Long before Dunkin’ became synonymous with coffee and donuts, its founder William Rosenberg tried his hand at a very different kind of fast food — one built around a children’s TV puppet. In 1961, Rosenberg launched Howdy Beef N’ Burger across New England, and one of its locations sat right here in Quincy, Massachusetts.
The chain, which started out as Howdy Beefburger before changing its name, grew to about 30 locations at its peak, with some stores operating alongside Dunkin’ Donuts shops. It took its name and mascot from Howdy Doody, the cowboy marionette who starred in the NBC children’s show that ran from 1947 to 1960, according to food website Chowhound. That show featured skits and songs performed in front of a studio audience of children known as the “peanut gallery.”
Howdy’s menu went well beyond burgers and fries. Alongside its signature Big “B” burger, the chain served roast beef sandwiches, fried chicken, milkshakes, and New England seafood staples like clam strips, chowder and lobster rolls, according to the food history blog Burger Beast.
The chain marketed itself as an affordable option for families. A Boston Globe advertisement, cited by The Takeout, promised diners could “feed the family on just pocket change.” Howdy’s also ran burger deals, prizes, giveaways and buttons aimed at kids.
Despite the family-friendly appeal, Howdy’s struggled against competition from McDonald’s, and Rosenberg’s business attention was pulled in other directions, including his seafood, pancake and deli ventures. When his son Robert took over as company president in 1963, he began steering the company’s focus toward Dunkin’ Donuts, according to Chowhound.
As Dunkin’ grew, Howdy’s slowly disappeared. Some locations were sold off to other restaurant chains — including the Quincy restaurant, which became a Wendy’s in 1979, according to Burger Beast. By the 1980s, the chain had largely vanished from New England altogether.
Today, Howdy Beef N’ Burger survives only in vintage advertisements, nostalgic memorabilia, and the memories of longtime New England diners. It’s a small but telling piece of Quincy’s commercial history — a reminder that the region once hosted a burger joint themed around a beloved TV puppet, years before the Dunkin’ empire took shape.
Howdy Doody isn’t the only fictional character to inspire a restaurant chain. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. drew on the 1994 film “Forrest Gump,” Central Perk Coffee Co. recreates the café from “Friends,” and Tony Soprano’s, an East Coast pizza chain, takes its theme from “The Sopranos,” according to The Takeout.
