Depends on the particular franchise you visit as to quality
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Did you know that this year the humble burger restaurant Wimpy is celebrating it’s 50th year in business? You may not want to know or care but for those who do here are a few facts about Wimpy and some of my memories thrown in for good measure too!
Some facts: Wimpy was originally created in the 1930s by an American called Eddie Gold. Apparently he named the restaurant after the J Wellington Wimpy character in the Popeye cartoons. By the 1950's there were 12 Wimpy restaurants running and their brand was bought up by J Lyons & Co in England. Their chain (Lyons Corner Houses) were English tea rooms popular with the working classes. Lyons licensed the “Wimpy Bar” and in 1954 the first one appeared as a special fast food section of the Lyons tea rooms. They were so successful that it eventually led to separate Wimpy restaurants being established that specialised in burger meals only. The 1970s saw the height of Wimpy popularity with over a thousand restaurants over the world. There was even once a video game made where you could make your own burgers!! However, by the end of the decade its popularity began to slow with the competition from McDonalds and then later Burger King. Today there are around 45 franchised restaurants left in the London area and about 300 in the whole country.
My first memories of Wimpy are from about the age of 5. My parents used to regularly take my sister and I on day trips down to the coast and we almost always ended up at the end of a day out in a Wimpy. Why? Because they were affordable, sit down family restaurants, conveniently located with a nice friendly atmosphere. But for me it was because of the fabulous Knickerbocker Glories! For those who have never encountered one, it consists of a tall glass filled with layers of jelly, ice cream, strawberry sauce, more ice cream and fruit topped with cream. You need an extra long spoon to eat it. I had to stand up at the table in order to eat one because the glass was too high for me to be able to sit down. I can still remember the excitement of seeing other peoples' ice creams being served and thinking I’m going to have one of those once I’ve got through my main course. Of course I’m not detracting from the burgers because I think they’re great but they have never filled me with that sort of anticipation. My Dad, (who can still tell you the location of all the Wimpys he’s ever been to) always used to have a Banana Long Boat and my Mum a Brown Derby or Apple Pie! Around that time (early 80s) there wasn’t a lot else available apart from little cafes offering weak squash or flavoured milk! We were only rarely taken to McDonalds and this was from an absolute “we eat now or die” necessity!
When we were younger we were only allowed to have a Wimpy burger (which is a basic burger with onion) for our main course. To this day it is all my parents will eat, but we have graduated. Now my particular favourite is a Quarter Pounder with cheese which, for anyone who wants to know, has 595 calories. Wimpy offer similar options (apart from the fab ice cream and Bender Burgers) to McDonalds and BK but I think they taste nicer! They have a nicer burger relish, onions and the chips are made from real potatoes. I also noticed that it is possible to chose a low carbohydrate option (have a mixed grill without the chips) which is more flexible and great for me when I was dieting! If you’re vegetarian you are catered for too with Veggie Burgers and the Veg N Cheese meal. The food might not be four star excitement but it’s the package as a whole. It’s much more agreeable eating in a Wimpy than a grotty BK or McDonalds, where the onus is on eating as quickly as possible then carrying on with the shopping. In a Wimpy you can take your time, chat and are often offered extra drinks on the house. It’s relaxed and friendly. It is also still somewhere you can go specially for the meal rather than as a necessity, and this is what fast food outlets lack today. They cannot create that atmosphere even if they once were on the verge of having it themselves. Remember when McDonald’s parties were all the rage? The only drawback is the price which is a bit steeper than other fast food outlets.
Wimpy is a fast food outlet just like any other but it has something different about it. It does depend on the particular franchise you visit and how professional/cleanly they are, but it doesn’t have any pretensions about what it is. It knows it sells fast fatty food and hasn’t tried to convince us otherwise or over-promote a healthier range. You don’t go to one expecting gourmet food and if you do you’re mad. I think there is something to celebrate in this day and age that a small franchise run business is still competing against such big conglomerate rivals. Far too often we are left with only one option left on the high street. I hope they go on forever and i can take my kids there.
nb. My review is based on Wimpys as a whole but the one I've been to most often is Ruislip in Greater London.
