Duchess (restaurant)


Duchess 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.

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.
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.

Locations

Duchess has 14 locations and are found only in Connecticut:

Fairfield County

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. In 2015, Darien authorities offered a $100,000 reward for information about the murder.