal Waitress Uniform, and an early 1960s Burger King Menu Board, to a 1970s Burger Queen Sign.
I would eventually write about the histories of many of the burger chains in my book All About the Burger. The Burger Museum opened in December 2016 and closed its doors permanently on Sunday, September 29th, 2019.
Burger Museum Table of Contents
Burger Museum Video Walkthrough
My friend Steve Lantz was the last person at the Burger Museum during its closing day. He filmed a phenomenal walkthrough video and captured the beauty of my labor of love.
Burger Museum Pictures
More Videos about the Burger Museum
The Burger Museum Collection
Below you can find a listing of the restaurants & brands with artifacts that were on display at the Burger Museum by Burger Beast.
Burger Restaurants
A&W
Abdow Hi Boy
Alphy’s
Andy’s Country Fresh Hamburgers
Barter’s Drive-In
Bell’s Burgers
Big Boy
Billy Goat Tavern
Blue Bell
Bob’s Big Boy
Borden Burger
Bun Boy
Burger Boy Food-O-Rama
Burger Broil
Burger Castle
Burger Chef
Burger King
Burger Queen
Carl’s Jr.
Carrols
ChampBurger
Coco’s
Druther’s
Eat ‘n Park
Elby’s Big Boy
Elias Brothers Big Boy
Flakey Jake’s
Flint’s
Frisch’s Big Boy
Fuddrucker’s
Gino’s Hamburgers
Goody Goody
Hardee’s
HiBoy
Howdy Beef’n Burger
In-N-Out (Irvine, California)
In N’ Out (Gainesville, Florida)
Jack in the Box
Jiffy Drive-in
Joe’s Cable Car
JustRite
KewPee
Kings Kastles
Kings-X
Krystal
Lendy’s
Little Tavern Shops
Lone Ranger Restaurant
Lujan’s
LUM’s
Manners Big Boy
McDonald’s
McDonald’s SmackBurger
Meers Store and Restaurant
Mr. Fables
Rally’s
Red Barn
Red Robin
Richard’s Carfeteria Drive-In
Rockybilt System
Royal Castle
Sandy’s
Silver Castle
Sno-white Drive-In
Sonic Drive-In
Steak ‘n Shake
Tastee-Freez
Tayler’s Maid-Rite
Wendy’s
Wetson’s
Whataburger
Wheel Inn Drive-In
White Castle
White Tavern
White Tower Hamburgers
Wimpy Grills
Woody’s SmorgasBurger
Wuv’s Hamburgers
Comfort Food Restaurants
Abner’s
Arby’s
Beefsteak Charlie’s
Bob Evans
The Bon
Bonanza
Captain D’s
Chi-Chi’s
Chicken Delight
Chicken in the Rough
Chicken Unlimited
Chuck E. Cheese
Church’s Fried Chicken
Columbia
Cook Book
Country Kitchen
Cracker Barrel
Dairy Queen
Danny’s Donuts
Denny’s
Dog n Suds
Dunkin’ Donuts
Farrell’s
Godfather’s Pizza
Happy Chef
Heap Big Beef
Hilltop Steakhouse
Hobo Joe’s
Hot Shoppes
Howard Johnson’s
Huddle House
International House of Pancakes (IHOP)
Jim Dandy
Kenny King’s
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)
Kentucky Roast Beef
King Cole
Little Red Hen
McCrory’s
Minnie Pearl’s Fried Chicken
Mister Donut
Mister Softee
Mr. Steak
Mr. Swiss
Nathan’s
Pickin’ Chicken
Pizza Hut
Planet Hollywood
Po Folks
Ponderosa
Popeye’s
Rax
Red Lobster
Rexall Drugs
Richards
Roy Rogers
Sambo’s
Shakey’s
Showbiz Pizza Place
Sisters Chicken & Biscuit
Steak and Ale
Stuckey’s
Subway
Swensen’s
TGI Friday’s
Toddle House
Tony Roma’s
The Varsity
Waffle House
Wag’s
Walgreen Agency
Walgreen’s
Winchell’s Donuts
Woolworth
Yogi Bear’s Honey Fried Chicken
South Florida
11th Street Diner
94th Aero Squadron
Arbetter’s
Bennigan’s
Biscayne Cafeteria
Black Angus
Burger Farm
Burger House
Cafe Tu Tu Tango
Casa Juancho
Centro Vasco
Cheeseburger Baby
Chuck’s Steakhouse
Cisco’s Cafe
Coral Park Market
The Corn Beef King
Dade County Youth Fair
Dalt’s Grill
Dixieland
Eden Roc Hotel
El Cid
El Establo
El Mago de as Fritas
El Novillo
El Rey de las Fritas
Flagler Dog Track
Flanigan’s
Florida Marlins
Frankie’s Pizza
Gabe’s
Gatsby’s
Hamburger Circus
Hamburger Heaven
Hereford Grill
Hobby House
Hog’s Breath Saloon
Hunter’s Lounge
Jahn’s
Jimbo’s
Joe’s Stone Crab
Junior’s
Koky’s
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
La Carreta
La Casita Criolla
La Cocina Puertorriqueña
La Paloma
Laurenzo’s
Les Violins
Lila’s
Los Ranchos
Malibu Grand Prix
McLamore’s
Miami Dolphins
Miami Heat
Monty’s
My Sister’s Drive-Inn
New York New York Deli
News Cafe
Paramount Soda Shop
The Pit Bar-B-Q
Planet Hollywood
Playboy Club
Pumpernik’s
Ranch House
Rascal House
Rio Cristal
Royal Carousel
Rudy’s Steak Sirloin Burgers
Scottys Drive-Inn
Shivers BBQ
Shorty’s Bar-B-Q
Steve’s Pizza
Sweden House
Swensen’s
Tony Roma’s
Trianon
TropiBurger
Tropicaire Drive-In
Tylers
Velvet Creme Doughnuts
West Flagler Kennel Club
Wolfie’s
Brands
7-11
7-UP
A.1. Sauce
AmPm
Bacardi
Batman
Bireley’s
Borden’s Ice Cream
BurgerTime
Charles Chips
Cherry RC Cola
Circus Circus
Coca Cola
Coco Rico
Countess Cookies
Crystal Pepsi
Dandee Potato Chips
Diet Pepsi
Double Cola
Dr. Pepper
Frank’s
French’s Mustard
Froot Loops
Hamburger America
Hamburger Helper
Hawaiian Punch
Holiday Inn
ICEE
IronBeer
K-Mart
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes
Knott’s Berry Farm
Krunchers
Libby’s Corned Beef
Like
Los Angeles Zoo
Martin’s
Materva
Mel-O-Bit American Cheese
Moxie
Mrs. Butterworth
Mug Root Beer
The New Era Potato Chips
Pee Wee Cola
Pepsi Cola
Pepsi Free
Pringles
RC Cola
S&H Green Stamps
Sears
Tab
Texaco
Tom Boy Dill Hamburger Slices
Tootsie Roll
Universal Studios Florida
Walt Disney Studios
Wild Cherry Pepsi
Wilson’s B-V
Wimpy
WISE Potato chips
YooHoo
Press About the Burger Museum
- Atlas Obscura: Burger Museum
- The Burger Life: Burger Museum by Burger Beast
- Eater: The Burger Beast Unveils His New Museum Dedicated to All Things Burgers And Comfort Food
- El Nuevo Herald: Museo de la Hamburguesa de Miami: nostalgia y estética de la comida rápida
- Estadão (Brazil): Miami abre o primeiro museu da história do hambúrguer nos EUA
- Lonely Planet: A museum dedicated to the burger has opened in Miami
- Mental Floss: Miami Is Opening America’s First Burger Museum
- Miami Herald: This man loves hamburgers so much he built a museum to them
- Miami New Times: Burger Beast Museum to Open at Magic City Casino
- Only In Your State: America’s Only Burger Museum Is Right Here In Florida And You Need To Visit
- Roadside America: Burger Beast’s Burger Museum
- Sun Sentinel: Nostalgia and history served at the Burger Beast Burger Museum
- The Times (United Kingdom): A burger museum has opened in Miami
- TripAdvisor: Burger Beast Museum
- USA Today: Miami now has a hamburger museum
- Yelp: Burger Museum by Burger Beast
Historical Food Posts on BurgerBeast.com
Here are a bunch of posts that you will enjoy.
- 1921 Slider is a return to White Castle’s History
- A History of Hardee’s with Tasty Looking Pictures
- A History of Ollie’s Trolley & LUMS Restaurants
- A Lil’ History about Diners, Drive-Ins & Luncheonettes
- A Visit to Wendy’s Headquarters in Dublin, Ohio
- A Visit to White Castle Headquarters in Ohio
- An Educational & Tasty Visit to A&W Headquarters & Test Kitchen
- Burger Chef’s History Brings a Smile to My Face, What About You?
- Burger King #17 in Miami embraces its History
- California’s In-N-Out Hamburgers Plus Their History
- Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville + History
- Closed Burger Chains in South Florida
- Do You Remember Any of These Miami Burger Joints?
- Dog ‘n Suds Drive-In & Root Beer + History
- Frita Cubana Recipe + History
- Great American Burger Emporium aka GABE’s Burgers
- History of the Patty Melt Sandwich + Recipe
- Iconic Restaurant Chains Left with 1 Location Open
- Is there an In N Out in Gainesville, Florida?
- Jack in the Box in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville & counting
- Krystal Burger Headquarters & History
- Laurel Tavern Donuts in Laurel, Maryland
- My Memories of McDonaldland & the Burger King Kingdom
- Old Miami Restaurant Buildings Part 1
- Old Miami Restaurant Buildings Part 2
- Once Upon a Time, there was a Burger Castle Restaurant
- Royal Carousel was Royal Castle’s Restaurant of the Future
- ShowBiz Pizza, Rock-afire Explosion & Chuck E Cheese Saga
- SONIC Drive-In History & Food Talk
- South Florida’s 1st Food Truck Event in Downtown Miami
- Steak ‘n Shake History, Food Pictures & My Thoughts
- Take the Miami Burger History Quiz
- The History of Burger King & its First 10 Miami Locations
- The History of Royal Castle Hamburgers
- The Story of Bob’s Big Boy & its Double-Deck Hamburger
- There were 2 White Castle Restaurant Miami Locations in 1958
- What Happened to McDonald’s Fried Apple Pies?
- Whataburger in Florida & its History
- Who Remembers Rudy’s Sirloin SteakBurgers?
- Who Remembers the Burger King Whopper Sacrifice?
- Wuv’s Hamburgers, a Late Great Burger Chain
Dinner at the Burger Museum
The Burger Museum hosted many events in its three years of operation, but my favorite was Night at the Burger Museum.
In December 2018, old dishes from classic restaurants were re-envisioned in 5 courses by the very talented Chefs Phil Bryant and Veronica Valdivia.
Tables were set up inside the museum, and attendees also received a history lesson at the beginning of each course on the origins of the dish.
