Copycat Retailers - Same Concept, Different Name Equals Money for All
Winnie Rice-Wade
- Published Content: 80
- Total Views: 19,907
- Favorited By: 3 CPs
Copycat businesses have been around for years. The understanding that you can't copyright an idea is an entrepreneurs dream. All they have to do is take a proven formula, come up with changes and improvements to make it better and ride the similarities right to the bank. 
We laughed at some of the outrageous scenes in the comedy "Coming to America" (1988) made famous by Eddie Murphy. Prince Akeem came to America to find his bride but in the meantime he worked at McDowell's. The Queens fast food chain was modeled after the burger giant McDonalds which has been around for decades. It was so obvious that it was a copycat business but the owner Cleo McDowell portrayed by actor John Amos explained the differences between his business in one scene. In another scene it showed him looking through a McDonald's manual but he quickly put it away when Akeem came to his office.
White Castle (www.whitecastle.com) has been in business for over 80 years. Shortly after the "Castle" opened their doors, another burger business, Krystal's was born in 1932 in the South. The main thing that differs between these two famous mini burger chains is that Krystal's (www.krystal.com) dominates the south with over 400 restaurants throughout Georgia, Louisiana and other Southern demographics. The company is based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. While White Castle is a fixture in the north, the company's headquarters are in Columbus Ohio.
We laughed at some of the outrageous scenes in the comedy "Coming to America" (1988) made famous by Eddie Murphy. Prince Akeem came to America to find his bride but in the meantime he worked at McDowell's. The Queens fast food chain was modeled after the burger giant McDonalds which has been around for decades. It was so obvious that it was a copycat business but the owner Cleo McDowell portrayed by actor John Amos explained the differences between his business in one scene. In another scene it showed him looking through a McDonald's manual but he quickly put it away when Akeem came to his office.
White Castle (www.whitecastle.com) has been in business for over 80 years. Shortly after the "Castle" opened their doors, another burger business, Krystal's was born in 1932 in the South. The main thing that differs between these two famous mini burger chains is that Krystal's (www.krystal.com) dominates the south with over 400 restaurants throughout Georgia, Louisiana and other Southern demographics. The company is based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. While White Castle is a fixture in the north, the company's headquarters are in Columbus Ohio.