History
That year, Herb and Erol Wetanson started the first Wetson's in Levittown, NY. Herb Wetanson's father had been a restaurateur so he had grown up in that environment. Herb had been on a trip to California where he visited his first McDonald's. That visit gave him the inspiration to start his own fast food restaurant. When Herb returned from the military, he began working on opening his own Hamburger stand. Herb and his brother Erol choose Levittown because of its post-war boom. They opened their first Wetson's in an old coffee shop, and as they say, the rest is history.
Wetson's op
ened in Hicksville on Old Country Rd and Levittown Parkway in May of 1963. They sold Hamburgers for 15¢, and fries for 10¢. Wetson's also had two clowns Wetty and Sonny who were the mascots. They were modeled after Ronald McDonald. 
The hamburger meat was purchased from Schloesser & Weingartens. At the time, the Federal government required hamburgers to have no more than 30% fat, but Wetson's burgers had anywhere between 18% - 22%. That may be why people loved them. Schloesser & Weingartens also sold fried chicken to Wetson's. By 1964, Wetson's had 14 locations on L.I. Altogether, there were 72 locations in NY, NJ, and CT. Unfortunately, by 1975 Wetson's merged with Nathan's. It was the end of an era.
