Gino's Hamburgers facts for kids
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Formerly
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Gino's Hamburgers |
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| Industry | Fast food |
| Fate | Acquisition by Marriott Corporation |
| Founded | 1957 in Dundalk, Maryland as Gino's Hamburgers |
| Defunct | 1982 (revived in 2010 as Gino's Burgers and Chicken) |
| Headquarters | King of Prussia, Pennsylvania |
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Number of locations
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2 |
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Area served
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Maryland |
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Key people
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Gino Marchetti (chain's namesake), Karen Foreman,CEO |
| Products | Fast food (including hamburgers, French fries, and fried chicken) |
Gino's Hamburgers was a popular fast-food restaurant chain. It was started in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1957. The founders were Baltimore Colts football stars Gino Marchetti and Alan Ameche. Their friends Joe Campanella and Louis Fischer also helped. In 2010, a new group of restaurants opened using the Gino's name. Some of the original owners were involved.
Contents
The Original Gino's Story
The very first Gino's restaurant opened in Dundalk, Maryland. This town is just outside Baltimore. In 1959, the owners officially named it Gino's. They invited Gino Marchetti, a famous football captain, to join them.
Growing the Restaurant Chain
In 1967, Gino's joined with another restaurant chain. This chain was called Tops Drive Inn. Tops had 18 drive-in restaurants near Washington, D.C. Most of these Tops locations became Gino's restaurants.
In the early 1970s, Gino's tried to grow. They wanted to open restaurants in the Midwest. But these new locations did not stay open for long. In Detroit, Gino's bought a building called Orchestra Hall. They planned to tear it down for a new restaurant. But people in Detroit worked hard to save the old building. They wanted to fix it up instead. Their efforts helped save Orchestra Hall.
Gino's also tried to open restaurants in Massachusetts and Connecticut. This was difficult for them. Many people in these states did not know Gino Marchetti. Also, people often confused Gino's with another pizza chain called Papa Gino's. Because of these problems, the restaurants in New England eventually closed. Many of them later became other fast-food places, like Burger King.
Gino's Famous Chicken
Gino's was also well-known for its fried chicken. In the Mid-Atlantic area, Gino's had a special agreement. They were allowed to sell Kentucky Fried Chicken along with their hamburgers. This meant you could get both at one place. In New England, a different company sold KFC. So, Gino's sold its own chicken there. This chicken had a different flavor than KFC's.
The End of the First Gino's
By 1982, Gino's had 359 restaurants. The Marriott Corporation bought the company that year. Marriott decided to stop using the Gino's name. They changed many Gino's locations into their own Roy Rogers Restaurants. The very last Gino's restaurant closed in 1986. It was in Pasadena, Maryland, and was owned independently.
Gino's also owned another restaurant chain. This was called Rustler Steak House. Marriott sold Rustler Steak House soon after buying Gino's.
Popular Menu Items and Jingle
Gino's was famous for its hamburgers. One popular burger was the Sirloiner. It was made from sirloin steak. The Jumbo Gino was another large burger. It was similar to the Whopper. The Gino Giant was also very popular. It came out before the Big Mac and later competed with it.
The company also had a catchy song for its radio ads. It went: "Everybody goes to Gino's, 'cause Gino's is the place to go!" Gino's was also known for helping out in the community. They did many good things for charity.
Gino's Burgers and Chicken (2010 Revival)
Years later, Gino Marchetti and some of the original team decided to bring Gino's back. Tom Romano, who worked for Gino's for 20 years, is now in charge. He was the Chief Operating Officer when the first chain was sold. Romano believes people want better burgers. The new Gino's Burgers and Chicken aims to be a more upscale fast-food place. They plan to make burgers fresh to order.
New Locations and Offerings
The new Gino's restaurants serve burgers and chicken sandwiches. They also have hand-cut french fries and hand-spun milkshakes. The first new location opened on October 25, 2010. It was in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. This was the same town where the original chain had its main office.
In 2011, they announced plans to open more restaurants. A second Gino's opened in Towson, Maryland, on August 17, 2011. Another location opened in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, on October 11, 2011.
A Gino's Burgers and Chicken opened at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 2012. This was at the start of the Orioles baseball season. However, it closed by the end of the 2014 season.
On January 22, 2013, a Gino's opened in Aberdeen, Maryland. Around the same time, the Bensalem location closed. Later, on July 9, 2013, the King of Prussia location also closed. This meant Gino's left the Philadelphia area. The location in Perry Hall, Maryland, which opened in 2012, closed in December 2013. The Aberdeen location closed on March 27, 2016. This left only the Towson and Glen Burnie locations open.
