Theres No Winky's in Wilmerding the fall of a fast food giant who once rivaled McDonalds

Former Winkys White Star New Alexander

In the 1970's a furry orange cookie monster looking puppet  was in a TV commercial for Winkys where they listed all the locations for there fast food hamburger restaurants .

Carrick, Pleasant Hills, Uniontown ,Connelsville,Shaler, New Brighton, Hempfield ,Thornburg, Ross Twp - New Castle , New Alexander - Moon Twp. Bridgeville, Cheswick ,Penn Hills ,Swissvale , East Liberty ,Bloomfield,Washington ,Charleroi, State College, Kittaning,Bethel Park ,Butler , Ellwood City,  and Squirrel Hill  -Weirton  and Morgantown WV. Youngstown OH  almost  100 locations at one time

 Then he would go  "but I live in Wilmerding  "all  so sadly at the end as he ate the winkys sign

Here is a collection of some of the TV commercials on You Tube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW5dE7t7IIw

Funny commercials for what was once a rival in the tri-state . to McDonalds in the 1960's

Winkys was owned by the Eernstein brothers  who had a corporate Office in Sewickley Pa. and also Owned Jiffy Steak company which made the quick easy to make steak sandwich meat slice.
at one time when Jiffy Steak was in financial trouble Winkys was making so much money they where able to bail out jiffy steak according to Mr Eernstien who I meet on several occasions below is his obituary.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19890520&id=v5McAAAAIBAJ&sjid=f2MEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6884,1953224

In late 70's I did electrical work for Plaza Vending out of Connelsville Pa. in many of the Pa. stores as they added Coin Operated video games like Space Invader and Pac Man to Try to boost revenue in the winkys   as sales where declining.  There where a couple of the stores known as Winky (White) Stars which had extended menus and served Pizza and such one was in New Alexander and other I think in Newcastle .They had a unique rectangular top window  design.
But as revenue continued to drop they tried converting some stores to station Street Hotdogs
In Penn hills , East Liberty ,  The  stores  in Moon twp , Bridgeville the first winkys  and Cheswick I completely rewired those stores into Station Street Hotdogs all 3  now torn down and replaced   by 1982 it was over and they went bankrupt and Plaza vending and  Plaza Lounge in Connelsville  across from the winky's  they owned went out of business eventually  as well. The steel  mills had gone down prices where going out of control with inflation as was interest rates  caused by carter administration policy's   as well as  property taxes and all other expenses  and they could no longer financially compete before they went out  Burger Chef  burger joints Remember the characters  Chef& Jeff went out of business as well as all the H. Salt Fish & Chips as well as Arthur Treachers Fish& Chips  and Red Barn Hamburgers .Sandy's became Hardees and many of them closed only one around here now in Millvale. It was a bad time for fast food of any type.


The end of what where much better burgers than McDonalds ever made. They lasted 20 years but are a fond memory for those baby boomers like me.
Ironically many of the old winkys now are the locations for national fast food chains including  Arbys and Subway. Even Dunkin Donuts and a Four Star Pizza .