During the 1960’s the country was experiencing a boom of population, economic activity, travel, and relocation to places that offered greater opportunity. Just about every city and smaller town had a chamber of commerce which was working on attracting visitors, new residents, and money for the town’s economy. Chambers typically published information about the city that were aimed at giving people information about local attractions and other things they would need to know if visiting or living there.

This brochure published by the business community in El Reno, Oklahoma included restaurants as being an important local attraction. The restaurants listed were as follows:

Bickford Grill — 116 N. Bickford
Carroll’s Cafeteria — 1200 S. Rock Island ***
Chisholm Trail Cafe — East U.S. 66-270 ***
El Reno Cafe — 209 S. Rock Island
Harper’s Corner — 1523 Sunset Drive ***
Ham’s Cafe — 118 E. Hayes
Hensley’s Cafe — 2100 Sunset Drive ***
Harold’s Grill — 101 W. Wade ***
Jerry’s Grill — 109 E. Wade ***
Jobe’s Drive-In — 1220 Sunset Drive *** (OB)
Merle’s 66 Drive-In — 1220 S. Rock Island ***
Royse Cafe — 213 S. Choctaw ***
Sunset Drive-In — 1503 Sunset Drive ***
Southern Hotel Coffee Shop — 319 S. Grand
The Topper — 219 Sunset Drive ***
Whiteway Cafe — 1412 Sunset Drive ***
The Burgery — 310 Sunset Drive ***

(*** Restaurants on Route 66)
(OB Restaurants serving onion burgers)

Today El Reno is well known for its onion burgers, but in 1960 the list of restaurants giving eating tips to the public did not mention several of the restaurants then, and the ones that are mentioned do not indicate that they are serving the town’s most famous food. I strongly suspect, partly because my family was living twenty miles from El Reno at the time, that the onion burgers were not that well known. I know that once we tried them we were big fans but I think my dad found them by accident one time when he made a trip there.

Accrding to an article on Eater, legend has it that the onion burger was invented at the Hamburger Inn in El Reno out of necessity so that the owner Ross Davis could keep the price down. Thrillist says that after its debut in 1926 other burger places in town started making them the same way. The original Hamburger Inn had another location in Ardmore, Oklahoma which is still in business today.

A check of Google Maps reveals that of the restaurants on the 1960 list, only Jobe’s Drive-In is still in business today, and they do indeed serve onion burgers. Two of today’s “Big 3” onion burger places, though, were open in 1960 yet not listed on the tourist brochure of the same year:

Thrillist and Eater consider these as the “BIG 3” onion burger places

• • Johnnie’s Grill, 301 S. Rock Island Ave., opened 1946
  • Sid’s Diner, 300 S. Choctaw Ave., opened 1989
  • Robert’s Grill, 300 S. Bickford Ave., opened 1926

Today the tables have been turned and the “Big 3” onion burger places have developed a cult following (including myself and Gil Garduno , a friend and fellow blogger from Albuquerque).

Back in the day when there were no Google Maps or diners’ reviews of restaurants it was somewhat difficult to find good places to eat when on the road. One answer to this was the spread of chain restaurants where you knew what you were going to get. I noticed that there were no chain restaurants on El Reno’s list. One of the first trends of the chains was hamburger restaurants such as McDonald’s. 1960 was still early in the conquest of the country by the chain fast food places. Still, I think locals in El Reno must have been much happier with their local hamburger joints than in most cities, especially since there were at least three onion burger places open at the time.

I got a lot better grasp of El Reno’s history when I found this article on the Oklahoma Historical Society’s web site:

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Information from the article “El Reno Hamburger Places” by Carolyn Barker

According to the author’s research Onan’s was the first hamburger restaurant in El Reno, and was documented as being open in 1926.  Hamburger Inn, the second documented burger restaurant, is said by some to be the first place to serve onion burgers. Hamburger Inn was located at 106 W. Wade, and was at the same location from 1928 to the 1980’s.

Bob’s White Rock opened in 1928 by James C. All at 101 W Wade where Robert’s Grill later located. According to Sylvan Lair, Mr. All brought the onion burgers with him from Enid, Oklahoma.

In January 1930 Silver Star Hamburger Stand  at 109 E. Wade was purchased by Morgan Stafford, and became the first restaurant in town to serve Coney Islands (and originated the cabbage slaw served on them).

A book by John T. Edge said that the owner of Hamburger Inn began using onions in the burgers during the Depression (but was not necessarily the first on to do so). He mentioned that Bob’s White Rock and Silver Star Hamburger Stand also made onion burgers.

In 1939 an ad for Hamburger Inn said they were open all night. The author explains that this was so they could serve the railroad workers who came into town overnight. Other sources mention that the railroad workers were on a tight budget and were eager to get the 5 cent burgers, which was the going price for the onion burgers.

In 1941 Lucky Five Cafe at 213 S. Choctaw was the fifth restaurant documented.

Burger Grill at 212 S. Rock Island was the sixth hamburger place the author uncovered. T. Charley Burger was the owner.

In 1946 Jerry’s Grill opened (the first restaurant on the 1960 list to be documented). The 66 Drive-In at 1220 S. Rock Island was the second. I have not found information that either of these served onion burgers.

In 1948 the Silver Star Hamburger Stand had gone out of business. Cannon’s took over the property.

 In 1953 Ross Davis was still operating Hamburger Inn.

In the 1950’s Bob’s White Rock converted to Bob’s Grill and moved to 212 S. Rock Island.

In 1958 Jobe’s Drive-In opened at 1220 Sunset Drive, featuring an expanse of window glass and car-hop service.

The 1958 El Reno City Directory listed ten drive-ins and burger joints, including Johnnie’s Grill (then located at 311 S, Rock Island and owned by W. Johnnie Siler). Although it is recognized by many as one of the top three onion burger restaurants, none of the ten restaurants on the list have information about whether they sold onion burgers or not.

1965–Robert’s Grill, 101 W. Wade, mentioned in the City Directory for the first time (owners Robert Sanders and Wayne Cooksey).

1967–Otis Bruce purchased Johnnie’s Grill.

1968–Bob’s Grill replaced by Danny’s Grill at 212 S. Rock Island

1974–Marty Hall bought Dairy Hut at 220 Sunset Drive. He sold it 13 years later when he opened Sid’s Diner.

1990–The first restaurant to mention “Onion Fried Hamburgers” in a local publication was Robert’s Grill at 300 S. Bickford.

1992–Johnnie’s had moved to its present location at 301 S Rock Island. A menu from that time just mentions the “hamburger” (nothing about onion fried).

The 1992 menu from Jobe’s lists two kinds of burgers, the Char Burger with Hickory Sauce (a style popular in OKC and Tulsa) and the “Regular Burger” (onion burger) which incidentally is five cents cheaper.

1995–Steve Galloway purchased Johnnie’s Grill. Ten years later he enlarged it to seat 100 people.

El Reno Hamburger Places, Carolyn Barker, 2013; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2179191/: accessed July 11, 2025), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting El Reno Carnegie Library.

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The author observed that there were only four places in town that served fried onion burgers, the “Big 3” as described by food writers plus Jobe’s. Even in El Reno there are more “regular” hamburger places than those that serve onion burgers. The onion burger restaurants, though, are the ones that have to expand their space or experience lines of people waiting for a place to sit.

My Conclusions: Onion burgers were known to be served in several places around Oklahoma and the country, so it is unlikely that they originated in El Reno. However, this is where they were popular after the Depression was over and people could go back to eating “regular” burgers. It seems, though, that the town leaders did not think enough of them to put several of the restaurants serving them on the list of “Where to Eat” that they distributed to visitors. I have to say, though, that I think the local version of the Coney is just about as noteworthy as the onion burger, and was actually invented in El Reno (by Morgan Stafford, owner of the Silver Star Hamburger Stand). Unless I want to pig out I have to choose between these two great choices, much like I have to choose between enchiladas and stuffed sopaipillas in New Mexico. It is interesting, though when local areas develop food this popular that no one else seems to be capable of reproducing quite the same way.

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I discovered photos of some of the old restaurants on the Newberry Library web site which give a really good picture of what restaurants were like in the 1960’s:

Beacon Cafe had been operating from as early as 1935, and the post card indicates it was in operation in the 1960’s

 

The Chisholm Trail Cafe is on the 1960 list

 

Hensley’s is on the 1960 list of restaurants

 

Ponderosa may be post-1960