Burger King
Many locations around Sioux Falls
The staff at the first Burger King at 1401 E. 10th in 1975.
Burger King has fed Sioux Falls residents since 1975, and shows no sign of stopping.
In 1953, Keith Kramer and his wife’s uncle, Matthew Burns, opened the first Insta-Burger King in Jacksonville, Florida. They’d seen what the McDonald brothers had going on in San Bernardino, California, and thought they’d have a go at it. Where they differed from McDonald’s was in the way they cooked their burger patties; they’d purchased a couple of Insta-Broilers, chain-driven electric cooking machines, for the first two restaurants. In the beginning, the Insta-Burger Kings were hamburger stands, without any dine-in space for customers. The business took off, and as Kramer and Burns started selling franchise rights, the use of the Insta-Broiler was required by contract. By 1957, there were locations all over Florida and as far west as Cedar Rapids and Denver.
Business began to falter in 1959, and Kramer and Burns sold the business to franchisees James McLamore and David R. Edgerton. The pair wasted no time in dropping Insta from the restaurant name and re-vamping the business model. By the time McLamore and Edgerton sold the company to the Pillsbury Company in 1967, there were more than 250 locations.
O’Gorman and Augustana graduate Tom Walsh became aware of Burger King when his stepbrother Bill Graham returned from Louisiana in 1973, wondering why there were no Burger King restaurants in town. Walsh took the opportunity to check out some locations in Minneapolis and Rochester, and decided to make a move. Walsh, Graham, and Tom’s father, Bud, applied for the franchise license for the area and started collecting investors to make the business a reality. The Dakota King Company was born. At this time, the company slogan was “Have it Your Way”, popularized by a catchy jingle that is still a successful earworm.
Business began to falter in 1959, and Kramer and Burns sold the business to franchisees James McLamore and David R. Edgerton. The pair wasted no time in dropping Insta from the restaurant name and re-vamping the business model. By the time McLamore and Edgerton sold the company to the Pillsbury Company in 1967, there were more than 250 locations.
O’Gorman and Augustana graduate Tom Walsh became aware of Burger King when his stepbrother Bill Graham returned from Louisiana in 1973, wondering why there were no Burger King restaurants in town. Walsh took the opportunity to check out some locations in Minneapolis and Rochester, and decided to make a move. Walsh, Graham, and Tom’s father, Bud, applied for the franchise license for the area and started collecting investors to make the business a reality. The Dakota King Company was born. At this time, the company slogan was “Have it Your Way”, popularized by a catchy jingle that is still a successful earworm.
The first Burger King in Sioux Falls was at 1401 E. 10th. It opened in June of 1975 in a 2,800 square foot building just east of Lewis Eastgate. There was a seating capacity of 110 and parking for 65 vehicles. The building was designed by corporate architects and, at the time of construction, had no drive-thru.
In January of 1976, plans were in motion to put a new Burger King on 41st Street between Bonanza and Ben-Hur Ford, right in front of the new Empire Plaza mall. These plans did not come to fruition, however. By April, the plans re-located the restaurant to a spot in front of the Western Mall. This location opened June 25th, and featured drive-thru service for the convenience of its patrons. The third location, at 12th and Williams, was to be opened before the end of the year, and would also have a drive-thru.
By 1980, Tom Walsh bought out all other owners and became sole owner of Dakota King.
In April of 1983, a new location at 2300 S. Minnesota was selected. This space was most recently occupied by the Maine Lobster, but before that had been home to The Barrel, Lloyd Egan’s popular burger joint, which was in operation from 1939 to 1976. This new location would pay homage to the Barrel with pictures on the walls showing the way the old burger hotspot looked in the day. A location at 5200 N. Cliff opened in 1984, and two more locations opened in 1985; one in the Empire Mall, and another at the southwest corner of 41st Street and Marion Road. 1989 brought a location at 401 N. Russell.
In 1995, a new Burger King was built on Louise Avenue in the parking lot of the Empire Mall, and the old Barrel location was razed to make way for a new building. The old building needed updates that were more expensive than replacement of the building.
In 2005, after 30 years at the wheel, Walsh stepped down, leaving his son Tom Walsh Jr. in control. He’d grown up with Burger King and, having been chief financial officer for Dakota King up to this point, knew the ropes. Burger King survives to this day, and though there have been remodels and changes over the years, customers can still have it their way.
In January of 1976, plans were in motion to put a new Burger King on 41st Street between Bonanza and Ben-Hur Ford, right in front of the new Empire Plaza mall. These plans did not come to fruition, however. By April, the plans re-located the restaurant to a spot in front of the Western Mall. This location opened June 25th, and featured drive-thru service for the convenience of its patrons. The third location, at 12th and Williams, was to be opened before the end of the year, and would also have a drive-thru.
By 1980, Tom Walsh bought out all other owners and became sole owner of Dakota King.
In April of 1983, a new location at 2300 S. Minnesota was selected. This space was most recently occupied by the Maine Lobster, but before that had been home to The Barrel, Lloyd Egan’s popular burger joint, which was in operation from 1939 to 1976. This new location would pay homage to the Barrel with pictures on the walls showing the way the old burger hotspot looked in the day. A location at 5200 N. Cliff opened in 1984, and two more locations opened in 1985; one in the Empire Mall, and another at the southwest corner of 41st Street and Marion Road. 1989 brought a location at 401 N. Russell.
In 1995, a new Burger King was built on Louise Avenue in the parking lot of the Empire Mall, and the old Barrel location was razed to make way for a new building. The old building needed updates that were more expensive than replacement of the building.
In 2005, after 30 years at the wheel, Walsh stepped down, leaving his son Tom Walsh Jr. in control. He’d grown up with Burger King and, having been chief financial officer for Dakota King up to this point, knew the ropes. Burger King survives to this day, and though there have been remodels and changes over the years, customers can still have it their way.
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