British News Agency

Even in Sweden today, most people are unaware of the hamburger chain "Clock," which was entirely run by the state.

The fast-food trend started to spread in Sweden during the 1970s.

American chains like McDonald's were making their way into the region, while the Swedish hamburger chain "Max" was gaining recognition in the northern Norrland region.

At that time, the Swedish state had a restaurant company called "Sara," which wanted to be at the forefront of the industry and was making significant investments in hamburgers.

To establish a competitive hamburger chain, the state company used unconventional methods: two people were sent to the United States to work at McDonald's.

Based on the information sent back from the U.S., the restaurant company later developed the "Clock" hamburger chain. The rise and fall of the chain are now depicted in the documentary "Clock – Socialist Burgers Inc."

Åke Björk, who was a manager at "Sara" at the time, said, "They probably stayed there for four or five months."

As Sweden began privatizing public enterprises in the 1980s, "Clock" was sold to a private company. Without government support and facing increasing competition from McDonald's and Burger King, it became increasingly difficult for "Clock" to maintain its presence. By the 1990s, the chain had weakened and was eventually shut down.