Kewpee Sandwich Shoppe
118 S Washington Sq
Lansing MI United States
Part of a small chain with six locations in Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. Before WW II, there were over 200 Kewpee restaurants each run independently and often with different menues, however the shortage of ground beef during the war drove many locations out of business. At attempt to collect royalties/franchise fees for the name bought by a Toledo man led to further closures and changes to the name at some locations, including a Flint, MI based chain now called Halo Burgers. Often cited in the attached reviews, will be a mention that Wendy's founder Dave Thomas grew up in Kalamazoo, MI near a Kewpee restaurant that sold square hamburgers and malts and in an interview stated that this inspired him to go into the restaurant business. Started under the name of Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs was reported to first opened in Flint, MI Kewpee Hotel during the 1920's by Sam Blair. Some of the early Kewpee locations had an white art deco look, similar to another restaurant with smaller square hamburgers and malts started earlier in the 1920's.
Phone: 517.482.8049