You Know About Burger King, But Burger Queen?
Before Burger King became royalty among burger restaurants, another burger royal made its bid to take over the throne: Burger Queen.
Two years younger than the king, owners Harold and Helen Kite opened Burger Queen in 1956, 200 miles south of its royal cousin, in Winter Haven, Fla. The Kites oversaw the restaurants’ initial expansion throughout Florida before selling the chain to James Gannon and John and George Clark in 1961. The trio expanded to Louisville, Ky. That location would also become the company’s corporate home.
I found a video put together by Recollection Road on YouTube not long ago, inspiring me to take a small glimpse at the franchise. It’s an interesting look at the past.
Druther’s traces its history back to 1956 when Harold and Helen Kite opened the first Burger Queen restaurant in Winter Haven, Florida. In 1961, Jim Gannon and business partners George and John Clark bought franchise rights and were granted the right to expand the chain into Kentucky.
The chain continued to use neon lights to promote its stores in Florida, but that may have been too much glitter for Kentucky. Instead, their mascot would be Queenie Bee.
It was a decade of promise for the fledgling franchise, which saw the company open its 50th store in Danville, Ky. In 1973. Burger Queen would grow to 125 locations in Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee.
The queen’s reign was short-lived, however. In 1981, Burger Queen Enterprises Inc. announced it would change its name to Druther’s International Inc. Their 171 company-owned and franchised restaurants would also undergo a name change: Druther’s Restaurant. Less than a decade later, in 1990, the company agreed to become a franchise operator for Dairy Queen. At the time of the conversion, Druther’s had operated 145 restaurants in Kentucky and surrounding states. The last Druther’s restaurant, operating since 1970, can be found in Campbellsville, Ky.
According to the Winchester Sun, Charles McCarty built the Campbellsville store. The Sun reported there was already a Dairy Queen not far from Druther’s. He was given the choice of renaming the store or keeping the original Druther’s name. He opted for the latter.
Sadly, Charlie McCarty passed away in 2012. But the store continues to be part of the McCarty family. Bobby Brockman of the Central Kentucky News-Journal wrote a farewell to McCarty. Clearly, he made an impact on the community.
These days, Druther’s continues to make an impact in the Campbellsville. The restaurant’s Facebook page shares photos of its efforts to help families in need. They are raising money through bake sales to help the Toys for Kids program.
Last year, Taylor County was hit by two tornadoes in three week. Druther’s added this post to its Facebook page: “Our hearts go out to the families affected by the storm. If your home was impacted and you need a hot meal today we’re here for you. It’s on the house.”
Druther’s is also mentioned in “All about the Burger: A History of America’s Favorite Sandwich (Burger America & Burger History, for Fans of The Ultimate Burger and The Great American Burger Book),” authored by Sef Gonzalez in 2019.
Finally, one last look at a 1981 commercial by Druther’s. Yeah, they may be corny, but most commercials of the 80s were.
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