Practice English Speaking&Listening with: Top 10 Most Popular Fast Food Chain The Year You Were Born!

If you're the curious type and want to know where the fast food 'hot spot' was when you

were brought into the world, stay tuned, as we list down 10 Fast-Food Restaurants That

Were Popular When You Were Born.

McDonald's -1950 To 1960

McDonald's is one heck of a success story. Everyone knows the world-famous Golden Arches

logo. With 38,000 locations in over 100 countries, it would be pretty difficult not to be familiar

with it. Back in the 1950s, even though McD's was just starting out, it still started out

with a bang. People all around could finally get a taste of what a fast-food burger experience

looked like. Founded in1940, it wasn't until the end of the decade that the chain perfected

its fast-food model - their Speedee Service System - delivering hamburgers faster and

faster every year until finally, it reached perfection. It also wasn't until 1950 that

McDonald's began franchising, meaningthe entire decade saw exponential growth for the

company. With new stores opening left and right, by1958, McDonald's had already sold

100 million burgers. And, when it comes to what the menu looked like back then, these

were the years when new offerings likemilkshakes made people flock to the restaurants. So,

if you were born, or if your parents were born during these "golden years," McDonald's

was the best around - and just beginning its reign of the fast food world.

KFC - 1960s

Another pretty iconic and renowned fast-food chain. After all, if we say "giant red-and-white-striped

bucket filled with crispy fried chicken," odds are you won't be thinking about anyone

but the Colonel. The one and only KFC began all the way back in1930 ina Kentucky gas

station.Harland Sanders first started cooking for hungry travelers. A decade later, he introduced

the Original Recipe chicken to the delight of fast-food fans around the globe with the

delicious, one-of-a-kind, top-secret recipe we all know and love today. However, the Colonel's

chicken didn't exactly get a lot of recognition at first. It took a while before people really

started to take notice, and it was in the 1960s that things really took off for the

chain. In fact, it wasn't until 1960 that KFC, who already had 200 locations at the

time, really started to gain traction. By 1963,there were now at least 600 locations

across the United States. KFC was alsowas one of the first American fast-food chains

to expand internationally, opening restaurants in Canada and the United Kingdom. Over the

years, the chicken chaincemented its popularity in more than 145 countries, with a total of24,000

restaurants. So, if you were born in the 1960s, KFC is probably where your parents and their

friends went for their fried chicken fix.

Taco Bell - 1970 To 1979

The recent obsession with Mexican food didn't start yesterday - actually, it was probably

born back in the 1970s, when Taco Bell was the talk of the town. So, if you'rea 1970s

baby and you share that same unexplained love for tacos, then this might just be the explanation

you were looking for. Taco Bell started out in 1954 whenGlen Bell, the founder of it

all, began sellinga variety of Mexican-inspired food. After it startedfranchising in 1964,

it wasn't too long before things really started to look up, and it becamejust about the

most popular fast-food chain out there. The franchise really seemed to take off in 1975,

as it expanded to nearly 700 locations. What started out as a tiny taco joint began spreading

like wild, spicy fire all over the country and soon becamethe place to eat during the

70s. Amid all the ever growing franchise expansion, the 1970s was also the time Taco Bell welcomedone

of the chain's most popular items ever to the menu - the famousEnchirito.Soon, everybody

was obsessed with all things Taco Bell. Obviously, today with all of the other crazy delicious

menu offerings, the Enchirito looks like a small player, but back then, it was the next

best thing.The combination of an enchilada and a burrito was the star of the menu and

helped make Taco Bell the most successful chain of the decade.

Wendy's - 1980

Just like McDonald's, Wendy's has been a fast-food staple for a very long time. Since first opening

in1969, the chain has steadily been gaining in popularity. Even though Wendy's might not

be as popular or as famous as that other burger joint with the clown mascot, it has still

managed to attract its fair share of loyal customers. And for good reason. I mean, who

else was serving up square burger patties? So, if you were born in the late 1970s or

early 1980s, you happen to be born at a time whenWendy's was super popular. InNovember

1970, Wendy's was responsible for one of the greatest fast-food technological advancements

of our time,the introduction of the first drive-thru window. This practically revolutionized

the world of fast-food into what we know today. When1980 hit, Wendy's also hit a huge milestone.

Because more people started going to Wendy's, the chain needed to open more locations to

meet all the demand. Well, in 1980, Wendy'sopened its 2,000th location, when only 2 years prior,

they had alreadyset an industry record by opening 1,000 restaurants in 100 months.Let's

just say 1980 was a big year for the establishment.

Burger King -1981 To 1984

Just like the other classic, go-to burger joints (hello Wendy and Ronald) -Burger

King has seen a thing or two since it first opened in1953. I mean, it is called BurgerKing

for a reason, right? However, it hasn't always been fast-food royalty. It was originally

founded as a response to McDonald's raging success, thus, marking the beginning of the

ongoing war between the two chains. What set Burger King apart from McDonald's, though,

was itsunique grill called the Insta-Broiler. This grill allowed the chain to grow its following

considerably and build its own menu.The Whopper, a quarter-pound burger with tomatoes,

lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, and pickles on a sesame seed-topped bun, has beena hit

for the chain for decades. It was first introduced in 1957, and from that moment on, the two

competitors became friendly rivals... Or so we thought. It wasn't untilthe early eighties

that Burger King launchedits infamous "Battle of the Burgers" ad campaign. If you were born

during these years, you were also born during the official start of animosity between the

King and the Golden Arches, and it wasBurger King who struck first. The gloves were now

off. The string of hostile commercials drew attention tothe poor quality of McDonalds

cooking techniques and how superior Burger King was.From about 1981 to 1984, these

commercials made Burger King the most popular fast-food chain.

Domino's - 1985-1986

Today, you can pretty much get pizza from anywhere. There are thousands of different

pizza joints from which you can grab a slicefor dinner any night of the week. But, one particular

pizza joint stands out from the crowd, or at least, it used to.Domino's might just

be your run-of-the-mill regular pizza spot today, but back in the mid-1980s, it looked

like it could take on the world - and it did. Ever since it was first opened in the 1960s,

Domino's has been growing and growing every single day. And while it's still a pretty

impressive and successful chain nowadays, it's certainlynot as memorable as it was

in the mid-1980s. By 1985, Domino's became the "fastest-growing pizza restaurant" in

all of the United States after opening its2,841st store. It was also the year the chain opened

its first store in the United Kingdom and onthe continent of Asia, in Minato, Japan.

After that, Domino's kept on growing like a weed, and eventually, you could find an

outlet just about anywhere you looked. Now, there are over 17,000 locations in over 83

countries. Once the memorable "one call does it all" commercial hit the scene, it couldn't

help but grow.If you happen to be born in 1985 - or even 1986 - your family's pizza

night was most likely happening thanks to a newly built Domino's.

Dairy Queen - Late 1980s

When it comes to tasty, emblematic frozen treats, no one does it quite like Dairy Queen.

Around since the dawn of time - or you know, since 1940 - Dairy Queen has been serving

up amazing soft-serve and sundaes in 20 countries all around the world. While it had been around

for a while when the eighties rolled around, it wasn't until the end of the decade that

the chain got the true recognition it deserved. And, why would a seemingly old chain at the

time suddenly surge in popularity like that, you may ask? Well, it's very simple; it's

all thanks to thebeloved Blizzard. This soft-serve creation was introduced to the

DQ menu in 1985 and was an instant hit - to say the least. During the first year alone,it

sold 175 million units. Inone year. The genius idea came to a DQ franchise ownerafter

seeing a competitors ice cream shop selling frozen custard, and the rest is history. This

winning creation was quickly followed by the acquisition of Orange Julius in 1987, which

could only help Dairy Queen move forward from that point on. And only two years after its

expansion, in 1989, Dairy Queen reached top category status in the country.So, turns

out you weren't the only baby born in 1985; another legend was too.

Chipotle - 1998 To 2001

Again, so what's with this obsession with Mexican fast-food places? Maybe it's because

it's so good. Fair enough. First opened in 1993 by Steve Ells, Chipotle is one of the

most heard of up-and-coming fast food restaurants. The chain started as a very modest, very small

company that needed to work hard in order to stay afloat in a world full of competing

chains. We can easily say that Chipotle had rather humble beginnings. It was in 1998 that

the chain got exactly the push it needed to thrive in the industry following the investment

from a very important player in the fast-food game: McDonald's! Yes, that's right, McDonald's

wasa huge key investor and was greatly responsible for Chipotle's success. McD's invested over

$360 million dollars into the franchise, which resulted inthe fast-food chain expanding

even further. This small initial first step allowed Chipotle to expand from 16 restaurants

in 1998 to over 500 stores by 2005, and today, there are over 2000 locations. Chipotle reached

its pinnacle of popularity from 1998 to 2001, as more people got to discover the chain and

wanted to test it out. Obviously, growing popularity also means a growing menu. While

today, McDonald's no longer owns Chipotle, it's safe to say they're still doing pretty

good on their own. So, if you were born at the end or the beginning of the century, Chipotle

was probably the restaurant on everybody's mind at the time.

Subway - 2002

If you think about a sandwich joint that makes some of the best subs on the market, what's

the first place that pops into your head? Is it, perhaps, Subway? One of the most successful

sandwich chains ever created? Well, in any case, that's the one we're talking about.

Subway was founded in 1965 by 17-year old student Fred DeLuca who needed to find a way

to pay for college. Knowing absolutely nothing about the industry before getting involved,

DeLuca took a $1,000 loan to start the business. Needless to say, asthe world's largest international

fast food restaurant chain, beating out McDonald's in terms of number of locations, he was able

to pay his bills just fine. But it didn't always have the title of "largest fast-food

chain." That didn't come until 2002 after Subway'seffort to advertise themselves as

being healthy paid off greatly.After hiring the infamous Jared Fogle as a spokesperson

for the chain in 2000, the chain really took off. He hadclaimed that Subway's sandwiches

had helped him lose 200 pounds. With practically everyone having a desire to eat healthier

and better, this was a turning point for the chain that would change Subway's success forever.

However, the franchise did see setbacks and its reputation tarnished with the arrest and

prosecution of their spokesperson.

Starbucks - 1990 To 1995

When Starbucks was first founded in 1971, the main goal of the chain was to serve the

most basic coffee to itsunder-caffeinated customers. Then, as the years passed, Starbucks

began offering certain drinks that were a little fancier and more aesthetically pleasing

than your plain, old usual cup of Joe. And in 1995, the world of coffee was rocked forever

when the famousFrappuccino was rolled out. Available inboth caffeinated and caffeine-free

flavors, theblend of coffee, milk, and ice, truly created a successful wave for Starbucks

and greatly helped the chain expand even more. Of course, the introduction of the drink wasn't

the only thing that turned this coffee place into a fruitful company. A few years previous,

in 1990, Starbuckslaunched a new customer loyalty program. This move allowed the company

to grow their clientele and expand really quickly. From1990 to 2000, thanks to the

loyalty program,Starbucks expanded to include over 3,500 more stores. Hands down, this coffee

chain was the biggest coffee hang-out spot of the decade.

Stick around - just tap or click another great video. Leave a comment, hit that subscribe

button and ring that bell to join our notification squad.