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As Wimpy turns 70, we look back at some of the most famous faces who love the chain - including Lulu, Paddy McGuinness, Stacey Solomon and TOWIE sisters Billie and Sam Faiers - with even Brad Pitt popping into the the Billericay branch while filming World War Z
Lulu flipped burgers there. Clash singer Joe Strummer and legendary DJ John Peel were regular customers. Brad Pitt is a fan, and comics Russell Howard and Joe Pasquale were spotted tucking into a burger just days ago.
Wimpy, where millions of Brits had their first taste of fast food, celebrates its 70th anniversary in the UK this week. But with 63 branches still open, it is more than a trip down memory lane.
The chain was first launched in Indiana, USA. But Chris Woolfenden, general manager of Wimpy UK, says: “I think there’s a real Britishness to Wimpy which is part of what our customers love. It’s American-style food but cooked freshly to order, with the British sensibilities of proper crockery and service.
“It’s not uncommon to see three or even four generations of one family coming in for lunch. People are reliving what they’ve done with their children with their grandchildren. It’s really special.
“When Wimpy launched, it was the first time many British people had ever tasted a hamburger. The experience was quite glamorous.
“By the 70s and 80s, we had people getting engaged in store, and there was more than one couple who held their wedding reception at Wimpy. Not long after the National Lottery launched in 1994, we heard a couple had become millionaires overnight... they wanted to celebrate with a Wimpy.”
Founder Edward Gold opened the first Wimpy Grill in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1934. He named it after J Wellington Wimpy, a character from the Popeye comic strip.
In 1954, he licensed the name to British firm J Lyons & Co, which opened the first Wimpy Bar in Lyons Corner House in London’s Leicester Square. As the number of stores grew, so did Wimpy’s fame.
Black and white images show pop legend Lulu cutting the ribbon to open a 1960s a London branch, then serving up chips.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell reputedly worked for Wimpy in her teens. And the chain, which had around 600 branches by the mid-70s, is feted by restaurant critic Grace Dent, who recalls her childhood visits being “magical.”
Chris continues: “During the 70s, managers bought and installed gas griddles to cook on. They served burgers by candlelight during the blackouts. There was a real sense of community.”
Wimpy launched the bean burger in 1985 – the first vegetarian item to be offered at a burger chain – as well as offering burgers on brown buns.
Much-loved Wimpy dishes included the Bender in a Bun, now renamed the Bendy – a Frankfurter sausage on a bun.
For dessert, there was the Brown Derby – a doughnut covered with ice cream, chocolate sauce and fudge pieces. But the American giants of McDonald’s and Burger King took a huge bite out of the chain in the late 80s, and many branches closed.
By the millennium, there were fewer than 300 Wimpy branches in the UK. Its remaining 63 branches – mostly in the South East – have a loyal customer base.
Paddy McGuinness, Stacey Solomon and TOWIE sisters Billie and Sam Faiers are big fans. Brad Pitt made the branch in Billericay, Essex, his pitstop during the filming of World War Z.
And in 2021, when Absolute Radio DJ Andy Bush embarked on a bid to eat at a different branch for every meal for a week, he was amazed by the public reaction.
He says: “I thought it would be a bit of a nostalgia hit for people of a certain age, but we just had this outpouring of love from the listeners, with people getting in touch to tell us their memories of going there as a child.
“Wimpy will always be special to me, it’s the amazing memories of being taken there by my mum and dad when I was little
“All of the franchisees I met are so proud of their restaurants – it really felt like the plucky British business owners fighting back against the big guys. It’s part of the appeal that there aren’t huge numbers of them left.
“They’re quirky, and that’s what people love about it. You can’t go into McDonald’s and be served by waiting staff and get your burger on a plate.
“I love taking my own children there, and treating them to a milkshake and burger. Long may they last!”
Chris adds: “There’s just something special about a Wimpy. It’s nostalgic, very British, and there’s a real sense of community that you just don’t get in other chain restaurants.
“Seventy years is a long time to have been going – but hopefully, Wimpy will enjoy another 70 years of making customers smile.”
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