Do You Remember this Utica Burger Restaurant?
My grandfather used to rave about Kewpees. What a crazy name for a burger joint right?
Years ago, there was a hamburger and malt shop located in Utica's Onieda Square called Kewpee. My grandpa got a kick out of quoting their advertising slogan to me: "Kewpee Hamburgers, pickle on top, makes your heart go flippity flop." Their other mottos were: "Mity Nice Hamburger,” “We cater to all the folks,” “We Make Em By The Millions One at A Time!" And ironically, “Your Granpappy ate here.”
My grandfather was an excellent story teller too. One day he told me a tale about Kewpee; if the Kewpees sign was lit, drugs were available. If the sign wasn't lit, no drugs were available. I don't know if there is any truth to this, but it made for an interesting chat. He also told me that this was the first restaurant that offered curb side service. They served root beer and eventually real beer for 10 cents a mug.
If the name of this place didn't make you wonder, the restaurant's mascot certainly would:
The fairy mascot used by Kewpee Hamburgers for store signs and advertising promotions was derived from the artwork of Rose Cecil O’Neill. She modeled the Kewpie (spelled differently) doll character after Cupid, the Roman God of Love. The Kewpee restaurant is named after the doll she created.
Kewpees was originally part of a fast-food chain. It got it's start in Flint, Michigan back in 1923.Today, only a few Kewpees remain. If you're ever traveling through Lima, Ohio, Racine, Washington, or Lansing,Michigan, have yourself a Kewpeee Burger.
The Kewpee chain of restaurants grew quickly across the Midwest with 200 stores opening in the 1920s and 400 by the 1940s. The store ranged from Utica, New York to South Bend, Indiana. Unfortunately, due to meat shortages during World War Two, most of restaurant in their franchise closed.
Wendy's founder Dave Thomas was also a fan of Kewpees. In fact, that's what motivated him to go into the burger business.
Thomas used to love eating at a Kewpee restaurant, which He said it was what inspired him to go into the business. Kewpee's sold square hamburgers and thick malt shakes, much like the Wendy's.
We were living in simpler times back when the Kewpee restaurant was here. We didn't have smart phones and internet access. Today Just Jen and I chatted about how technology has made our life more difficult.
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