The Little-Known Restaurant Chain Kmart Had In The Late '60s And Early '70s

In the battle of the discount stores, Walmart reigns supreme today, but that wasn't always the case. Another contender spread across the landscape for decades, offering many of the same goods at reasonable prices: Kmart. Both companies rose to prominence in the 1960s. While Kmart is nearly gone today, with only a couple of stores left in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, it was once such a key part of the shopping experience that it branched out into its own restaurant chain called Kmart Chef.

The Kmart Chef trademark was filed in 1967. Built in parking lots outside certain Kmart stores, the restaurant was a fast-food drive-in concept. Their first spot was in Pontiac, Michigan. After several more Michigan locations, they branched out to New Mexico, Illinois, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, and Pennsylvania. That was as far as they ever got, however. After opening just 11 locations, the chain closed up shop entirely in 1974.

Like most drive-ins, the menu offered standard fare including burgers, fries, and milkshakes. In 1972, the Pontiac location celebrated its 5th anniversary and customers could win a free bike. The local paper also offered a coupon for a 38-cent Big K hamburger, their version of a Big Mac or Whopper (normally 55 cents), and another for a 12-cent milkshake. Ads from 1973 offered a double cheeseburger, onion rings, and a drink for 88 cents. According to signs outside the restaurants in 1967, their regular hamburgers were just 18 cents. That was the same price as McDonald's at the time.

Aside from burgers and fries, Kmart Chef offered hot dogs, drinks, pies and even fried chicken. In 1973, 8 oz of fried chicken, which is roughly one large breast or two thighs, cost 79 cents, and with a coupon you could get another 8 oz for free.

Unlike burger joints today, Kmart Chef operated a little more like a cafeteria. Diners would grab a tray and then move down the line, taking the food they wanted as they went. Presumably, that also meant special orders were not accommodated. If you didn't want onions on your burger, you were probably picking them off yourself. At least one location boasted seating for 78 people (plus fully carpeted floors), so there was a spacious dining area.

Kmart Chef's expansion was very slow and seemingly random. With only 11 locations after 7 years of operation, spread across 7 states, they didn't really have a chance to become familiar to customers the way a nationwide chain like McDonald's had. Other chains such as Burger King were also doing a better job of offering fast, tasty food at a good price. With limited reach and nothing distinctive to set them apart, the restaurants all closed in 1974 as Kmart shifted focus to retail shopping and, eventually, smaller in-store cafeterias.