Skip to main content

Burger King Got Schooled: How Mattoon’s ‘Original Burger King’ Foiled the Fast-Food Giant

 Move over, Whopper—there’s a new monarch in central Illinois!

For more than 60 years, the tiny “Original Burger King” diner in Mattoon has kept the global burger giant at bay, enforcing a 20-mile royal decree that no corporate Burger King may operate in its backyard.

A Regal Origin Story

In 1957, Gene and Betty Hoots crowned their Frigid Queen ice-cream stand with a simple menu of burgers and fries. “Every Queen needs a King,” quipped Betty, and thus Mattoon’s Burger King was born—long before the Florida upstart even dreamed of flame-grilled patties.

The Rising Empire

By the early 1960s, the Burger King Corporation was conquering America: first Jacksonville, then Skokie, then Champaign… until it knocked on Mattoon’s door. 

In 1968, the Hoots family drew their trademark saber and sued, arguing that they’d been wearing the Burger King crown in Illinois since before most of us were born.

Courtroom Showdown

In a landmark Lanham Act ruling, a judge decreed: yes, the chain owns “Burger King” nationwide—but the Hoots family has home-court advantage in Coles County. 

The result? 

No corporate BK within 20 miles of 1508 Charleston Ave. Take that, international franchising machine!


$10,000 Bribe… Er, Offer

Legend has it BK Corp once dangled ten grand for Mattoon rights. 

The Hoots family: “Thanks, but we’ll take our burgers with a side of principle.” 

Today, the “Original Burger King” thrives under new ownership, still protected by its Marvin-the-Martian-style exclusion zone.

Why It Matters

  • David vs. Goliath: A reminder that even a mega-chain can be humbled by a mom-and-pop.

  • Trademark Triumph: The Lanham Act isn’t just legalese—it’s gourmet justice.

  • Local Flavor: Fresh-never-frozen burgers trump corporate uniformity (and satellite-delivered selfies).

So next time you’re craving a Whopper near Mattoon, remember: sometimes it takes a little Midwestern pluck to keep a fast-food empire in its place. Hail to the Hoots!

 

 “No paywall. No puppets. Just local truth. Chip in $3 today” at https://buymeacoffee.com/doublejeopardynews

 “Enjoy this content without corporate censorship? Help keep it that way.”

“Ad-Free. Algorithm-Free. 100% Independent. Support now.”

    1. #MattoonMonarchy

    2. #BurgerKingBlocked

    3. #HootsHustle

    4. #TrademarkTriumph

    5. #DavidVsBurgerGoliath

    6. #NoWhopperZone

    7. #OriginalBK

    8. #SmallTownWins

    9. #FrigidQueenLegacy

    10. #20MileDecree

    11. #LocalFlavorVictory

    12. #FlameGrilledFumble

    13. #GourmetJustice

    14. #BKvsHoots

    15. #CrownYourBurger

     

    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Please Help Find These Forgotten Girls Held at Male Juvenile Prison for Over a Year!

      MY MOST IMPORTANT STORY  Dozens of Forgotten Little Girls Held at Male Juvenile Prison for Over a Year! Welcome to the Sunshine State , where the palm trees sway, the alligators lurk, and the legislative process makes Kafka look like a life coach!  Florida House Bill HB21 . Not just a compensation bill but possibly a 20 million dollar "Stay out of Jail Free" card for some folks. This is a bill that does some good—but also trips over its own shoelaces, falls down a staircase, and lands on a historical oversight so big, it might as well have its own zip code! An oversight that overlooks what I consider to be its most vulnerable victims! The Setup: Justice with a Catch HB21 was enacted on July 1, 2024 to compensate victims of abuse from two male juvenile detention facilities located in Florida, Dozier and Okeechobee.  It says, “Hey, survivors of abuse between 1940 and 1975, here’s some compensation for the horrific things you endured!” Sounds good, right? Like...
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    We Are Temporarily Halting Further Publication....

    Do to financial issues and lack of funding we are temporarily halting further publication. After a full year of publication, we have reached a bridge that we are unable to cross at this time. We may periodically publish an article but at this time, full-time publication is no longer feasible. Thank you to all the readers who followed us throughout our journey and we wish you the very best. Hopefully we will see our way through this rough patch and will resume publication in the near future. Thanks again! Robert B.
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    Postal Police Stuck Behind ‘Keep Out’ Signs While Mailmen Face Muggers: You Can’t Make This Stuff Up!!

    As crime against letter carriers surges, one would think that America’s armed, uniformed Postal Police might be hitting the streets to protect our mail.  Instead, they’re still glued to their post office entrances like sentries guarding Fort Frownmore.  Why?  Because since 2020, the Postmaster General decreed they must “protect postal property” only—meaning, they currently serve as glorified lobby bouncers rather than actual roaming guardians of the mailstream. “ They’re robbing letter carriers, they’re sticking a gun in a letter carrier’s face and they’re demanding arrow keys, ” laments Frank Albergo , president of the National Postal Police Union and a Postal Police Officer himself.  An "arrow key" in the context of the Post Office is a specialized, universal key that postal workers use to access various locked mail receptacles, including collection boxes, apartment mailboxes, and cluster boxes. Albergo isn’t exaggerating—research shows over 100 physical assaul...
    Post a Comment
    Read more