Nation's Giant Hamburgers

In 1952 Russ Harvey sold his 1948 Buick and used the money to buy a six-stool hot dog stand in San Pablo, California. He added big hamburgers and renamed it Harvey’s Giant Hamburgers. In 1960 he hired a local teenager, Dale Power, as a janitor; Power worked his way through high school and UC Berkeley and in 1970 opened his own restaurant in Oakland, calling it Nation’s because he believed it sold the best hamburgers in the nation.

The two men joined forces under the Nation’s name, and the chain spread across the East Bay, adding breakfast, dinner plates and pies to the burgers. It remains rooted in Northern California and only crossed state lines, into Texas, in 2024.

About 30 restaurants around the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and Stockton, plus new branches near Dallas–Fort Worth.

• Checkers & Rally's (United States, since 1986). Two names, one menu, double drive-thrus and fries everyone argues about. Also built on beef, bacon and cheese.
• Jack in the Box (United States, since 1951). A drive-thru that sells more tacos than burgers and still makes a great Sourdough Jack. Also built on beef, bacon and cheese.
• Big Smoke Burger (Canada, since 2007). Toronto’s burger-and-poutine joint, named after the city’s nickname. Also built on beef, bacon and cheese.
• Red Mill Burgers (United States, since 1994). Seattle’s cult burger stand, known for peppered bacon, Mill Sauce and the Anaheim-chile Verde. Also built on beef, bacon and cheese.