Duchess (restaurant)

Duchess[1] is a fast-food restaurant chain in southwestern Connecticut. Duchess was founded by Harold and Jack Berkowitz in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1956. The company is privately owned and operated by Duchess Worldwide, Inc., based in Milford, Connecticut. There are 14 locations all in the Fairfield and New Haven counties of Connecticut. The restaurants feature an eat-in dining room, take-out service, and a drive-thru.[2]

Duchess
TypePrivate
IndustryRestaurants
GenreFast food restaurant
Founded1956
FounderHarold Berkowitz and Jack Berkowitz
Headquarters
Milford, Connecticut
,
United States
Number of locations
14
Area served
Connecticut
ProductsHamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, french fries, Soft drinks, breakfast, coffee, desserts, milkshakes, salads
ParentDuchess Worldwide, Inc.
Websitehttp://www.duchessrestaurants.com

History

In 1956, brothers-in-law and diner owners Jack and Harold Berkowitz bought a restaurant named Maraczi's that sold hotdogs and hamburgers in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The brothers needed to put a name on the paperwork and they decided to name the restaurant after Dutchess County, New York without the "T". After the renaming, the Duchess fast food chain began to expand operations. As of 2018, Duchess has expanded to 14 locations in the Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut.[3][4]

Duchess does not freeze their food and only cooks it fresh. Duchess offers more than 100 items on the menu and everything is cooked to order.[1]

Locations

Duchess has 14 locations and are found only in Connecticut:[5]

Fairfield County
  • Bridgeport
  • Danbury
  • Darien
  • Fairfield (2)
  • Monroe
  • Norwalk
  • Shelton
  • Stratford

New Haven County
  • Ansonia
  • Milford
  • Naugatuck
  • Orange
  • Wallingford

Incidents

On May 31, 1981 while responding to the report of a burglary at Duchess' Darien location, Officer Kenneth Bateman of the Darien Police department was killed. The suspect escaped and remains at large. Bateman's murder remains the only unsolved killing of a Connecticut cop on record.[6] In 2015, Darien authorities offered a $100,000 reward for information about the murder.[7]

See also

References
  1. Rob Varnon. "What's Cooking?". Connecticut Post, Fairfield, Connecticut. Retrieved December 18, 2005.
  2. "Duchess features" (PDF). Duchess Restaurants. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  3. "Doing it Fresh for Over 50 Years". Shelton-Derby, CT Patch. 18 January 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  4. "History". The Hour. 2014-07-25. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  5. "Duchess Restaurants : Locations". www.duchessrestaurants.com. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  6. "Judge: Man supplied gun that killed Darien cop". 2015-11-20.
  7. "$100,000 Reward Offered for Info in Murder of Darien Officer". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
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