 Charcoal Pit
Wilmington, DE
Photo courtesy Kevin Powers
Cruising along Concord Pike, the big roadside sign and old-school diner look of the Charcoal Pit are enough to make you think burgers and milkshakes before you've even pulled into the parking lot. This Wilmington landmark has been serving them up since September 1956, with burgers flame-broiled over charcoal instead of slapped onto the usual diner griddle.
The place still has plenty of its 1950s roadside personality, including the classic Charcoal Pit signage and that great neon "Soup's On" sign on the building. Inside, there's another longtime tradition with ice cream sundaes named after local Delaware high schools. And if you're really hungry, there's the Kitchen Sink, a monster sundae piled up with 20 scoops of ice cream.
The Charcoal Pit has also picked up a little presidential history along the way. Joe Biden has been a longtime customer, and in 2014 he brought Barack Obama along for lunch.
UPDATE: The original Charcoal Pit remains open and is approaching its 70th anniversary in September 2026. The classic roadside signs survive too. 08-26
 Burger Chef circa 1965
Photo courtesy John Flack
A famous name from the East, Burger Chef servedburgers
with gusto (and sported great architecture to boot) during the mid to
late century. Alas, this 1956 outfit is no more. See JSF's Burger Chef
site for more photos and history. Many thanks to John Flack for info.
Now here's a sight that once meant burgers were just ahead. With its big roadside sign, walls of glass, and distinctive roofline, Burger Chef was hard to miss during its 1960s heyday.
 Burger Chef light fixture
Photo courtesy John Flack
The chain got its start in Indianapolis in 1957 and eventually grew to more than 1,000 locations. Along the way came the "Top It Yourself" works bar and the Funmeal, long before kids' meals became standard fast-food fare.
Hardee's acquired the remaining restaurants in 1982, and Burger Chef slowly disappeared from the roadside. By 1996, the familiar name was gone.
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