Gold Star Chili facts for kids
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Gold Star Chili in Withamsville, Ohio
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| Private | |
| Industry | Food service Franchising |
| Founded | 1965 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA |
| Founder | Four Daoud brothers (Fahhad, Fahid, Basheer, Bishara) |
| Headquarters | 650 Lunken Park Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45226-1800 |
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Area served
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Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana |
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Key people
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Roger David, CEO |
| Products | Cincinnati chili |
Gold Star Chili is a restaurant chain that started in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is famous for selling Cincinnati chili, a special kind of chili. The first restaurant opened in 1965 in a Cincinnati neighborhood called Mt. Washington. It was started by four brothers from Jordan named Fahhad, Fahid, Basheer, and Bishara Daoud. Gold Star Chili was the "Official Chili" of the Cincinnati Bengals football team until April 2023.
Contents
History of Gold Star Chili
How Gold Star Chili Started
Gold Star Chili began in 1965. The four Daoud brothers, Fahhad, Fahid, Basheer, and Bishara, opened their first restaurant. They had moved to the United States from a village in Jordan in 1957. At first, their restaurant was called Hamburger Heaven.
The brothers originally planned to sell mostly hamburgers. But they also had a special chili recipe. They kept making it better, and soon, customers loved the chili more than anything else! Because of this, the brothers changed the restaurant's name to Gold Star Chili. They also removed many other items from their menu to focus on chili.
Family Leadership and Growth
Some of the brothers later changed their family name to David. They continued to run the restaurant as it grew into a chain. In 1990, they retired. For the next 25 years, the Daoud/David family hired other people to be the company's CEO.
In May 2015, the founding family took charge again. Roger David, one of the founders' sons, became the CEO. He had worked in Gold Star's marketing department after college. He also spent 10 years as CEO of another restaurant chain before returning to Gold Star.
Fun Promotions and Partnerships
In 1993, Tony Pérez helped promote Gold Star Chili. He was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. Tony Pérez was known as "Big Dog" during his baseball career. Gold Star Chili was ready to promote their new foot-long cheese coney. So, they named it "Big Doggie" after him!
For this promotion, customers could buy small Louisville Slugger baseball bats. Tony Pérez also met fans at the stores and signed autographs. Gold Star Chili has worked with other Reds players for promotions in the past, like Pete Rose.
Gold Star Chili was a big sponsor of the Cincinnati Bengals football team for many years. However, on April 19, 2023, the company announced that their partnership with the Bengals had ended.
New Restaurant Acquisitions
In October 2017, Gold Star Chili bought another Cincinnati restaurant chain called Tom and Chee. Tom and Chee is known for its grilled cheese sandwiches. It was also featured on the TV show "Shark Tank."
Gold Star's Special Chili Recipe
Gold Star's famous chili is made at a special factory called a commissary. It uses the Daoud brothers’ secret mix of spices. We don't know the exact amounts of each spice. But the recipe likely includes common Greek spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. It also has sweet spices like coriander and cardamom. Spicy ingredients like garlic, chili powder, and cumin are also used. Herby spices like oregano and thyme complete the flavor. Most Cincinnati chili recipes also use lean ground beef, sweet onions, tomato sauce, and water.
In 2005, Basheer Daoud, a son of one of the founders, shared some interesting facts. He said that the company's commissary makes almost 20,000 pounds of chili every day! This chili is then sent to all the restaurants.
Where to Find Gold Star Chili
Gold Star Chili restaurants are located in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. As of October 2016, there were 85 locations. Some are owned by the company, and others are franchises. A relative of the Daoud family also started Chili House restaurants. These restaurants serve a similar chili in countries like Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
