A common staple for fast food restaurants is the children’s meal, and it is typically the source of some of the most creative packaging and elaborate burger boxes a typical chain will create or commission.
By far the most famous of these is the Happy Meal, a smaller meal that features a burger or similar main dish, a side item such as fries, fruit or salad, a drink and a toy or book, all served in a distinct packaged box.
The concept, credited to Yolanda Fernánde de Cofiño for the meal concept and Bob Bernstein for the overall packaging and marketing, has been a staple of fast food restaurants ever since.
However, the dark secret behind the Happy Meal is that McDonald’s did not, in fact, create it, and the company that did would sue McDonald’s once it became the massive success and influence it is known for today.
The Tragic Tale Of Burger Chef
Burger Chef was a fast food chain that launched in 1954 in Indianapolis, Indiana and became a franchise by 1958, typically operating fast food chains in smaller towns with less competition and building up a following in the process.
They had a reputation for innovation, including the combo meal of a burger, fries and drink, a double-decker hamburger (known as the Big Shef) before the Big Mac and by 1972 was the second biggest fast food restaurant in terms of number of locations.
They were also amongst the earliest fast food chains to target children in their advertising, which culminated in 1972 with the Funburger, the first ever children’s meal, featuring a burger and toy, as well as packaging featuring cartoon mascots and puzzles.
This was expanded a year later to the Funmeal, which added fries, a drink and a cookie to the offering. It even would have one of the first major fast food tie-ins ever with the 1977 film Star Wars.
It was very popular, and according to later legal cases, highly influential to the Happy Meal, which launched in Kansas City in 1977 and was rolled out nationally in 1979.
Burger Chef was not amused and sued McDonald’s for stealing their idea, although the case was ultimately dismissed. It is somewhat difficult to claim the rights over a combination meal idea and given that the name, branding and packaging were different, that was the only aspect they could sue over.
A similar trademark infringement case made against Burger King’s Fun School Meal was similarly settled out of court, with Burger King being acknowledged as having a valid trademark.
Two failed lawsuits and what turned out to be an overly aggressive expansion campaign had caused Burger Chef to hit serious financial difficulties, with hundreds of restaurants closing reducing the overall number to around 260 by 1982.
These were then subsequently bought out by Hardee’s who converted all but one of the stores to their branding. The final Burger Chef held out until 1996, leaving the chain and its legacy of innovation sadly forgotten as a result.
