Pumper Nic (shortened to Pumper after 1989) was a popular chain of fast-food restaurants in Argentina that existed in the 1970s and 1980s. It is currently considered by many Argentines to be a cult classic. Its name is derived from the German pumpernickel, a type of bread.
History
Pumper Nic was created by Alfredo Lowenstein in 1974, also an ex-owner of Quickfood, parent company of the renowned Argentine beef hamburger supplier Paty – which was in turn founded by his brother Ernesto – and the Las Leñas tourist complex. In 1975 the company became Argentina's first franchise and quickly expanded throughout the country, reaching a total of 70 restaurants and an annual revenue of 60 million dollars.[1][2] The chain's rapid growth made it extremely difficult for its headquarters in Buenos Aires to keep a grip on the franchisees. A combination of poor management and a lack of standardization caused food quality to vary greatly between the restaurants.[1]