Sally Farris Dussin (August 21, 1928 – January 28, 2021)
In 1969, Guss and Sally Dussin opened the first Old Spaghetti Factory in Portland, Oregon on SW 2nd Avenue and SW Pine Street in Old Town (below). Today, there are 45 locations in 14 states and Japan.
Raymond Albert "Ray" Kroc(October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984)
Businessman Ray Kroc was responsible for turning McDonald’s into the world’s dominant fast-food chain after buying the business for $2.7 million in 1961. He was the owner of the San Diego Padres baseball team from 1974 until 1984.
Sweden and France were the first countries to form the buffet concept. The smorgasbord originated in Sweden as a way to feed hungry out-of-town visitors. The offering started out small with just bread and butter, which in the Swedish language translates to “smorgasbord”. The menu grew to include salted fish, eggs and boiled vegetables, moving on to cold cuts, warm entrees and salads, ending the spread with dessert and coffee. The French offered a more refined display featuring lavish “buffet” tables.
The Swedish folks brought their smorgasbord to America at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. The sizable selection of food was located atop a rotating platform inside the Three Crowns restaurant (below).
The smorgasbord at Three Crowns went on to inspire other buffet-style restaurants in the 1950’s.
Burger Chef was a fast-food restaurant chain that began operating in 1954 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It expanded throughout the United States, and, at its peak in 1973, had 1,050 locations. The chain featured several signature items, such as the Big Shef and Super Shef hamburgers.
In 1982, the General Foods Corporation, then-owners of the Burger Chef name trademark, divested itself of the restaurant chain, gradually selling to the owners of Hardee’s. The final restaurant to carry the Burger Chef name closed in 1996.
Raymond Albert "Ray" Kroc (October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984)
Kroc is responsible for turning McDonald’s into the world’s dominant fast- food chain after joining the company in 1954. Between the end of the First World war and the early 1950s he tried his hand at a number of trades including paper cupsalesman, pianist, jazz musician, band member and radio DJ at Oak Park radio stationWGES.
In 1955, Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s in Des Plaines, IL. and bought out the McDonald’s brothers in 1961.