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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
World
David McLean

Remembering when Edinburgh had two Wimpy restaurants along Princes Street

It was the go-to fast food restaurant back in the days before McDonald's, Burger King, Five Guys and KFC ruled the roost.

For a generation of Edinburgh locals, Wimpy was the main port of call for those looking to munch on a tasty burger and the first place they tasted real American-style fast food.

While many think of Wimpy as being British, the brand was actually established in 1934 by Edward Gold, who opened the very first restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana under the name Wimpy Grills.

READ MORE: Throwback Edinburgh Wimpy menu from the 1970s shows how much has changed

The unusual name of Gold's business was inspired by the animated character J. Wellington Wimpy, who appeared in the early Popeye cartoons and had a penchant for hamburgers.

While the Wimpy chain would never quite catch on in the States, the UK took to it in a big way. In 1954, the Wimpy name was licensed for use by J. Lyons and Co. and within a matter of 20 years, the brand would be ubiquitous in high streets up and down the British Isles.

Wimpy arrived in Edinburgh in the 1960s, with the opening of restaurants at Queensferry Street and Frederick Street in the city centre. Different to most modern fast food outlets, Wimpy's restaurants offered table service and patrons used plates and real knives and forks.

Wimpy's UK menus were a gloriously British affair, with the likes of the Wimpy Special Grill (42p!) offering punters burger and chips served with fried egg and tomato - just like in your local greasy spoon. The chain was also known for its famous Bender meaty frankfurter, which was a kind of curled spicy sausage served with half a tomato and, for an additional 9p, steak-cut fries.

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In 1984, Wimpy opened two new flagship restaurants on Princes Street - one on the corner with Castle Street, and the other at the east end of the famous thoroughfare where the Apple store is today.

Both restaurants proved hugely popular in their time but were handed over to Burger King in the early 1990s as then owners United Biscuits sought to reduce the number of restaurants in their portfolio.

Kids loved the company's mascot Mr Wimpy, in his famous 'beefeater' costume.

Spare a thought for the poor soul who had to don the Mr Wimpy outfit in Edinburgh in the 80s, however. Asides from being regularly battered to a pulp by hyperactive bairns at birthday parties, legend has it that one time the mascot was picked on by Hibs casuals and rolled down the slopes of Princes Street Gardens.

Sadly for Wimpy, its days as king of the fast food industry came to an end as the millennium approached.

In 1974, there was a new kid on the UK fast food block - the American giant McDonald's, with the brand reaching Scotland in the 1980s.

Crucially, McDonald's sold their burgers and fries over the counter, and Wimpy which employed traditional table service was forced to change tack.

And the arrival of Burger King provided another major competitor and the number of Wimpys in the UK gradually declined.

The days of Wimpy having more than 500 outlets nationwide are long gone.

From 67 outlets across the UK, Wimpy currently has just three outlets in the whole of Scotland - and none of them are here in Edinburgh.

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