The signs of America’s fast food restaurants have become iconic. 

Subway started as a small store called Pete’s Super Submarines, and Domino’s as a shop called Dominick’s Pizza. The first McDonald’s restaurant was missing the now internationally recognizable golden arches, and Burger King once featured a gargantuan neon king sitting atop their sign. Even Chick-fil-A, now a global brand, started as a discreet booth in a mall.

Go back in time and see these titans of the food industry during their awkward years.