H.A. Winston & Co.

H.A. Winston & Co., a.k.a. Winstons was a chain of restaurants centered in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area in the 1970s and 1980s. The chain shut its last restaurant on July 14, 1992.

H.A. Winston & Co.
IndustryRestaurant
Founded1972
FounderAllen, Herb and Joseph Spivak
Defunct1992
Area served
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

History

The first H.A. Winston & Co. restaurant opened in 1972 at Front and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia. Initially, the restaurant was considered a singles bar that incidentally purveyed hamburgers and onion soup,[1] but the chain soon grew popular as a casual dining establishment[2] with restaurants in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia.

Company

The chain was owned by the Spivak brothers. The "H" in "H.A. Winston & Co." represents co-owner Herb Spivak, and the "A" for Allen Spivak; the story behind the name missing the third brother and co-owner Joseph “Jerry” Spivak is not documented. The brothers were also founders and principals[3] of the Philadelphia-based concert promoter and power-house firm Electric Factory Concerts.

Products and services

Promotional poster for HAW GourmetBerger

Gourmet Burgers

Quickly, H.A. Winston & Co. became famous for its 7- and 10-ounce hamburgers, collectively referred to as "GourmetBerger" whose numerous options for topping were referred to and ordered by either its topping number or name.

Toppings:

  1. Winston- sauteed onions, peppers & mushrooms
  2. American-American cheese, bacon, lettuce & tomato
  3. Italian-mozzarella & marinara sauce
  4. Society Hill- blue cheese & chives
  5. Mexican-chili & chopped onions
  6. Russian-sour cream & caviar

See also

References

  1. Taste the past: The recipe for H.A. Winston's onion soup; February 6, 2014; http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/the-insider/Taste-the-past-HA-Winstons-onion-soup-recipe.html
  2. H.A. Winston Closes Last Of 22 Restaurants It Was A Favorite Of Singles In The '70s. The Founder Said, "I Really Don't Know Why, But It Worked."; http://articles.philly.com/1992-07-15/business/26028118_1_restaurants-eclectic-decor-hamburgers
  3. Former Tower Theater owner Herb Spivak to mark his 50th anniversary as a concert promoter; http://www.delconewsnetwork.com/articles/2014/08/23/life/doc53f282f245ce6977420207.txt
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