H.A. Winston & Co.

H.A. Winston & Co., a.k.a. Winstons is formally a chain of restaurants centered in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area that was a phenomenon in the 1970s and 1980s but the chain closed its doors finally on July 14, 1992.

Logo

The first H.A. Winston & Co. restaurant opened in 1972 at Front and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia. Initially, the restaurant was considered a singles bar that sold a lot of hamburgers and onion soup,^[1] but the chain grew into being a favorite casual dining establishment^[2] with restaurants in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Virginia.

Ownership[]

The chain was owned by the Spivak brothers. The "H" in "H.A. Winston & Co." represents co-owner Herb Spivak, and the "A" for Allen Spivak; the story behind the name missing the third brother and co-owner Joseph “Jerry” Spivak is not documented. The brothers were also founders and principals^[3] of the Philadelphia-based concert promoter and power-house firm Electric Factory Concerts.

Gourmet Burgers[]

Quickly, H.A. Winston & Co. became famous for its 7- and 10-ounce hamburgers, collectively referred to as "GourmetBerger" whose numerous options for topping were referred to and ordered by either its topping number or name.

Promotional poster for HAW GourmetBerger

Toppings:

1. 1- Winston- sauteed onions, peppers & mushrooms
2. 2-American-american cheese, bacon, lettuce & tomato
3. 3-Italian-mozzarella & marinara sauce
4. 4-Society Hill- blue cheese & chives
5. 6- Mexican-chili & chopped onions
6. 7-Russian-sour cream & caviar

References[]