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Wimpy Bars in Birmingham

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
Many people will remember the Wimpy on New Street. Personally I don’t remember ever going in there. This advert seems to suggest a Whoppit and a ChaCha will pull in the customers, but I’ve absolutely no idea what they are. Were they ice creams ? The one thing I recognise is Cona Coffee. I had a Cona Coffee maker at home. Was a bit of a faff to use. Having visited other Wimpy’s in much later years I do remember the breakfasts with the circular sausage, although I doubt they served this in the 1950s.

Viv.

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viv it could be my memory failing but i am sure the wimpy i used was on the same side but further up towards the town hall...this would have been in the early 70s...maybe someone will remember if they moved from next to the odeon...the arden hotel yet another great loss

lyn
 
I actually thought the Wimpy i used just the once was further up towards Corporation Street, on the opposite side of New Street, could easily be mistaken though.
 
Surprisingly it was Lyons who helped to bring Wimpy to our streets according to Wiki :

Lyons obtained a licence to use the Wimpy brand in the United Kingdom from Edward Gold's Chicago based Wimpy Grills Inc.and, in 1954, the first "Wimpy Bar" was established at the Lyons Corner House in Coventry Street, London. The bar began as a special fast food section within traditional Corner House restaurants, but the success soon led to the establishment of separate Wimpy restaurants serving only hamburger-based meals.
 

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“Benders”, the Wimpy sausages are stuffed into burger buns and horseshoed like phallic Celtic torques. They are awesome, inimitable and wouldn't make sense on any other fast-food menu.

wimpy.uk.com

Wimpy UK

Wimpy is a quick service restaurant with a wide range of burgers, breakfast and coffee. There’s a Wimpy moment in everyday!
wimpy.uk.com wimpy.uk.com
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Thanks Pete. Oldmohawk’s menu in post #5 shows that circular sausage. My kids loved that dish as part of a breakfast mainly because of the round sausage ! The name ‘hamburger’ became the general name used to describe a burger whether it was beef or pork. Viv
 
Well that’s surprising Mike, never knew that ! Maybe then they were a food originally made by German’s who emigrated to the US ? ( I’m assuming burgers came from the US originally?). Viv.
 
From wiki
The term hamburger originally derives from Hamburg, the second-largest city in Germany; however, there is no certain connection between the food and the city.......As versions of the meal have been served for over a century, its origin remains ambiguous.[6] The book The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy by Hannah Glasse included a recipe in 1758 as "Hamburgh sausage", which suggested to serve it "roasted with toasted bread under it". A similar snack was also popular in Hamburg by the name "Rundstück warm" ("bread roll warm") in 1869 or earlier,[7] and supposedly eaten by many emigrants on their way to America, but may have contained roasted beefsteak rather than Frikadeller. Hamburg steak is reported to have been served between two pieces of bread on the Hamburg America Line, which began operations in 1847. Each of these may mark the invention of the hamburger, and explain the name.

There is a reference to a "Hamburg steak" as early as 1884 in the Boston Journal.[OED, under "steak"] On July 5, 1896, the Chicago Daily Tribune made a highly specific claim regarding a "hamburger sandwich" in an article about a "Sandwich Car": "A distinguished favorite, only five cents, is Hamburger steak sandwich, the meat for which is kept ready in small patties and 'cooked while you wait' on the gasoline range

Personally not into predigested meat mush. Prefer a real steak
 
I used to go for American apple pie to a Wimpeys in 1960s , I thought it was in Colmore row on the corner of the Great Western Arcade.
 
Alberta said:
I used to go for American apple pie to a Wimpeys in 1960s , I thought it was in Colmore row on the corner of the Great Western Arcade.
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Perhaps you enjoyed your apple pie in the Kardomah which was on that corner for many years as seen below. I remember going in there for cake and coffee. I don't remember a Wimpy on that corner but maybe they replaced Kardomah.
Phil said:
In the 50's & 60's Kardomah has 3 premises in the city, one at 42a New Street, one at 39 Cannon Street and another at 18 Colmore Row at the entrance to the Great Western Arcade. These photos have been posted before elsewhere on the forum.
index.php
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I think the Kardomah moved to the right of OMs photo, nearer the Churchyard. I vaguely remember the Kardomah being further along with part of the shop being in the GW Arcade. So maybe there was a Wimpy on the old Kardomah site after it was redeveloped ? Viv.
 
Astoness said:
viv it could be my memory failing but i am sure the wimpy i used was on the same side but further up towards the town hall...this would have been in the early 70s...maybe someone will remember if they moved from next to the odeon...the arden hotel yet another great loss

lyn
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The 1971 Kellys lists a wimpy milk bar at 139A new st, next to the Arden, and "Wimpy House" a restaurant (!!!) at 68 New St, . However it is confused by the listing in the street directory, which call the one at 68 "The Clansman Restaurant"
 
Vivienne14 said:
I think the Kardomah moved to the right of OMs photo, nearer the Churchyard. I vaguely remember the Kardomah being further along with part of the shop being in the GW Arcade. So maybe there was a Wimpy on the old Kardomah site after it was redeveloped ? Viv.
Click to expand...
That’s where I remember the Kardomah in the early 60’s. I thought the Wimpy Bar was closer to Snow Hill, 60 years ago?? I’m quite sure that if I stayed on th3 29 bus past Snow Hill it was right there.

Happy Halloween!
 
Before Wimpy arrived beneath the Arden Hotel in New Street it seems likely to have been a cafe/coffee bar/restaurant (named “Arden”). Presumably this was run by the Arden Hotel. Photo is from the1950s.

Viv.

D52AC95E-42A8-4537-87C9-D3850C69285A.jpeg
 
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