The 1970s Burger Chain Restaurant That Only Has 2 Locations Remaining In Kentucky And Ohio

There's nostalgic charm to Ollie's Trolley, if only because its two remaining locations are fading slices of Americana. Once a thriving fast-food chain known for the spiced Ollieburger and its bright-red, old-style, trolley-designed structures, it now survives in a couple of stand‑alone spots: in Louisville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio. A third holdout to the chain's demise, a restaurant in Washington DC, closed its doors in December 2023. That's a far cry from the former 100-plus burger trolleys of the 1970s.

The Ollie's Trolley story begins back in the 1930s, when chef Oliver Gleichenhaus ran a 20-seat sandwich shop in Miami, adored for heavily spiced burgers, served medium‑rare only, and a side of similarly seasoned fries. Rumor has it, he was prone to cursing customers who requested ketchup or well‑done meat, insisting that Ollie knew best. Apparently he did, as his customer base included some of the country's most beloved comedians and entertainers, including Dean Martin, Rodney Dangerfield, and Don Rickles, the latter two reportedly garnering material from Oliver's own brash, bold persona. 

Comfortably resting on his burger-fueled laurels was ultimately not Gleichenhaus's fate. It all changed when a man named John Y. Brown Jr. entered the picture decades later in the 1970s. Fresh off making Colonel Sanders famous with the Kentucky Fried Chicken chain, he was ready to do the same with those spicy Ollie burgers. Buying the recipe for $1 million, Brown franchised Ollie's Trolley nationwide in small wooden trolleys — and the rest is retro restaurant chain history.   

So what ultimately happened to those well-loved, seasoned trolley burgers and fries? The demise was more about Brown and his business ventures, rather than those famous 32-spice burgers. Despite the novelty and cult following of Ollie's secret‑spice blends, the chain ultimately buckled under financial and operational pressures, likely tied to Brown's other restaurant venture, LUMS, which offered beer-steamed hot dogs. The trolley locations were phased out by the early 1980s. 

The remaining trolley restaurants have survived by incorporating their own twists — or stubbornly holding onto the original charm and formula. Before finally closing at the end of 2023, the DC location had a quasi-museum of vintage 1950s icons, including valuable antiques such as an original Coca-Cola machine, a 1950s carousel horse with Swarovski crystals, and a pink Cadillac popcorn machine. While the still-operating Louisville store clings to authenticity as a successful burger-first trolley, the Cincinnati team, who reportedly negotiated rights with Brown for $1, ramped up the menu to accommodate patron appetites.

In West End Cincinnati, the eatery brings a Deep South persona to the mix, primarily through deeply Southern soul food dishes. We're talking black-eyed peas, collard greens, fried catfish, barbecue ribs, chess pie, and even Cajun Louisiana fare such as jambalaya and gumbo. The ambiance is still retro through and through, including vintage signs and decor — and the spicy Ollie Burger still anchors present to past as only time can do.