Cindy's Ole Time Hamburgers, 109 East Bobo Newsom Highway (Hartsville): 2009 19 comments
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so at the time, Dave Thomas must have been very flattered.
Shortly after Wendy's came to town, a number of copycat restaurants popped up. They all had young girl mascots after which they were named, had square hamburgers and interiors set up with what at that time was Wendy's signature: One serving line. Unlike Burger King which was famous for letting McDonald's spend a lot of money finding ideal locations and then setting up across the street, these copy-cats tended to set up in smaller towns where there was, at the time, no Wendy's, or at least that's how I remember it. I'm pretty sure I recall chains called Judy's and Penny's (which I think had a restaurant in Georgetown which became El Cerro Grande before they razed it and built their own building). And then there was Cindy's Ole Time Hamburgers, which honestly I don't recall at all. Locating in Hartsville at the time would definitely be the setting up in a smaller market strategy though.
I haven't been able to find out much about Cindy's except that it definitely was a a Wendy's copy-cat and that its trademark was filed in 1976 (about the right time) and is expired. However, the chain still seems to exist in the Phillipines.
This particular location is at the intersection of US-15 & SC-151, and would have been basically in the boonies back in the day. It's still not what you would call a dense area. I may have the street address a little bit wrong, but it's close enough for Google Streetview to show the restaurant.
As you can see from the pictures, nobody else has ever set up shop here. In fact, I believe the place is now what you call a micro-clime which is uniquely suited for various plant life, though not so much for beef.
UPDATE 11 January 2019: Commenter Chris says this was open as recently as 2009 (which surprises me!) so I am changing the closing date from "1980s" to "2009".
19 Responses to 'Cindy's Ole Time Hamburgers, 109 East Bobo Newsom Highway (Hartsville): 2009'
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Jason
29 Nov 18 at 2:26 pm
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I had completely forgotten about Judy's in Georgetown. During the 80s I had to make several business trips between Myrtle Beach and Charleston and they were one of the few stops along the way on Hwy 17. The layout was just like Wendy's and the food was surprisingly comparable.
Joe Shlabotnik
1 Dec 18 at 1:32 am
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Looks like a scene from Life After People!!
Homer
1 Dec 18 at 5:06 pm
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So this is all we're missing?
ted
1 Dec 18 at 5:45 pm
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Yep, that about sums it up
Homer
2 Dec 18 at 12:24 pm
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Clearly, no one else has come to the conclusion that Cindy's came to years ago about this being some ideal location...other than plant life.
kkaos
8 Dec 18 at 1:00 pm
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I pass by this former Cindy’s on the way to Myrtle Beach 2-3 times per year. It seems to deteriorate even more every time I drive by. I cannot believe how bad of shape this restaurant is in, as it was still open as late as 2009.
Thank you for the interior pictures!
Chris
11 Jan 19 at 10:11 pm
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Wow, 2009! Really?
ted
11 Jan 19 at 11:19 pm
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(843) 383-4261 is their phone number
Jackson Hall
19 Jan 19 at 11:18 am
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The building has been torn down!
N
23 Sep 19 at 9:19 pm
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I doubt if this restaurant was one of the Wendy's copycats because if you Google Cindy's restaurants you'll see the old trademark with a picture of a girl on the sign and this one does not have one. I remember going to Six Flags Over Georgia in Cobb County many many years ago and there was a Cindy's on the corner
Paul
30 Sep 19 at 2:34 pm
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This was a copycat of Wendys. My first job was at a Cindy’s in Illinois in 1981. I wish I was able to get that sign before they tore down the building.
Tom
22 Jan 20 at 10:06 pm
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There was Cindy's in Breman GA. When I was kid, which was around 1982. I remember the burgers, fries, and there version of a frosty.
Jason
25 Feb 20 at 11:39 pm
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My family ownes the land the cindys in Bremen was located on. Who is Jason. For no reason we were talking about this place today and Really the building was only standing for a short time. Not many people remember this place but we do. Any thoughts or know people who worked there?
Aj
23 Apr 20 at 7:57 pm
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In 1981 my family lived in Atlanta and my father bought a Cindy’s franchise restaurant. He actually worked and retired from Xerox and Cindys was his side investment project. We relocated to Austin, Tx and that is where he built his first Cindys. I remember working there as a pre teen and the baking of the hundreds of fresh biscuits every morning for the breakfast sandwiches. We served burgers as well as hot dogs which Wendy’s didn’t have. I still have playing cards with the Cindys logo all these years later. After a few years he sold the restaurant, I always wondered what happened to the franchise
Linda
9 Aug 20 at 9:32 pm
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I worked at the Cindy's in Bremen, Georgia right out of high school (1980). Usually worked the opening shift and made plenty of biscuits during my time there! Lots of fond memories!
B Smith
17 Mar 21 at 12:22 pm
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I also remember a Cindy's outside of Six Flags Georgia many many years ago that I believe had a redheaded girl with pigtails. I was trying to find out what happened to Cindy's and I assumed it was sued by Wendy's and they lost. All I can find out is that the trademark has expired.
Paul
23 Nov 21 at 12:07 am
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Hello, I’m also a Chris and can confirm that the restaurant was definitely still open in the fall of 2008, perhaps even the spring of 2009. I am 100% positive on the 2008 date. I stopped in to try a hamburger since I always pass the place on my way to the beach. The hamburger tastes like dog food, but at least I can say that I ate from there! I don’t think it was still a “chain” Cindy’s by then though. I think it was just folks that set up shop in the “old” Cindy’s building because there was no Cindy’s Restaurant logos on ANY of the packaging. It was all just generic wrappers, cups and bags.
The building was demolished around 2018.Christopher
23 Nov 21 at 1:26 pm
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Wow B. Smith. I grew up in Bremen as well and did a search on Cindy's which led me to this page. Small world.
MD
6 Jun 23 at 5:18 pm
Maybe this is where Dummy and Antoinette sprang forth? ;)