Minute Man was a forerunner in a number of fast-food concepts. In 1948, the Raytheon Company placed three experimental “RadaRange” microwave ovens in locations across the United States; Hall and partners received one of the three. They pioneered the use of microwave ovens in the restaurant business. The most popular and publicized offering borne out of these ovens was surely the Radar Deep Dish Pie, a sweet treat that many Arkansans remember for its tendency to burn the roof of one’s mouth. Minute Man also sold “real charcoal-broiled hamburgers,” and offered a gourmet burger with a double full-sized meat patty with extras, called the “Big M,” a full year before McDonald’s debuted the Big Mac.
(Find out more about the collection by visiting the finding aid online.)
