Since the late 40’s, George Webb Restaurants has perfected the art of being a friend in the neighborhood to thousands of people spanning every age and economic group. We’ve built the loyalty of these friends by meeting a universal need: serving good food at value prices 24 hours a day.

There really was a George Webb! In May of 1948, George opened his first hamburger parlor on the corner of Ogden and Van Buren Streets, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It all started as a family business, with George, his wife Evelyn and their three sons; Jim, Tom and Bob all working in the restaurant. George Webb’s legendary tom-foolery and gimmicks have entertained diners for years. Along with his hamburgers, soups and chili, George Webb was famous for his senseless signs that read…”Free rabbit lunch tomorrow”, silly offers to pay $10.00 for 1,893 pennies and the two clocks that hang side-by-side on the wall in every restaurant. George Webb always had good old-fashioned fun up his sleeves. To get around a city ordinance that banned establishments from being open 24 hours a day, he announced that “George Webb Restaurants are open 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds, seven days a week and on Sundays!” In 1953, Jim Webb became the first franchise owner, when George Webb suggested to his son that he take over one of the restaurants.
Not long after, in 1957, Milwaukee lost an incredible entrepreneur when George Webb passed away. His son Jim took over the company and served as president during a strong growth period from the 1960’s through the early 1980’s.

In 1985, Jim sold the chain in 1985 to Dave Stamm. Dave was a franchisee with the company and has over 30 years experience with our organization. Another famous George Webb tradition that continues today is his famous baseball prediction. Starting in the 1940’s with the Brewer teams of the American Association, and through the Braves’ stay in Milwaukee, George Webb predicted our team would win 12 straight games. It was speculated for many years that if the team would achieve the lucky streak, George Webb would give away free hamburgers. The prediction continued in the 1970’s and 1980’s with the major league Brewers, and on April 19, 1987, the Brewers won 12 straight games. Three days and 168,194 hamburgers later, the payoff was fulfilled to thrilled George Webb customers and Brewer fans alike. Although the team has not repeated this feat since 1987, they have come close several times, while Wisconsinites continue to support the team toward making the prediction come true.

Through the years George Webb has changed from a simple lunch counter operation to a full-service family restaurant, offering made-to-order favorites such as breakfast fare, hamburgers, sandwiches, soups, George Webb’s famous chili and our Premium Blend coffee. A large part of the company’s success is credited to our franchise owners, a dedicated group of operators who currently own and operate 80% of the restaurants. These folks continue to entertain the spirit of our founder, George Webb, and his values about the importance of C.Q.C. – courtesy, quality and cleanliness.