Carl's Jr.

Carl Karcher and his wife Margaret borrowed $311 against their Plymouth in 1941 to buy a hot dog cart in Los Angeles. By 1945 they had a drive-in barbecue restaurant in Anaheim, and the burger chain that grew out of it still cooks its patties over an open charbroiler rather than a flat grill, which gives them the backyard-grill stripes and smoke that define the menu.

For many people outside California, Carl’s Jr. is remembered for its advertising more than its burgers: in the 2000s the chain ran years of provocative ads, including a notorious one with Paris Hilton washing a car. It has since dropped that approach and gone back to talking about the food, which is where it should have stayed all along.

More than 1,000 US restaurants and locations in over 20 countries, from Mexico to Japan and Australia.