The Forgotten New York Burger Chain That Lost The Fast-Food Wars

Though today we live in a world where fast food empires can stretch from Boston to Beijing, for much of the 20th century, few franchises could claim to have achieved national saturation, much less global. Instead, it was an age of regional restaurant chains, many of which did not survive the ensuing fast food wars between their larger competitors. One such example is Wetson's, a burger franchise probably only remembered by New Yorkers of a certain generation.

Though the historical origins of the hamburger are much contested, no one can deny its relationship to New York is long-standing — a "hamburg steak" appeared on the menu of legendary NYC eatery Delmonico's in 1873 — yet different from much of America's. During the post-war years, most Americans got their burgers from the kind of drive-ins McDonald's started out as. This kind of restaurant was rare in New York, where burgers were more typically diner fare, and Wetson's exploited this gap in the market.

Founded by brothers Herbert and Errol Wetanson when they were only 21 and 18, the first Wetson's restaurant opened in Levittown, New York, in 1959. Herbert had been inspired by a visit to McDonald's, which had not yet reached New York, and its influence can be seen in everything from Wetson's menu to their mascot (two clowns named Wetty and Sonny). According to Sef Gonzalez's book "All About The Burger: A History of America's Favorite Sandwich," the original Wetson's menu included fifteen-cent hamburgers, fresh-cut fries for ten cents, soft drinks, and shakes, and would later add Wetson's signature "Big W" burger. At its height, Wetson's had seventy locations throughout New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In August 1970, the grand opening of a new Wetson's in West Brighton was such an affair that it saw an estimated 10,000 burgers given away for free.

Wetson's had thrived in part due to New York's sequestration from the fast food franchises that were rapidly expanding throughout the country, but this was not to last. In 1972, McDonald's opened its first New York location on Broadway and 96^th Street in Manhattan, and within the first week broke its own world record for sales, going through 100,000 burgers and 8,000 pounds of potatoes.

With the encroachment of McDonald's and Burger King into their territory, Wetson's soon began to struggle. In 1975, shortly after the franchise declared bankruptcy, it was announced that the 28 surviving Wetson's locations would be merged with Nathan's. However, this was not the last the restaurant business would hear from the Wetanson family. In 1978, Herbert Wetanson would open Dallas BBQ in New York's East Village, later expanding to twelve locations throughout the city, with ten still remaining and still family-owned. Today, visitors to any Dallas BBQ in New York can expect barbecue ribs, chicken, steak, and of course, burgers.