York’s Bury’s Famous Hamburgers Legend Lives on.
The statistics in this undated clipping refer just to York Fair sales
Last week I posted still another recipe for Bury’s secret hamburger sauce. There are many versions that are supposed to authentic, but very few people really know the true recipe. I’m told that you can still get a real Bury’s hamburger at the York Fair each year, so I’m looking forward to doing some taste-testing myself next month.
In the meantime, I’ve been doing a little historical research into the very successful restaurants run by the three Bury brothers from the late 1920s up until at least the 1960s.
According to clippings in the file on the Bury’s restaurants and to city directories at York County Heritage Trust, Joseph (Joe) Bury started the first one in a small building in the first block of East King Street in 1927. He was soon joined by brothers Arthur (Oss) and Gerald (Pete). Their restaurants, which some have dubbed the local forerunners of McDonalds, eventually numbered at least 11. Some were listed as diners, some cafes, some as lunches and some as restaurants.
The 1950 city directory lists some type of Bury’s eatery at 6 E. King, 42 E. Market, 132 N. George, 350 E. Princess, 274 W. Market, 142 W. Philadelphia, 2390 W. Market and 508 E. Market.
The list in the 1960 city directory is similar, except for the absence of 132 N. George and 142 W. Philadelphia and the addition of 2710 E. Market. There may have been one at 1455 S. Queen St., now the site of Dairy Queen. At least some of the Bury’s restaurants branched out into soft ice cream, as shown in the May 4, 1944 York Dispatch ad below.
If any of the information above is incorrect, or if any family or friends of the Bury’s would like to add more, please leave your comments below.
