A sign at the left of James Collins' original Hamburger Handout stand advertises 10-cent hamburgers in celebration of its sixth anniversary in this 1958 photo.
Sometimes pop-culture phenomena only capture the public's imagination for a short time. Sometimes they catch on, and eventually turn into worldwide mega-corporations.
Hamburger Handout is a good example.
The 19-cent burger chain that eventually grew to four outlets began in 1952. Founder James Collins had studied the new hamburger operation that New Hamsphire brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald had begun in San Bernardino on December 12, 1948.
He decided to use their concept for his own version, Hamburger Handout, which opened at the corner of Sepulveda and Centinela boulevards near the Culver City/Westchester border in October 1952.
The Handout's 19-cent hamburger soon became a fixture in the area, so much so that alumni Web sites from four different nearby high schools - Culver City, Hawthorne, El Segundo and Westchester - have postings from 1950s grads who fondly remember it.
1950s students at Dorsey High in Los Angeles also have made note of the Hamburger Handout location at Slauson and Buckler as being a favorite hangout.
Collins opened the additional restaurants in the Hamburger Handout chain in 1957, 1958 and 1960. These included the branch on Slauson and one in Orange County, with the location of the fourth branch still a mystery unless someone can enlighten us.
In any case, by the early 1960s, Collins had begun to abandon the concept after meeting up with Col. Harlan Sanders over this new fried chicken concept and closed the Hamburger Handouts down. As a result of the Sanders discussions, in 1962 Collins became the exclusive agent for Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in Southern California. By the mid-1960s his group owned more than 200 KFC outlets in the West.
In June 1967, Collins, shown at left in a photo from the mid-1980s, bought out Del and Helen Johnson, the originators of the Sizzler steak restaurant chains. His company, Collins Foods International Corp. built the chain into an international success.
Collins retired in 1991, but is still active in community affairs. The Boys and Girls Club of Venice operates out of the James A. Collins Youth Center there, and in 1999 Cal Poly Pomona renamed its hotel and restaurant management school as the Collins College of Hospitality Management after him.
Not bad for a guy who began his career selling 19-cent burgers. Which reminds me, whatever happened to those McDonald guys?
There was a Hamburger handout located in Westchester, on Manchester blvd, near Airpot blvd. The sizzler resturant took over the spot, this makes sense now, hearing that he owed the Sizzler franchise. If I remember correctly, there was KFC sold out of the Hamburger handout, but I was very small, so Im not sure.
Coincidentally, I was just talking to a coworker about Hamburger Handout yesterday. In 1960-62 I attended Airport Jr High and just down the street was the Hamburger Handout on Manchester just east of Airport Blvd. We would go there after school for fries, etc.
The site is now occupied by a Sizzler which makes perfectly good sense after reading the founder also owned the Sizzler chain.
Besides being a great entrepeneur Jim has been a tremendous philanthropist, from as you point out the Boy's and Girl's Clubs and the Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona to all he has done for his Alma Mater UCLA where he has given back tens of millions of dollars and raised hendreds of millions, to Rotary International where as a member and Past President of the Westwood Rotary he has made many contributions, to the Westside YMCA which he has literaly developed, Jim and his wife Carol are perfect examples of what has made this country great.
Hopefully many other business people will follow his and Carol's example.
I worked at the Slauson Hambuger Handout while attending Inglewood High. Worked after school and weekends from 1958 to 1960. We used to have 10 cent hamburger sales a couple time a year and would sell ton's of them.
I do remember the big Hamburger Handout on Sepulveda and the little Hamburger Handout on Manchester. Also the KFC at the same location on Manchester. I hated those mashed pototoes and gravy there and complained to my mom, who always said "eat it" 'till I finally gave her a bite, at which point she gagged. That was the last time I had to eat those pototoes, which did taste like they had soap in them.