Global InformationOllie Gleichenhaus information
Ollie Gleichenhaus | |
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 US Trademark image used in marketing "Ollie's Trolley" restaurants and the "Ollieburger" | |
| Born | Oliver George Gleichenhaus September 30, 1911 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 10, 1991 (aged 79) Miami, Dade County, Florida, U.S. |
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Oliver George Gleichenhaus (September 30, 1911 – January 10, 1991) named the "re-inventor" of the hamburger,[1] was an American restaurateur, best known for his small North Miami Beach, Florida, restaurant "Ollie's Sandwich Shop",[2] located at Third Avenue and 23rd Street,[3] where in the mid-1930s, he created his signature "Ollie Burger" which he prepared with his secret blend of 23 herbs and spices. Extremely profane and irascible, Gleichenhaus was known to curse at and eject diners who requested condiments like ketchup to add to his "perfect burgers".
Food franchise mogul John Y. Brown Jr., seeking to add a signature hamburger to his then struggling Lum's Restaurant group, purchased the rights to Gleichenhaus's Ollie Burger, his recipes and likeness for a reported one million dollars. Brown also created the "Ollie's Trolley" franchise consisting of small, take-out only restaurants that prominently featured Gleichenhaus's signature hamburger. Gleichenhaus was required to act as the company's brand ambassador and figurehead. His name and image were used as symbols of the company. The franchise was dissolved in the 1980s. Gleichenhaus's secret formula "Ollieburger" and "Ollie Fries" spice mixes are still available. Gleichenhaus died in 1991 in Miami, Florida, after open heart surgery.[3]
- ^ "At Lums". The Times-Mail. Bedford, Indiana. October 19, 1975. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ "Oliver Gleichenhaus; Burger Maker, 79". The New York Times. New York, New York. January 14, 1991. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
- ^ a b "Oliver Gleichenhaus, Creator of Ollieburgers". Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. January 11, 1991. Retrieved April 10, 2021.