Does The Fast Food Chain Wimpy Still Exist?

"I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." That was the catchphrase of J. Wellington Wimpy from the old "Popeye" cartoons — a man obsessed with hamburgers but lacking the money to buy them until next Tuesday. Founded as Wimpy Grills in 1934, the Wimpy chain started in Indiana and rose to fame in Chicago, the city it's still associated with today even though no locations remain there. In fact, you won't find a Wimpy in the United States these days, but that doesn't mean the company shut down completely.

In the 1970s, Wimpy had taken the U.K. by storm, with 500 locations in the country and more than 1,500 worldwide across 39 others. You could find locations in places as diverse as Colombia, Iran, Australia, and many other parts of the world. Today, there are 58 Wimpys left in the U.K. The company still operates in Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, amongst others. The chain continues to enjoy huge success in South Africa, with more than 450 locations running as of this writing.

In South Africa, you can head to a Wimpy and get a Big Champion combo for 165.90 rand, or about $9.50 USD. That's a burger with two patties, two rashers of streaky bacon, cheese, a fried egg, lettuce, tomato, gherkins, grilled onion, and condiments, plus fries and a shake. Not a bad deal. Of course, you can get ribs or peri peri chicken livers too, so it's a little different from most American burger places.

Edward Gold, the founder of Wimpy, once owned 25 locations in the U.S. but sold many of them when he chose to focus on European operations. After Gold's death, the American locations began to dwindle, and by 1978, only four remained, all in Chicago. Though they were put up for sale along with the rights to the name, no buyers came forward, and that ended Wimpy's legacy in America.

Just north of the border in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, you might find Wimpy's Diners in several cities. There are 42 locations, and though they bear the same name, this is an entirely unaffiliated restaurant chain. Founded in 1961 as Wimpy's Drive-in, it switched to Wimpy's Diner in the 1980s and featured a retro diner look inside. Even though they sell burgers, the full menu is a lot more like a typical 24-hour diner than just a simple burger place.

Since Wimpy went out of business in the United States in the '70s, there have been no notable attempts to resurrect the brand. While operations seem to be going smoothly abroad, none of the parent companies are based in America, so the brand's past connections there no longer exist. If you're nostalgic for the brand or never experienced it at all, you're going to have to get on an international flight to try the burgers for yourself. Just remember to bring enough money — they won't let you wait until Tuesday to pay.