George Webb founded his first lunch counter on the east side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The entire family worked at the business, with George, his wife Evelyn, and their three sons, Jim, Tom and Bob, all performing various tasks in the restaurant.
George’s son Jim suggested to his father that he should take over one of the restaurant locations in 1953. George agreed, making Jim’s location the first franchise. Other franchises followed in 1957.
Today, the company has 31 locations, all of them in Wisconsin.
The company is famous for serving its entire menu any time of the day or night. George Webb is also known for having two clocks in each location. Stories vary as to why this is with some people saying that Webb installed one clock at an angle so those who were waiting on the subway could see the time. Others say that, at one time, being open 24 hours a day was illegal so Webb set these two clocks side by side, with one of them running one minute slower than the other.
In February 2022, a restaurant employee was shot in the face by 4 women who were angry over a food order.
Because of George Webb’s policy of staying open 24 hours a day, combined with the restaurants’ reasonably low prices on food and drink, the chain has become a notorious refuge for homeless adults and juveniles. George Webb Restaurants have displayed a “No Loitering” sign in every restaurant and placed a two-dollar minimum per person and a 20-minute time limit for a visit, although this rule is not strictly enforced.
George Webb Restaurants maintains a corporate office in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
