In 1957, Gene and Betty Hoots opened a hamburger joint in Mattoon, Illinois and called it Burger King. On the advice of a lawyer, they registered the name and became the legal owners of “Burger King.” They were surprised when, a few years later, a Florida chain opened a Burger King in Skokie. When those impudent upstarts reached 50 restaurants in the state, the Hoots took them to court. The decision, now considered a landmark case on intellectual-property rights, gave the national chain rights to the name “Burger King” everywhere in the country except within a 20-mile circle centered on the Hoots’ restaurant. And so it stands more than 40 years later.
Burger King wasn’t very crowded when we arrived. I ordered the specialty of the house, a Hooter Combo, which consisted of a quarter-pound cheeseburger, fries, and a drink. The girl who took our order acted as if we were interrupting her nap — in the photo below, she looks like she’s fallen asleep.
Our order took about 20 minutes, which gave us time to appreciate the art that lined one wall, all of it signed “Hoots.” My burger looked like it had been sat upon, but it was pretty good. My wife really liked the fries and the butterscotch shake she got on the way out.
In recent years, the restaurant has become famous, thanks to appearances on several TV stations and travel blogs. They have a guestbook and “The Original Burger King” T-shirts, but we didn’t sign the one or buy the other. By the time we left, the place was filling up.
I wouldn’t recommend making a special trip to Mattoon to eat at Burger King (or for any other reason), but if you happen to find yourself in that town and in need of greasy food, try it. Just be prepared to wake the cashier.