Gino's Hamburgers to make a comeback
The onetime COO of the onetime regional fast-food giant is getting new life.
Gino's Hamburgers to make a comeback
Michael Klein, Philly.com
Filed Under: TableTalk
Gino's Hamburgers, a fast-food company that had a huge presence from New Jersey to northern Virginia ("Everybody Goes to Gino's"), will make a comeback in 2010.
In charge is Tom Romano, who was C.O.O. in 1982 when the chain was sold to Marriott Corp., which converted the eateries into Roy Rogers restaurants. Gino's took its name from Baltimore Colts player Gino Marchetti, who will consult.
"It's apparent there's a need for better burgers out there," said Romano, citing the success of such chains as Five Guys.
Romano, who worked for the company for 20 years, said Gino's would make its burgers to order from fresh beef and would also offer chicken. (Gino's was the mid-Atlantic outlet for Kentucky Fried Chicken.)
Romano plans to start offering franchises next week, and to have the first location (possibly in Northeast Philly or Montgomery County) this summer.
Nostalgists can visit his Web site.
Comments (76)
Everybody goes to Geno's, cause Gino's is the place to go!!!!
I worked at Gino's and my fondest memories of the Oxford Av site in the NE were the orange colored Star Trek short outfits the smoking hot girls of Fox Chase wore. Oh yea, I think we sold food there.
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OMG...I was telling my daughter about Gino's the other day. A place where you could get a burger, shake and fries for a buck! Now it will be a tad more than a buck but who cares.....Welcome back Gino's....— Leapinliz- A burger fries and a shake for half a buck; you could hadly eat a dollar's worth.— Dave S.
- Bring back the old commercials! "Gino's gives you freedom of choice ..."— Paul B
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- I am sure Dom would like that as well. That would mean he is still alive. RIP 5/5/2009— RUKIDDINGME?
- I too can taste that Gino Giant now!— McCormick
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Bring back the "Giant"!— Nihilist- Yeah!!!!!!— Rowdy Roddy
- Yeah!!!!!!— Rowdy Roddy
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- I remember having lunch at Gino's at Red Lion & Bustleton. Loved the Gino Giant!— BobbyD
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- Banquet on a bun is back! Went to one on Baltimore Pike in Clifton after a trip to Bazaar of all Nations Mall(?)— pete from boothwyn
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- What was that pink stuff they put on the "Giant"?— unclejed
- My first job @ 14 while in school. Had to get working papers in the day. When Geno's first open in Delaware.— gypski
- Unfortunately Dom DeLuise has since passed away :(— EJPhillyChick
- I met my husband of 31 years when we were both employees at the Red Lion Rd. GINO's in NE Philly! My husband worked there for many years, from cooking fries to management. Lot's of fun memories!!!— StaceyK
- Used to work at Copper Kettle in OC, NJ in the 70's and we would walk next door to Gino's to "trade" a pound of fudge for a bag of Gino Giants and fries...Then Elvis died and Gino's soon followed...even though all that fast food stuff is poison, it brings back fond memories...— Basquete Rey
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- I think I still have my uniform circa 1970— rgoldberg
- Gino's you go for the food.— PhillysOwn
- Gino's you go for the food.— PhillysOwn
- Glad to hear Gino's is coming back. I remember my dad on some Friday nights bringing home a whole bag full of cheeseburgers from Gino's.— slade1955
- This will be an instant hit since so many of us boomers were practically raised on these things. Great idea.— trainrdt
- I miss Roy Rogers.— HandNik
- Yeah! Big rectangular Hero Burgers! They were the first fast food dump in Newtown Square, there for the Grand Opening was WIFI 92 FM!— MediaGhost
- They really did make the best burgers!— Joe Gonnelli
- Yeah, let's start eating fatty ground beef and deep fried garbage. You'll have a heart attack within the year. Nothing like a Camels cigarette and a Coke after downing all that grease. Ah, the good old days when we were too ignorant to know better.— MikeP
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- I remember the local Geno's being closed down for rat infestation multiple times before it closed for good. I always remember my dad asking me if I wanted a rat burger every time we drove by when I was a kid. Ah the memories... looking forward to my first ratburger in the new year.— Twocents
- I thought it was Geno's back in the day? Am I wrong?— Jerryiz
- I still have the plastic football helmets that Ginos gave out in the 70's.— JohnnyH
- bredcrumz - are you kidding me? Who needs chicken when you have a Gino Giant?— fxfitz
Please put one in center city. I so could eat about three Giants right now. I used to go to the one right below Broad & Spring Garden
I remember the Gino's I use to go to when I was young in Upper Darby near Marshall Road. My favorite sandwich was the Gino's Giant with a 1/4 pound burger!!— West_Philly_Native- I guess I wasn't the only one that knew about Gino's their hamburgers make the big mac look like little macs, I use to love that sauce they put on them burgers, I remember eating one when I ws about 8 years old off of 15th and Nedro where that KFC was at— douglasrdd
- Mmmmmm, square burgers, I can't wait. I miss them so much.— B4
- Gino's - 69th Street adjacent to the AA field and the Bowling Alley. $0.25 burgers, $0.15 fries and $0.10 cokes circa 1967.— Joe Hoagie
I was a manager for Gino's right out of college. What made them succesful was an excellent training program and good QA. The stories about rats were just that-stories. They were a great company to work for and were all company owned-not franchised.— georgel- Anyone remember Muhammad Ali doing a commercial for the Giant ?— poppacrew
- I love Gino's and Gino loved me— fran x folcher
Seed ate 5 of the Giants @ one sitting. Unreal.- It can't come at a better time with the econamy the way it is now a days. Its a wonder that Japan or China didn't open one sooner.— wes
- do you have to order in english?— swiftlyons
- Didn't someone else try to bring back Horn & Hardart?— NickEeee
- I remember the Gino's located at Cottman and Torresdale. My Grandfater use to take me on Saturday Night's. They had the best shakes.— edcholt
- Growing up in West Philly in the 60's and 70's there was nothing better than to go to Gino's at 52nd + Market for a Hero burger and fries. Now those were the day's.— tonytony32
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- I miss Gino's. I can't wait 'til the new place opens!— psyrus
- Oh my God! Sure - now that I'm on weight watchers Gino's comes back! That was the best place ever! OOHH the fried fish and french fries! But the best was the "giant" - closest I ever found was the "papa burger" from A & W - almost tastes like the giant! special sauce! Thank you for bringing back Gino's! We talk about it every now and then - guess someone heard us!— maryannereds
- Gino's could have beaten McDonald's. They were both on equal footing. Even more amazing is Ronnie's that used to be on Castor ave. They opened when there was no Mcdonald's or Gino's in the area. If only they had known and could have gotten financing. Ray Croc got lucky. He could have been shut out of the East Coast and had a real war on his hands for the rest of the country.— Drew777
- Back in the 70's in little Phoenixville, Gino's was about the only place to go for fast food. It was where the Boston Market is now, next to 7-11. (There was also Hardee's, where the McDonald's is now.) Gino's had great burgers, fries, and shakes, and you could get KFC too. It looks like from the web site that they are going for a strip mall presence, unlike the former stand-alone buildings. And the menu says the Gino Giant will be $5.79! Yikes!— fafafooey
- Liked their burgers and KFC. I remember, though, when they introduced extra crispy chicken, it looked and tasted like it was covered in corn flakes. Chicken was good, but it was hard to get through the coating. It got better.— mike l
- Can we also bring back Clover, and Girard Bank's George auto teller machines...— bobcitydoc
- Man, I hope those burgers are just like they use to be. I loved those freakin' things.— bglmn
- My favorite was a cheeseburger, fries and orange soda.— ivyrose321
- wow, I remember the Gino's in Phoenixville. Our first "fast food" restaurant. Hung out there after school and football games on Saturdays. Welcome Back!— Lynnbozz
- I want to comment on the comeback of Gino's Hamburger Joint. I think there is enough hamberger and chicken places out there. Everyone want's to be on a diet and eat right so we should be cutting back on fast food places. Now am I right or wrong. caramel 1— caramel1
- I remember having my 8th birthday party at the Gino's on Route 38 in Mount Holly. We had a pretty good time and they even provided birthday cake. It was a pretty good place.— Raiderfan
- yeah, Gino's— nutterbutter
- There was a Ginos on Rt 1 in Langhorne and I loved it. I'm sure the burgers and fries were loaded with salt, but they were GREAT. I will welcome them back.— Segnid
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HAHAHAHA Happyface beat us all to the line. :)— selophane43- It sounds like they'll be doing what Five Guys does, just under a different name.— Briarwood
- Ah Gino's welcome Back! and caramel1 you are absolutely positively 100% WRONG. not everyone is going on/needs to go a diet. Moderation is key, not regulation. and breadcrumz no "health nut" or ""whole paycheck" stuff here. this is GINO's! Gino Giants for everybody! WELCOME BACK GINO'S!— narutomustgo
- I was a young Airmen at Dover AFB in 1968. On rt 13 there was a Geno's. I used to love them. My roomate was the nigh mananger. He used to bring burgers, fries and shakes back to the barracks. I never went hungry if I was working midnights. Bring back the Geno Giant.— Jrtott
- Gino's should be a mid-Atlantic outlet to Bojangles Chicken, Like they was to KFC.— fastfoodwill
- my father buit the first one in this area of king of prussia . it was on ridge pike in plymouth meeting, pa— neilp
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Michael Klein, the editor/producer of philly.com/Food, writes about the local restaurant scene in his Inquirer column "Table Talk." Have a question? Email it! See his Inquirer work here.
Reach Michael at mklein@philly.com.
Michael Klein
Philly.com
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