Yes, McDonald’s and KFC are two of the most visited fast food chains in the world. But do you remember this once iconic restaurant that was just as popular?
Red Barn competed with the top fast food restaurants for over 20 years. In 1988, the last franchise closed, devastating fans of the barn-shaped restaurants. Let’s take a look back at the beloved chain that many have now forgotten.
Who started Red Barn?
In 1961, Don Six, Martin Levine, and Jim Kirst founded Red Barn in Springfield, Ohio. Known for its iconic red barn-shaped buildings, the restaurant helped catapult fast food into popularity.
© Getty Images“I think that there is something to be said about matching the aesthetic with the name and making that part of its marketing appeal,” Capri Cafaro of America the Bountiful Media, told Fox News Digital in November 2026.
After two years, Don, Martin, and Jim sold Red Barn to Richard O. Kearns and United Servomation who expanded the chain greatly. The chain merged with the City Investing Company in the ’70s.
© Getty ImagesWhat food did Red Barn sell?
What’s a fast food restaurant without a burger? Red Barn was known for the “Big Barney,” which was similar to the McDonald’s Big Mac, and the “Barnbuster,” which was just Burger King’s Whopper.
And, Red Barn argues they were the first fast food restaurant to offer a self-serve salad bar, a title Wendy’s believes they were first to. Wendy’s claims it launched the salad bar in 1979. It later expanded into the SuperBar buffet, but was discontinued by 1998 due to high costs and maintenance issues.
© Getty ImagesLike McDonald’s, the fast food chain used cartoon characters as mascots to sell their food. Hamburger Hungry, Chicken Hungry, and Big Fish Hungry, were just some of Red Barn’s mascots.
How many Red Barns were there?
At its peak, there were more than 300 Red Barn locations across the United States, Canada, and Australia. But, in 1988, it went out of business due to intense competition from expanding national chains like McDonald’s and Burger King.
© Getty ImagesOther fast food restaurants that went out of business
Red Barn isn’t the only beloved fast food restaurant that didn’t survive. Burger Chef, known for its flame-broiled burgers, closed its doors in 1996 after 38 years in business. At its peak, the fast food joint had over 1,200 locations across the U.S.
Another burger spot, Henry’s Hamburgers, was founded in Chicago in the ’50s. Selling ice cream shakes, burgers, fries, chili dogs, onion rings, and more, the drive-in restaurant shut down in the ’70s. And while KFC reigns supreme in the world of fried chicken now, in the late ’60s, Minnie Pearl’s Fried Chicken was loved. After a few successful years, the chain went bankrupt in the 1970s.