ARTIFACT

BURGER CHEF BIRDHOUSE VINTAGE: 1965 Resides in the Indiana State Museum OUT WITH BILLBOARDS, in with birdhouses. At least, that’s what the marketing department of Indianapolis-based fast food chain Burger Chef decided in the weeks before the Indy 500 in 1965. As spectators flocked to Speedway, purple martin houses with the Burger Chef logo popped up in front yards across the city. The company leased 8 inches of land from local homeowners—just enough to accommodate a post to mount the quirky promotions. Strange, but the campaign proved wildly successful, leading Burger Chef to expand the birdhouse concept nationwide and sell smaller wren houses at restaurant counters. Also the pioneer of “Value Combos” and “Funmeals,” Burger Chef grew to 2,400 locations nationwide (second only to McDonald’s) before selling to the company that owned Hardee’s…

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Indianapolis Monthly (Digital) - 1 Issue, November 2022

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