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email: agilitynut@hotmail.com |
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| Michigan Burgers |
(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)
| These Michigan burger restaurants look like stripped-down White Tower restaurants. They share extensive use of white porcelain enamel tiles, both inside and out, counters and stools, as well as tiny and cheap burgers. While the burger stands shown on this page were never part of the White Tower or White Castle chains, they were certainly inspired by them. By the late 1940s, there were hundreds of White Towers nationwide. I believe the buildings shown here were all built in the 1950s. This phenomenon was unique to the Detroit area. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Bates Hamburgers Livonia, MI |
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| Bates Hamburgers opened in 1959. There is another location in Farmington Hills but it appears to be newer. That building is not clad in white porcelain enamel panels. |
| Greene's Hamburgers Farmington, MI |
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| There were several Greene's Hamburgers in the Detroit area but this is the only one left. This location opened in 1957. For more, see this website. |
| Hunter House Hamburgers Birmingham, MI |
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| Hunter House Hamburgers opened in 1952. For more, see this website. |
| Cobb's Hamburgers (now Olga's Coney Island) Detroit, MI |
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| Cobb's Hamburgers became Olga's Coney Island sometime after 2005 when the first photo above was taken. The second photo is from 2011 and shows the new paint scheme. A coney island is a regional name for a chili dog. |
| Brayz Hamburgers Hazel Park, MI |
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The first Brayz Hamburgers opened as "Bray's" in 1950 in Garden City, MI. The owners were Gordon and Roy Bray. Eventually, there were eight locations.
This Hazel Park location originally went by Bray's name. In the 1970s, the chain was taken over by Gordon Bray's son, Phil Bray, who owned it until the 1980s. After that it was taken over by Gordon Bray's other two sons: Marc (who owned the Hazel Park location) and John (who owns the Westland location). The Hazel Park location's name was changed to "Bray'z Hamburgers" in the 1990s. The donkey holding a burger and cup on the roof is part of the chain's original design. The only other "Brays" left is in Westland, MI. Although the building was replaced, the rooftop donkey was saved. "Buster" is now displayed inside. For more, see this website. |
| former Bud's Hamburgers Romulus, MI |
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| This former Bud's Hamburgers now houses an L.A. Insurance office. This location must have been part of the Bray's chain originally. There was a donkey statue on the roof like the one shown above. For more, see this website. |
| Carter's Coney Island Lincoln Park, MI |
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| Carter's Coney Island was originally Carter's Hamburgers. The "Carter's Hamburgers" sign was just barely readable under the white paint when the top row of photos were taken in 2005. For an earlier view of the sign, see this website. By 2011, bottom photo, all that was left of the sign was the pole. |
| Carter's Hamburgers Dearborn, MI |
Elmer's Hamburgers Detroit, MI |
former Royal Coney Island Detroit, MI |
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This Carter's Hamburgers is also known as Carter's #3. So, there must have been another location at one time in addition to the one in Lincoln Park described above. I believe this Dearborn location opened in 1950.
From the altered sign on the building, it appears that Elmer's Hamburgers started out with another name. Many of these chains used the word "systems" in their names. It meant that their burgers were prepared systematically: quickly and the same way every time. This was the early days of fast food and chains like McDonald's bragged about their "Speedee Service System". The Royal Coney Island now houses a pawn shop. |
| Sonny's Hamburgers Redford, MI |
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| Sonny's Hamburgers has more glass than the other buildings shown here. |
| Telway Hamburgers Detroit, MI |
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| The Telway Madison Heights, MI |
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The Telway Hamburgers in Detroit supposedly opened in 1944. That sounds a bit too early for this building style.
The Telway in Madison Heights opened in 1959. |
| Giant System Dearborn Heights, MI |
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| The Giant System opened around 1950. |
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More Michigan Burger Restaurants:
Lakes Hamburgers (Novi) [demolished] |
| MI Drive-ins | MI Ice Cream | MI Misc. |
| Main Eateries Page |
| RoadsideArchitecture.com |