In the 70's many restaurants used to be really dark with dark furniture, like steak and ale. I loved that, now everything is very bright with TV's everywhere.
I used to LOVE Steak and Ale! The one in my New Orleans neighborhood (Veterans Drive location) still had the dark furniture and general feel that Steak and Ale had 50 years ago. It closed about 13 years ago, and now I tend to go to Longhorns.
We loved Howard Johnson's & stayed there on our honeymoon in 1966 in Niagara Falls, New York. We loved their food, especially their fried clams & steak. On a trip in in 1974 we drove 50 extra miles to eat there. An old Howard Johnson's restaurant is about 15 miles from us & it's sad to see it starting to fall down after having been sold.
Love that place. My dad and I used to go there and just talk. And eat a lot of fresh-baked bread and butter. I miss the restaurant chain Houston's. They had freshly-prepared dressings, a great ribeye, excellent soups and salads. They had a key lime pie with fresh prepared whipped cream, in-season limes, and a nut crust.
The Chi-Chi's that had the hepatitis outbreak is near my home. It was at the Beaver Valley Mall in Monaca, PA. One of the people who died was an old friend of mine from my old church. All the Mexican based restaurants in the western PA had a hard time for months after that. Truth is, that box of contaminated onions could have ended up at any other restaurant.
I'm Australian but went to college in America. Chi Chi's was where I had my first Tex-Mex and I have loved it ever since. So I find that one kind of sad. The one I find odd id Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips. Being Australian fish & chips is a staple down here, but the true style of batter is very light and crispy almost like a heavier Tempura. The American style of battered fish with that thick hard batter just isn't the same. Even though I am an Illini I still remember that incredible Nittany Lions team that beat Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. That was one of the best sporting moments of the entire 1980s and I knew people who won Olympic medals in the 80s.
I’m from North Pittsburgh I remember well. I loved Chi Chi’s. It’s was really sad. I would love a plate of Ho Jos fried clams! Several old faves here.!
When I heard Souplantation was closing for good I was devastated I visited every month with my family. We loved it because it was a unique concept, a healthy buffet instead of one filled with pure greasy fried foods. Such a shame it couldn't survive, I hope something similar comes back
Ive been going since the womb no joke and kept going till a week before covid lockdowns they had barely remodeled our location to a quicker more express version and everything. I was sad I'm 28 so 26-27 years going 😞
This is all back when Restaurants served good old fashioned meals and also excellent quality of the food it's so nostalgic I so wish I could go back to those days as my full grown self and visit these Restaurants once again!
A little trivia for you about Farrell's: Bob Farrell coined the term, "Give 'em the pickle." It was his way of saying, "we don't charge for little things like catsup, mints, extra sauce, pickles, etc when requested." He knew that those charges were just annoyances to the customer, so he just sort of averaged out the yearly cost of such things and added into the price of the meals. It's hard to believe, but before that, restaurants DID charge for every little thing.
I worked at a place where that was a saying they used. They insisted it was a saying. I'd never heard it before, or since until I read this. I do not believe it's a real saying.
I miss Bonanza/Ponderosa. We’d occasionally go there back in the days when we mostly ate at home. We didn’t even order steaks there because their food bar was so huge.
There is STILL A PONDEROSA In Warren, Ohio on Elm Road, just south of the Route 5/82 bypass! They have a senior buffet with beverage, Monday through Saturday. Lunch is till 3PM. Chicken and meatloaf in the buffet. They sell steak for an added price. This is NE Ohio
Miss Farrel's, as kids we went there and would have loved to take my children there. It was a place you never forget. My brother still has a ribbon from finishing the " pig's trough"!
Shakey’s Pizzerias were all across the US. Loved to go to eat their pizzas and sandwiches. But now are limited to California . Stuckeys were a good stopping points across the southern interstates which will be missed.
One of my neighbors ended up working for Shakey's as a buyer of raw ingredients. Samples were used to make test pizzas before orders were made for bulk purchases. The last I heard, he owns a radio station in Indiana.
Most of these had the exact same problem. Over expansion from a few locations to multiple hundreds in a decade or less. Just because a restaurant sells well at a few locations does not make you the next McDonald's and does not mean you should try and increase the locations from a few to 250+ in a decade. Some sell well in one locale because it is a type of food that does well in that area. Also over saturating any market is bad especially if what you serve is niche. McDonald's can have a ton of restaurants and be fairly close together because of the popularity of burgers in general. You can not do that with a fish and chips restaurant or a place that specializes in something really niche like cupcakes or an all salad place. I do miss the all soup and salad and baked potato buffet concept though. You do not feel so bad about overeating a bit when what you are eating is all at least okay for you health wise. Never had a Sweet Tomatoes where I live but we did have one with the same concept called Souper Salad.
McDonald's doesn't make most of its money off of the food but real estate. The company owns the land the restaurants are built on and the franchisees pay rent.
ChiChi’s was one of the first restaurants I remembered going to as a kid. My family didn’t have a lot of money when I was growing up(we weren’t in thee worst possible shape either) but I remember ChiChi’s being kinda cheap and delicious. It was a way for my parents to get out and spend time together with each other and us kids because my parents mainly had opposite schedules. And I remember if it was good pay check when we went or if my parents wanted us kids to enjoy the evening more than we were for going out to eat we’d go to the Toys R Us on the other end of the parking lot. I remember those times fondly as well as the rare occasions of having ChiChi’s, going to Toy’s R Us, walking around there, going to the book store down the street and walking around there before going home
I think you & I had the same like minded Nan. We would go to Wanamaker’s at Cross County in Yonkers NY & afterward go for lunch at H&H. Grilled cheese please. I still have some of those little glass creamers they served w/coffee.
@@samanthab1923 My uncle took me for lunch at Wanamakers in Philadelphia when he was home from school. He called it the DAR restaurant. He always got pepperpot soup and I got something more appetizing and a chocolate soda. I love thinking about these old memories.
PONDEROSA still has a restaurant in Warren, Ohio NE OHIO, on Elm Road south of the Route 5/82 Bypass. At lunch, they have a senior buffet for $10! Includes a drink. Chicken and meatloaf in the buffet. Steaks are extra.
i adored souplantation. since i lived in arizona, it was called sweet tomatoes, but i’ve visited the actual souplantation, and it made me very sad to hear my favorite places were closing :(
I miss Damon’s Grill the most. The atmosphere they had when trivia first started was amazing. They had a dedicated MC who gave out prizes for winners and they had an audio box at each table so you could pick which sporting event you wanted volume on. Truly genius. Hope someday another chain brings both aspects back.
Man, I grew up absolutely killing it at the trivia events they used to have! god I miss those days. shoveling loaf after loaf of their onion straws down my gullet, wiping off the bbq sauce from my fingers so I could hit the buttons on the little kiosk thingy they had for the trivia....That shit was my childhood man.
I recall Lums fondly. My Dad was a regional manager for them in South Florida in the 1970s. You forgot to mention the great "Lumberjack" sandwiches! Great stuff.
I can’t believe Hometown Buffet closed down. It’s the only place where one could meet municipal employees and it felt very blue collar - moreso than a Denny’s or McDonald’s, even.
Supposedly there's only one left, in Ohio, but I swear there's one on the middle of Long Island, NY. Or at least there was pre-Covid. Driven by it a few times but never stopped.
I just had Arthur Treachers today. The “last” standalone one is in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The brand is owned by Nathan’s so there is the possibility of other restaurants.
We had a Lum's in the small Florida town where I went to high school. What I remember most fondly was the courtesty pickle bowl on each table that held pickled vegetables.
Loved Arthur Treachers! We would go eat there after we left the library on Saturdays. Our mom, myself age 7 and my sister 11 sprinkling malt vinegar over those fish and chips and snarfling down tartar sauce and then we go home and I got to read for a large chunk of Saturday.
What a great memory. My dad has never been big on fast food if any type but I recall a time where we went to Arthur Treachers as a family. He must have been impressed by the quality of the food offerings for the price as he's always been value conscious. Don't recall the food in any way but remember the decor with the bright green and gold.
I worked at Bennigan’s. I ate at Bennigan’s. They used to serve a chef salad so good that people would tear their lettuce that was used as decoration to continue eating the salad because the dressings were so delicious. I miss that place
I used to go there with my parents as a kid & the potato soup was my favorite thing to get, my mom got the recipe off a worker before they closed. Also can’t forget about the shamrock cookies
I always just took the idea of combo meals and salad bars to be a given, but it’s crazy to know that the creators of these things were specific chains that went out of business before I was even born.
We had a Burger Chef that didn't get changed to Hardee's (thought we have several of those too). It is now a locally owned placed called The Chef and still has the iconic shape.
There was a Burger Chef in my hometown. The only fast food place in town actually besides Dairy Queen (which didn't have any seats). In the early '80s it changed to a small local fast food chain called Pleasers, not a Hardee's. I'd heard if a Hardee's was in an X mile radius they didn't convert them and sold the building. A McDonalds was put in down the street about '92 so that closed the Pleasers. It was bulldozed a year or so later and a Wendy's was put up. They were selling drugs in the drive thru. Didn't know that until it was in the papers a couple years after I'd left for college. If only Burger Chef had still been around right?
Arthur Treachers, I live in Columbus Ohio. There is 2. The second is called Marino's Fish and Chips now. Near OSU on 5th Ave. I go once a month for the all you can eat fish on Saturday's...Sadly it is only open 4 days a week. Wednesday-Saturday and only lunch.
Burger Chef was awesome when I was a kid.... It was the 1st burger chain to come to our town. and it was CHEAP. We loved going in and watching the gas fired chain driven burger grill. I had friends that worked there ,in high school ,that were SO glad when they got rid of it as it was a nightmare to clean every night.
Burger Chef was two blocks from my house back in the day. I loved those Burger Chef commercials. The food was good, and I remember the Star Wars promo as well.
They use an electrically heated version of those to process reflow solder on circuit boards in some places. We had two at Microdyne that had been replaced by a multi zone Heller reflow oven.
Our favorite fish & chip shop when I was growing up was H Salt, Esq. No idea how many are still around; my current hometown of Sacramento has one on the edge of the downtown district.
Yes, we had one on El Camino Real Drive in San Bruno. Love them. I can remember taking out food there almost every Friday nights after I got off work. They always wrapped the food in newspapers
@SomeBBCAction Wow, nice that there still around. Can't beat H Salt Esquire for fish & chips with malt vinegar on them. Do they still wrap them up in old newspaper when you get take out?
I experienced Soup Plantation when I first got to San Diego. It was weird, that you went through the salad line before you paid. To me, it was expensive for what you got, but I lived close to several casinos with cheap but monumental buffets. I'm more of a carnivore, that a vegan. Unhappily, the casinos all built hotels and cater to "whales," rather than the area residents. (They used to be $5 for a buffet dinner, but now most are closer to $50).
Never realized Kenny Rogers Roasters was gone...I remember one in Boulder Station in Vegas. Now I live in the Philippines and visit the restaurant regularly here.
The ice cream at sweet tomatoes (souplantation) was probably my favorite thing about going there! They were so good! And the salad bar wasn't half bad, I liked dining there.
I miss Lum’s. Right out of college I got a job in 1989 as a manager at Lum’s in South Burlington, VT. Even then it was one of the few left. I went in the Army the next year, but returned to work there again in 1994 while I looked for something better. Didn’t realize at the time I was part of an ending era! The Ollie Burgers were in fact, pretty good!
Oh, man, Howard Johnson’s. When I was a kid, we went to HoJo’s ALL. THE. TIME. When we drove to Florida from New Jersey, we stopped at HoJo’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner along the way. Their fried clam roll is still the best fried clams I ever had. Also have fond memories of Arthur Treacher’s. Never had any fish and chips quite like it.
Most of these I never heard of because they're northern or western eateries. Steak n Ale, Arthur Treachers and Howard Johnsons had good food for a short period of time. But like most restaurants they start cutting corners to increase profit margin and after awhile their food turns to trash.
I had never heard of most of these chains before watching this video. The exceptions were Red Barn, Brown Derby, Kenny Rogers Roasters, and Chi-Chi's. I knew of Red Barn from people reminiscing about it, Brown Derby from its cameo appearance at the end of the Disney movie "Fun and Fancy Free", and Kenny Rogers Roasters from a humorous commercial that was commonly on TV in the mid 1990s, that featured Rogers arguing with a drive through attendant over an intercom. Chi-Chi's was the only chain I ever actually ate at, though. My dad worked at one in the early 1990s.
You weren't kidding. Having your birthday party at Farrell's was a big treat. I had several there and it broke my heart to see that wonderful chain close. Same for Chi-Chi's, Sweet Tomatoes, Arthur Treacher's and Howard Johnson's.
Kenny rogers roaster's was a good restaurant, that expanded too fast and didn't do their research about patrons, costs etc. I was sorry to see them go.
Boston Chicken was first and had cornered too much of the market before Kenny came around. I saw them in the Philippines though I don't understand how they function as the Lechon Manok or spit roasted whole chicken you find all over the place is much better.
I miss Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips. It was a good product that would do well even today so I don't understand it's demise. In general I miss the prevalence of Salad Bars. I remember when Wendy's had an all-you-can-eat salad bar. That was one of my favorite things. Hard to imagine that we will ever see an all-you-can-eat salad bar inside a fast food restaurant ever again with the way prices are going. Also for some of the chain's that still exist today their product has been much diminished. The KFC of the 60's and 70's that I remember growing up was so much better than the KFC of today. Everything about it was much better from the chicken (more flavorful, more plump and less greasy) to the fries and gravy. Maybe that is because I live in Canada and Colonel Sanders retained ownership of the Canadian chain after he sold the U.S. operations and he maintained strict quality control on all of the Canadian restaurants. KFC used to sell "Lunch Boxes" that contained 2 (or 3) pieces of chicken a side of delicious fries (cooked in animal fat not hydrogenated vegetable oil) a delicious side of thick gravy and trademark coleslaw and finished with a slice of tasty "Grecian" bread. You would dunk the bread in the gravy. Sadly not everything gets better with time.
I liked Arthur Treacher's as a teen to take out dates. There's a great fish and chips...proper cod at an Irish pub in my village...run by an actual Irishman and not an Ulsterman by any stretch.
I've been to several of these places. I loved Chi-Chi's. I miss the fried ice cream. You can still get their salsa in grocery stores. Burger Chef was next to my local McDonald's. And we used to go to Sweet Tomatoes all the time when we lived in Arizona. Here in NJ we have a similar place called Salad Works. And Arthur Treachers can still be found at rest areas along the NJ Turnpike. There are other chains that are either gone or are: Rustler's Steak House, Sizzler, Roy Rogers(also found at highway rest areas), Ground Round, Gino's, Mr. Donut, are all gone.
You are spot on and if you are wondering which mall has a Arthur Treachers its Bridgewater Commons. Steak and Ale was in Bethlehem PA PA-512 exit US-22 and it closed
I was looking for Rustler's and all the spinoffs of it: Sizzler, Patriot Steakhouse (maybe this was just a Philly thing, but it was the same concept as Rustler's). The first time I ever had steak as a working class kid in Philly in the '70s was Rustler's, and it was a while before I was allowed to graduate from the "chopped steak" to a real one. It was a big deal for my family of seven to go there.
Howard Johnson was a nice place to eat with good food and good prices. I remember Red Barn. I remember burger chef too. I also remember Chi Chis. I also remember Arthur Treachers. There was farrells near my house.
OG God, I remember Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor. I had my birthday there. If you ordered what they called “The Zoo” ( as seen in the video) the employees would run around the room with a kind of stretcher with a large bowl of ice cream sitting in the center of it with banners draped on each side, to the sound of sirens going off. I believe “The Zoo “ had about 50 scoops of whatever ice cream you wanted topped with all the toppings you wanted with little plastic animals set on top, hence the name. It had to be at least a couple of gallons of ice cream in it. It was so much fun there. It looks like and old fashion soda shop and they also had an old fashioned candy shop you could visit while you were there. They had every kind of candy you could imagine. They had lots of penny candies in jars like candy stores use to be in the old days. That’s place was so cool. If I had the money I would open one just like it again. I think we could all use some of those old fashioned fun experiences these days. Anyone else agree? 🙋🏼♀️ Does anyone else remember Farrell’s? If so, I’d love to hear what you remember about your experience there.
I went to Farrells when I was 10. Instead of "the zoo" they had the "pigs trough" it was 6 scoops of ice cream, all the toppings. I finished that and a burger and fries. Oh to be 10 years old and on a growing spurt! It was delicious!
Pretty much remember everything just the way you described it. I went to one that was just on the outskirts of Daly City, CA right near a big mall named Serramonte Center. I loved their black &white sundae with chocolate topping & whipped cream on top with a cherry. Fun memories. I also remember that most locations had a big band organ or player piano that played music nonstop
I was at Farrell's near UCLA on my 21st birthday with a few friends. After polishing off a three scoop hot fudge sundae, my friends surprised me with the free birthday sundae, which I could not eat. Plus the guy hitting the bass drum right behind me nearly blew my head off. Fun times!
This video listed a few I have memories of, or can recall with some clarity. Beefsteak Charlies - Me and my family ate at one in Bethesda, Maryland back in late 1984 or early 1985. I remember me and my sister (God rest her soul) sharing a HUGE ice cream sundae - Mom snapped a picture of the two of us wolfing it down like ice cream was going to disappear tomorrow. Kenny Roger's Roasters - There were a couple of them in my hometown, and the rotisserie chicken was SO good! For a couple of years, it was my go-to place for birthday meals and other special occasions, then it suddenly folded. Farrell's - I vaguely remember one near a Sears in San Diego back when I was about 5 or 6 years old. We went there every once in a while. Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips - Shortly after the Avenues Mall opened (about 1992 or thereabouts), Arthur Treacher's was one of the available eateries at the food court. I kinda wish I gave it a try when it was there - this video made it sound like I really missed out. Steak & Ale - Never ate there, but I remember there used to be one on the Arlington Expressway long ago. It sounds like I missed out on something good. Howard Johnson's - There used to be one on an overpass up in the north side of Chicago - you'd pass under it if you were going to O'Hare, and I think it was in shot in the original Blues Brothers (scene was Aykroyd and Belushi using a nearby payphone, and Carrie Fisher tried roasting the both of 'em with a flamethrower). That one became a Wendy's before my family relocated to Jacksonville, FL in late 1985.
There were 2 ho jo's in the 904, one on phillips highway south of where the avenues mall was built, and 1 in st. Augustine on A1A near downtown, both long gone now, the steak and ale on Arlington Expressway was awesome in its heyday. We had a Kenny Roger's Roasters on baymeadows rd and one in mandrin on san jose blvd, neither lasted more than 5 years
@@darlahouston4670 Right you are. My dad was in the Navy, and we moved a lot when I was a kid. Before I was 10, I lived in 7 different places (2 in Illinois, 4 in California, and 1 in Florida).
Kinda surprised Ryan's didn't make the list. When I was a kid my parents loved going there for dinner, and there was maybe 2 or 3 locations around us. Last time I went though the prices were getting outrageous and the quality of service had dwindled, and that was about 6 years ago. Our favorite location got leveled and turned into a car wash, the second closest closed down sometime last year, only thing closest now is a golden corral, but that places reputation has nose dived heavily in the past decade.
Bankers sok you dry. Not too difficult. They jack up commodity prices, so a place has to give you half or inferior. Eventually everybody will be serving potatoes and pasta and ketchup. Like in the Soviet Union. Actually they do. The pizza stores don't put any spices in their pizza sauce. It is just tomato sauce.
Ryans was primarily a steakhouse that morphed into an all you can eat Buffett and was successful until the food quality just became too obvious.the last few times I ate at one the food was awful with reheated vegetables with zero flavor and stale desserts and undrinkable tea and soda
You mean the Monte Crisco? Lol I loved S&A and Bennigans, but I never did develop a taste for the deep fried fat sandwich sprinkled with powdered sugar lol
I'm sorry about the loss of Souplantation. Decent food, not stupidly priced. I used to go to the one on Fletcher Parkway in La Mesa after dialysis. Cheap, easy way to recharge.
Our Ponderosa Steakhouse closed, our Friendly's closed, our Wendy's closed, Bob Evans was torn down a few weeks ago. Long John Silver's closed due to not passing the code regulations. The fiber glass insulation in the ceiling was falling down & people still went there. Howard Johnson's closed years ago & about 50 miles from us the place that sold turkey & all the delicious things that went with it closed. I think it was called Turkey Hill. The turkey sandwiches were so good. We lose all the old favorites & get all the new fast food places. Maybe we don’t want fast food. Sometimes we'd just like to take our time & have real food.
Philly. Horn & Hardart. Which I had totally forgotten about until I read your comment! They had everything from fruit to sandwiches to entrées. And desserts of course!
There’s still a Red Barn Restaurant in Osgood, IN when, I lived in the area, I ate there all the time. I so, miss Burger Chef, that was one of the most loved restaurants growing up in the 70s. Let’s not forget Bonanza’s, Rustler’s and PC Peppercorn’s the cafeteria style steakhouses, PC. Peppercorn’s was on the higher end. I remember Pondarosa came later. Long John Silver’s also had malt vinegar that sat on the tables. Now Mrs. Paul’s frozen fish sticks and, fillets was the best frozen fish you could buy. Steak N’ Ale wasn’t bad, I ate at a few different location, the last time, I ate at one was in Dallas , Texas late at night after a long day of traveling.
@@jamesrobertson7906 I eat out all the time, you got to enjoy life while you can, I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t allow others to dictate what I do. Well, as far as that food that anyone felt that wasn’t able to get there fare share, well, no one never went to those restaurants to eat like a pig, so, I am sure their is plenty for everyone and, if it’s not their cup of tea, I am sure someone won’t mind chowing down on the leftovers. I sure some little lost puppy will come along and get the 🦴 as long as it Burger King or McDonald’s even a dog doesn’t deserve that remanufactured sh💩t ! Lol
@@jamesrobertson7906 that was a great joke. Could you imagine if you actually caused every restaurant you eat at to close. The world would hunt you faster than Dr Frankenstein's monster! 😂🤣😂🤣😂
3:10 Hardee's absorbed Burger Chef in 1981. And in 1998, Carl Karcher Enterprises (Carl's Jr.) bought out Hardee's (which was in financial trouble). Since the name was so well-known, they elected to leave the Hardee's name intact, and only slowly change the menu. This has worked well, and if you didn't know you'd just assume that Hardee's found their way after a rocky patch in the 90s.
Crumbs was awesome. There was a location by my college. I remember walking there on Friday nights for a special treat. I miss this grasshopper and red velvet cupcakes.
I grew up eating at the souplantation and Loved it! It was lots of healthy fresh food but tasted way better than other buffets. I can’t believe they closed down! I’m guessing the sweet tomatoes in Portland also closed down. That really sucks. They had amazing salads and soup and the BEST cornbread ever!!!
Most people outside of the South won't remember this. They used to be a fast food chain called Colonel Dixie. And yes they had an old Confederate colonel for their symbol. But the food was damn good. They collapsed down to one run down crappy restaurant with no original menu in Mobile Alabama. A couple of years ago someone bought the franchise and started it back up with the original menu. I don't know how much longer they can last with that Confederate colonel. But I do hope the food hangs around after he's gone.
@@monkeywkeys3916 Imagine being so mentally ill that people talking about soup triggers your paranoid schizophrenia and you have to shoehorn your stolen political beliefs into it
I miss Ponderosa & Ground Round. Two of my favorites growing up. Another was Friendlies, which I honestly thought was extinct, until I was able to get my childhood favorite 'Reeces Peanut Butter Cup Sunday' at a Myrtle Beach location, after moving from Upstate NY to South Carolina in 2013.
Chi-Chi's had a few locations in Belgium in the mid-90s. I remember it well, it was fantastic. No easy task to find that quality anywhere anymore around these parts.
I would kill to have Arthur Teachers back. I ate there at least 4 times a week in Virginia. So good! I looked up the recipe but it was nowhere near the taste.
That food from ChiChis looks so good! One place I wish was successful in it’s expansion is Taco Cabana. It’s only in Texas and unfortunately stayed successful in Texas. My family and I moved to another state and years later they opened a few franchises here that didn’t make it. One location is now a Starbucks and I always remember when we would eat there when it was a Taco Cabana. Another food chain I absolutely miss is Hometown Buffet. That was the place to be every weekend with the family. I won’t forget Bill Johnson’s Big Apple as well. Now that was the place to get some good BBQ. I live by where one of the locations used to be. It’s still the same building only it’s a pediatric dentistry now. Ahhh memories!
That would be great. There is still what amounts to a Treacher's location operating under a family name in my home city. The fish is the same, same menu items. Two piece fish with chips and hush puppies is $8.49 currently.
My father explained to me when I was a kid how McDonald's and Burger King head really walked all over Burger Chef. At the time I really didn't understand the process but all I remember is really missing them
I live in a small town and a friend of mine runs a sandwich shop that his grandma opened up here back in the 1960’s. Anyways a few years ago a subway sandwich shop literally opened up across the street from it. Pretty unbelievable. The shop is still going but it struggles really bad ever since subway came to town. I know when Walmart came to our town like 25 years ago it destroyed several businesses. Someday it seems like just a handful of companies are gonna own and operate everything.
Liked Chi-Chi's, but the 2 I miss the most are Steak n Ale and Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips. I don't understand how mainstream chain steak and seafood restaurants that still survive to this day are around when their food is not half as good as those restaurants were.
Actually what destroyed Howard Johnson's was mismanagement and the Name change in the 90's. They chained the name to HoJo's which Peeved off the actual customers. That led to a boycott of not going there. They changed the name to be more hip and try to bring in younger patrons what it really did was alienate the actual travelr customer base. There were several articles about it and it was acutally a case study in economics class in the 90's.
Trying to be hip by telling people to bring their prostitutes there. If you drove by and saw the name change you'd think they went out of business and a new company are catering to the nightlife now. They just didn't think that new name through.
Contrary to the newer generations of MBAs, quality control is crucial. Cute commercials won't cut it and name changes are a major indicator of failure.
Arther Treacher's was the best! Their fish & chips were awesome with malt vinegar. You didn't mention Nedicks which was popular in NYC. Their hot dogs on that special toasted bun were legendary!
Arthur Treacher's was a fun family dinner for my Dad, Mum, and brother would enjoy family time. My father tried over and over again would try to emulate the fish batter recipe. I do miss being his culinary guinea pig.
I miss Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse, a Canadian-themed restaurant chain where the buildings were made to resemble lodges. The location I went to in Maryland had a moose statue out front and a bunch of stuffed animal heads, an animatronic fish that flopped on its mount, an animatronic stuffed raccoon that peeked out of a barrel and looked around on occasion and an animatronic Christmas tree that lit up, opened its eyes, and spoke. One of the heads, Bill the Buffalo, also talked. I liked the bread and food there, but I loved the atmosphere. It was so cheerful and charming there. We often went on birthdays and the waiters would come out with a little cake and a moose puppet and sing a Bugaboo Creek birthday song. I have so many birthday pictures with that moose puppet growing up and I still know every word of that song. It’s only recently that I’ve really come to appreciate just how creepy that restaurant was (in a good way!). Bill the Buffalo would talk about all of the dishes that the restaurant offered and since this was a steakhouse, those dishes often involved meat. Imagine the irony of a stuffed buffalo head promoting all of the wonderful meat dishes served at a steakhouse! The Christmas tree at the location I went to was kept up year-round in the lobby. It was supposed to talk as well, but it broke when I was little and I don’t remember what it was supposed to say. Years later, my family came to the restaurant and the tree turned on while we were waiting for a table! The lights turned on, the eyes opened and closed and the mouth moved. No sound came out. It stayed like that until they turned off the animatronics. You call that fixed!? Unfortunately, there was a fire at the location I went to in the 2000s and the chain rebranded to BC Steakhouse shortly after. They turned off the animatronics and attempted to create a more upscale vibe, which kind of ruined the restaurant’s charm. The chain’s parent company went bankrupt and the last restaurant closed in 2016. I haven’t found anything quite like it since.
In the early 90s I had a friend who lived near one of these and at that time they had a Turkey Gobbler burger that I never forgot - a turkey burger with cranberry mayo on a slightly sweet roll. It was so good.
Still have the mason jar mug from when the place first showed up in my area. My sister later worked at it, wearing the Moosebreath nametag; the barbecue sauce was ketchup, molasses and liquid smoke according to a handout she brought home.
Oh man, Chi-Chi’s… I had such a soft spot, because as a kid when we were really poor, it was the only place at the time that gave free chips & salsa (2 kinds, no less, and also gave free refills of all) and was the only place that had free refills on more than just water - albeit on ice tea only - still wasn’t common for drinks at the time… we could eat cheap, get full, and the food was pretty good (and sometimes my mom would splurge on margaritas on the rocks (for herself, not me as a child!)) which was supposedly the best at the time
My dad was a Lums fanatic as a young man. And even though the chain was gone by the time my brother and I were growing up, every time we had hot dogs, Dad would reminisce about Lums hot dogs and how they were still the best he'd ever tasted. Made me wish I could have tasted one just once. My defining best hot dog place growing up was The Orange Tree in the mall. All of the ones here closed some time ago, though. Not even sure if the franchise still exists anywhere. Alas, the cruel and merciless march of time erodes all things.
I had great memories of Lum's. They had such a nice vibe. Growing up in Boca Raton FL in the 70's there was every sort of diner/chain like the " Clock " " Ranch House " and you just name it. Makes me sad watching America erode.
@@andyokus5735 I feel you, man. There's an utter contempt by many in charge for small businesses, including restaurants and even small franchises. They're handing this nation over to the oligarchs and mega-corporations and destroying the middle class by taking away our ability to become successful and to contribute to American culture.
@@russell3380 Yes, I went to both, especially the SB location as it was where I took my MBCC crew during lunch breaks. Ollie Burgers, dogs steamed in beer and many "Frosty Schooners" were popular with everyone!
Excellent presentation and obviously well researched! I remember how Stuckey's vanished from the interstate highways and lately they're popping up like mushrooms... Interesting
I was heartbroken to see Sweet Tomatoes close due to the pandemic. There was one about 10 minutes from my home next to the movie theater I go to. My dad and I loved going there to enjoy all the food they had as we could stuff ourselves without feeling guilty lol.
I wasnt. I was a Sweet Tomatoes fan growing up however about 6 years ago I went and there were people literally grabbing off the buffet w their hands. Staff did nothing, went back once more after and the same shit was happening. Disgusting.
@@AMCustomCoasters *I was a Sweet Tomatoes fan growing up however about 6 years ago I went and there were people literally grabbing off the buffet w their hands. Staff did nothing, went back once more after and the same shit was happening.* Were the people doing this minorities? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
Of all those, I miss ChiChis the most. They had the best Chiliconqueso dip on the planet and no one’s repeated the recipe correctly. Their lunch buffet was an amazing value too. I think it was $7 for unlimited trips. Also, I believe there’s still a former Red Barn restaurant building in Niagara Falls ON. Look in your city. If you see an oddly shaped barn building - chances are it was a Red Barn too.
I think i've seen abandoned red barns in a couple cities before, they seemed out of place since most barns and sheds aren't in the city like that, so that might've been those restaurants.
I like a number of things at ChiChis but the favorite was the bar side. 2-fer Margaritas over seafood nachos. Never found a seafood style nacho like it.
My father used to talk about “Gino’s” which was a chicken restaurant that he said was pretty big in its day. Philadelphia area, apparently they still operate one restaurant in King of Prussia, PA. “Everyone goes to Gino’s, cause everywhere else is closed.”
Gino's was started by Gino Marchetti. As a kid in the 80s I remember them having KFC as well. When I was in college I worked at a former Gino's location that was a Roy Rogers. I was cleaning out above the walk in cooler and found unopened packages of KFC 20 piece chicken buckets from 1983 congratulating the Orioles for winning the World Series. Took them all home and later sold them on Ebay
Cuz Gino's is the place to go. The Gino's in my town is now an Auto Zone. Before it was Gino's it was a Burger Chef and my oldest brother worked there . Whatever burgers didn't sell by the end of the night, he brought them home. That was like 55 years ago. This has truly been a trip down memory lane.
My dad worked at burger chef when he was young. I miss chi-chi's and Arthur treachers. Growing up in Columbus I ate there a lot. There is still a place in grandview that sells the same recipe in an old Arthur treachers. Omg farrells!!! Loved that place too!!! Unfortunately covid caused a lot of restaurant closers, especially buffets.
My brother's first job was at a Lum's. I miss York Steak House and Bonanza Steak House, as my mother would treat me to a meal there if I behaved when we were shopping. Where we went depended upon which mall we were around. I used to live in Lauderhill FL around 1989 to 1992 and remember a Brown's Chicken & Biscuits I used to frequent...not sure if they are still around, but I haven't seen one since I left Florida.
It's ironic that both Beefsteak Charlie's and Chi-Chi's occupied the same building in Albany, NY at different times. It was a Macaroni Grill for the last 25 years or so, but sadly that too is now shuttered.
I used to eat at the original Macaroni Grill in Leon Springs Texas pretty regularly. It was very near the neighborhood that Phil Romano lived in, and he actually worked there. (At least occasionally) That place was awesome. Great old rustic limestone building (that all the chain stores copied later on). After the company was sold, the original store fell victim to a flash flood or two and closed, but I believe that the original Rudy's BBQ is still next door. I haven't been down that way in a while.
We used to have a Red Barn where I live in Indiana. The building is still there. It was a daycare for a while, but now it usually sits empty, for sale.
I knew one of the heirs of Howard Johnson's. She told me the reason why Howard Johnson's went out of business. When her grandfather the owner of Howard Johnson's had died he left the Howard Johnson's business to all of his grandchildren. "They all wanted to be the boss" she told me. Arguments broke out and nobody was getting anywhere. She sold her share to the others and slowly afterwards Howard Johnson's went kaput because of the fighting. Some family heirs did hold onto some Howard Johnson's motels and restaurants.
Soup Plantation was a real bummer, as it really wasn't their fault at all. One of the rare restaurants that presented all the healthy stuff up front, but gave you plenty of options to get sample pizza slices or get stuffed on soft serve ice cream at the end if that was your thing. I miss that spot. It's just a dead space in the strip mall now.
Did any of your favorite chains disappear?
Used to love Arthur Treachers. Was my favorite fast food seafood place. Best fish & Great fries.
Ponderosa Steakhouse absolutely love that place
@@chrisbennett3193 I watch a junker who picked up 6 chairs with the P on the back from a closed Ponderosa in Allentown PA cool looking
All the Friendly’s we used to go to are gone. PA & NJ
Bennigan's
In the 70's many restaurants used to be really dark with dark furniture, like steak and ale. I loved that, now everything is very bright with TV's everywhere.
Those TVs are so annoying. Just ruin the environment. If they won’t turn them off, I go elsewhere.
@@k.chriscaldwell4141
Me too. Also avoid gas pumps with video ads blaring.
@@k.chriscaldwell4141 it’s worse when they’re playing shitty music and refuse to change the station. TV is easier to avoid.
I used to LOVE Steak and Ale! The one in my New Orleans neighborhood (Veterans Drive location) still had the dark furniture and general feel that Steak and Ale had 50 years ago. It closed about 13 years ago, and now I tend to go to Longhorns.
That sounds gloomy and depressing. No wonder there were so many serial killers in the 70s.
Man… going out to eat in the 1970s- 1980s was an absolute treat! I’m so thankful to have been able to live back then.
I had that feeling at In N Out burger in Houston feel like a kid again
We loved Howard Johnson's & stayed there on our honeymoon in 1966 in Niagara Falls, New York. We loved their food, especially their fried clams & steak. On a trip in in 1974 we drove 50 extra miles to eat there. An old Howard Johnson's restaurant is about 15 miles from us & it's sad to see it starting to fall down after having been sold.
Miss Steak & Ale the most. Best prime ribs anywhere. Can’t believe they are gone since 2008.
I remember that place. I was just a kid back in the 80's, and we ate there whenever my family visited my great grandparents.... good times:)
I was a busboy at one and loved working there.
Loved their steaks and salad bar!
Yes steak and ale was delicious
Love that place. My dad and I used to go there and just talk. And eat a lot of fresh-baked bread and butter. I miss the restaurant chain Houston's. They had freshly-prepared dressings, a great ribeye, excellent soups and salads. They had a key lime pie with fresh prepared whipped cream, in-season limes, and a nut crust.
I’m from California, and I was devastated to hear of souplantation closing. It was my favorite buffet because of its healthy California cuisine
souplantation's refusal to reopen after the pandemic is illegal.
@@SamSitar Why?
Politics and Bad Science killed Sweet Tomatoes and Soup Plantation.
@@allanfifield8256 They were already in financial trouble. It only put the nail in the already closed coffin due to mismanagement.
🍲 Souplantation didn’t have enough variety, = boring food 🥘
The Chi-Chi's that had the hepatitis outbreak is near my home. It was at the Beaver Valley Mall in Monaca, PA. One of the people who died was an old friend of mine from my old church.
All the Mexican based restaurants in the western PA had a hard time for months after that. Truth is, that box of contaminated onions could have ended up at any other restaurant.
Fast forward to current times... contaminated produce (and other foods for that matter) being recalled are a regular occurrence.
I worked at Chi-Chi's in Ohio when it happened. It was a mess.
So sorry for your loss.
I'm Australian but went to college in America. Chi Chi's was where I had my first Tex-Mex and I have loved it ever since.
So I find that one kind of sad.
The one I find odd id Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips. Being Australian fish & chips is a staple down here, but the true style of batter is very light and crispy almost like a heavier Tempura. The American style of battered fish with that thick hard batter just isn't the same.
Even though I am an Illini I still remember that incredible Nittany Lions team that beat Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. That was one of the best sporting moments of the entire 1980s and I knew people who won Olympic medals in the 80s.
I’m from North Pittsburgh I remember well. I loved Chi Chi’s. It’s was really sad. I would love a plate of Ho Jos fried clams! Several old faves here.!
When I heard Souplantation was closing for good I was devastated I visited every month with my family. We loved it because it was a unique concept, a healthy buffet instead of one filled with pure greasy fried foods. Such a shame it couldn't survive, I hope something similar comes back
The named would have been doomed from inception today and not without justification. I can just see one across from a Ssambo's.
Think they should rename it Tobbys?
We had something super similar in Northern California called Fresh Choice, LOVED that place as a kid. Unfortunately, that chain also met its maker.
I loved souplantation and I made their soup on my own since I love the soup
Ive been going since the womb no joke and kept going till a week before covid lockdowns they had barely remodeled our location to a quicker more express version and everything. I was sad I'm 28 so 26-27 years going 😞
This is all back when Restaurants served good old fashioned meals and also excellent quality of the food it's so nostalgic I so wish I could go back to those days as my full grown self and visit these Restaurants once again!
Yes there are several on this list I would love to revisit!
Seriously, everything nowadays has gotta be such a turd
A little trivia for you about Farrell's: Bob Farrell coined the term, "Give 'em the pickle." It was his way of saying, "we don't charge for little things like catsup, mints, extra sauce, pickles, etc when requested." He knew that those charges were just annoyances to the customer, so he just sort of averaged out the yearly cost of such things and added into the price of the meals. It's hard to believe, but before that, restaurants DID charge for every little thing.
Fun fact: Staples requires its employees to watch that video.
Farrell's has a to be a reference in the SpongeBob Square Pants Movie 😂 🍦
Now give 'em the pickle" means something else
I worked at a place where that was a saying they used. They insisted it was a saying. I'd never heard it before, or since until I read this. I do not believe it's a real saying.
@@K37-h1z customer service based companies often use a motivational simminar of his in workshops
I miss Bonanza/Ponderosa. We’d occasionally go there back in the days when we mostly ate at home. We didn’t even order steaks there because their food bar was so huge.
Amen
The $.99 steak night was so good for a big date night. Times sure have changed.
Ponderosa was my spot. Pandemic closed our local Ponderosa. Buffet plus beef tips was my fav. Plus the dessert bar.
There is STILL A PONDEROSA In Warren, Ohio on Elm Road, just south of the Route 5/82 bypass! They have a senior buffet with beverage, Monday through Saturday. Lunch is till 3PM. Chicken and meatloaf in the buffet. They sell steak for an added price. This is NE Ohio
Both of our local ponderosa steak house are closed now. One just 2 years ago.😢😢😢 My dad, grandfather and I went there every Tuesday.
Miss Farrel's, as kids we went there and would have loved to take my children there. It was a place you never forget. My brother still has a ribbon from finishing the " pig's trough"!
I remember the "pig's trough." That was a LOT of ice cream.
❤️ their milkshake, great birthday restaurant
Kenny Rogers Roasters absolutely rocked. Awesome chicken with the most incredible sides. 30 years later I still express my desire for their return.
Didn't Minnie Pearl have a chicken restaurant?
It’s the wood that makes it good 👍
They are still in the Philippines in many areas, in a few months I will be there again eating some good food.
Shakey’s Pizzerias were all across the US. Loved to go to eat their pizzas and sandwiches. But now are limited to California . Stuckeys were a good stopping points across the southern interstates which will be missed.
Pretty sure there are a few in Washington. I know of at least one.
One of my neighbors ended up working for Shakey's as a buyer of raw ingredients. Samples were used to make test pizzas before orders were made for bulk purchases. The last I heard, he owns a radio station in Indiana.
Shakey's had the best pizza.
Shakey's Pizza is still going strong in the Philippines
yeah shakey's is still a thing in california. They really need to renovate some of the restaurants though, they are starting to look very tired inside
Most of these had the exact same problem. Over expansion from a few locations to multiple hundreds in a decade or less. Just because a restaurant sells well at a few locations does not make you the next McDonald's and does not mean you should try and increase the locations from a few to 250+ in a decade. Some sell well in one locale because it is a type of food that does well in that area. Also over saturating any market is bad especially if what you serve is niche. McDonald's can have a ton of restaurants and be fairly close together because of the popularity of burgers in general. You can not do that with a fish and chips restaurant or a place that specializes in something really niche like cupcakes or an all salad place. I do miss the all soup and salad and baked potato buffet concept though. You do not feel so bad about overeating a bit when what you are eating is all at least okay for you health wise. Never had a Sweet Tomatoes where I live but we did have one with the same concept called Souper Salad.
Look what happened to Krispie Kreme.
Right. 👍 Some of those restaurants, the food is not popular in the areas they opened in.
I agree. I remember in the 90's you could stand on Westheimer Rd at one Starbucks and look down the road and see another one.
McDonald's doesn't make most of its money off of the food but real estate. The company owns the land the restaurants are built on and the franchisees pay rent.
@@rickposter3534 Really? Our McDonalds is in a parking lot
ChiChi’s was one of the first restaurants I remembered going to as a kid. My family didn’t have a lot of money when I was growing up(we weren’t in thee worst possible shape either) but I remember ChiChi’s being kinda cheap and delicious. It was a way for my parents to get out and spend time together with each other and us kids because my parents mainly had opposite schedules. And I remember if it was good pay check when we went or if my parents wanted us kids to enjoy the evening more than we were for going out to eat we’d go to the Toys R Us on the other end of the parking lot. I remember those times fondly as well as the rare occasions of having ChiChi’s, going to Toy’s R Us, walking around there, going to the book store down the street and walking around there before going home
Was this at maplewood mall in Minnesota?
It’s the little things that can make all the difference
I was about to ask if this was Delaware but the comment already here tells me there was more than one Chi-Chi's near a Toys R Us in the US.
Chi-Chi's was the spot back in the 80's and 90's. It was the red lobster of Mexican Quinine.
What a nice memory!
I loved going to Horn and Hardart with my grandmother when we went shopping. I miss it and her.
I think you & I had the same like minded Nan. We would go to Wanamaker’s at Cross County in Yonkers NY & afterward go for lunch at H&H. Grilled cheese please. I still have some of those little glass creamers they served w/coffee.
@@samanthab1923 My uncle took me for lunch at Wanamakers in Philadelphia when he was home from school. He called it the DAR restaurant. He always got pepperpot soup and I got something more appetizing and a chocolate soda. I love thinking about these old memories.
I miss the Pondoroso. They served steaks, and an awesome salad bar.
My family went there when I was a kid. I would fill up at the salad bar before the meal was served.
Same here. Nothing fancy, just good food, and good memories.
There was a Pondoroso near me that I never went to. It got replaced by a car wash
PONDEROSA still has a restaurant in Warren, Ohio NE OHIO, on Elm Road south of the Route 5/82 Bypass. At lunch, they have a senior buffet for $10! Includes a drink. Chicken and meatloaf in the buffet. Steaks are extra.
Also, I believe there is another one in ALLIANCE, Ohio.
i adored souplantation. since i lived in arizona, it was called sweet tomatoes, but i’ve visited the actual souplantation, and it made me very sad to hear my favorite places were closing :(
I miss Damon’s Grill the most. The atmosphere they had when trivia first started was amazing. They had a dedicated MC who gave out prizes for winners and they had an audio box at each table so you could pick which sporting event you wanted volume on. Truly genius. Hope someday another chain brings both aspects back.
Man, I grew up absolutely killing it at the trivia events they used to have! god I miss those days. shoveling loaf after loaf of their onion straws down my gullet, wiping off the bbq sauce from my fingers so I could hit the buttons on the little kiosk thingy they had for the trivia....That shit was my childhood man.
The food was gross though.
@@dukey19941 When? I worked at the Damons at French market and we had fantastic food.
My wife and I spent New Years Eve 1999 at Damon's in Tucson, AZ.
I had an umbrella from a Damon's and when it but the dust I was so sad.
I recall Lums fondly. My Dad was a regional manager for them in South Florida in the 1970s. You forgot to mention the great "Lumberjack" sandwiches! Great stuff.
I live in Louisville and have been to the Ollie's trolley here. had no ideal thats where it came from.
I loved their hot roast beef sandwich.
Lums tacos and mic drafts served in those large heavy frosted goblet glasses, yeah had many a buzz lunch at Lums
Have fond memories of Lums on Miami Beach ⛱️!
Jonny Rockets, Marie Callender's, Long John Silvers & Home Town Buffet are 4 that I remember that completely vanished.
You missed Coco’s and Sparrow’s. How dare you!?
WOW 😲😳 that's too many invisible disappearing inks fell on top of those restaurants.
I can’t believe Hometown Buffet closed down. It’s the only place where one could meet municipal employees and it felt very blue collar - moreso than a Denny’s or McDonald’s, even.
Arthur Treacher's had the best tartar sauce. They added a touch of Dill to it.
Supposedly there's only one left, in Ohio, but I swear there's one on the middle of Long Island, NY. Or at least there was pre-Covid. Driven by it a few times but never stopped.
I just had Arthur Treachers today. The “last” standalone one is in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The brand is owned by Nathan’s so there is the possibility of other restaurants.
@@kdevine7800 really? , I thought they were all gone..😢
On hood✋🏾 I was Devastated when we lost Arthur best fish and chips
I loved their corn dogs.
My first job was at Kenny Rogers Roasters. The food was really good. Nowadays it's hard to find a place with chicken, turkey and sides as good as KRR.
Is that out of business now? I never heard of that restaurant.
The closest to that kind of menu would be Boston Market
I always saw those in Malaysia but had never seen one in the US. They were really good though.
@@joshferguson9369 Are they expensive?
@@TrinhNguyen-sh4fj No it wasn't expensive but it was good. The one I went to is in KL.
We had a Lum's in the small Florida town where I went to high school. What I remember most fondly was the courtesty pickle bowl on each table that held pickled vegetables.
Loved Arthur Treachers! We would go eat there after we left the library on Saturdays. Our mom, myself age 7 and my sister 11 sprinkling malt vinegar over those fish and chips and snarfling down tartar sauce and then we go home and I got to read for a large chunk of Saturday.
What a great memory. My dad has never been big on fast food if any type but I recall a time where we went to Arthur Treachers as a family. He must have been impressed by the quality of the food offerings for the price as he's always been value conscious. Don't recall the food in any way but remember the decor with the bright green and gold.
Long jlohn silver was their replacement
I worked at Bennigan’s. I ate at Bennigan’s. They used to serve a chef salad so good that people would tear their lettuce that was used as decoration to continue eating the salad because the dressings were so delicious. I miss that place
I used to go there with my parents as a kid & the potato soup was my favorite thing to get, my mom got the recipe off a worker before they closed. Also can’t forget about the shamrock cookies
We used to take a long lunch at work every Friday at Bennigan's. I loved eating there.
m
Garlic mashed potatoes
We got drunk there after work, in Albuquerque
Grew up eating at Farrell's in Redondo Beach CA in the early to mid 70s... What a magic time and place to be a kid.
I always just took the idea of combo meals and salad bars to be a given, but it’s crazy to know that the creators of these things were specific chains that went out of business before I was even born.
nothing is a given
And 45 cents for all three.
We had a Burger Chef that didn't get changed to Hardee's (thought we have several of those too). It is now a locally owned placed called The Chef and still has the iconic shape.
We miss Burger Chef. Way better than McDonalds.
Cool. Imagine maintaining that weird-shaped building.
@@ladonnaghareeb4609 I don't remember it being Burger Chef but it has good food today!
@@AlvaSudden It's very neat. The inside hasn't changed much either from what I've seen.
There was a Burger Chef in my hometown. The only fast food place in town actually besides Dairy Queen (which didn't have any seats). In the early '80s it changed to a small local fast food chain called Pleasers, not a Hardee's. I'd heard if a Hardee's was in an X mile radius they didn't convert them and sold the building. A McDonalds was put in down the street about '92 so that closed the Pleasers. It was bulldozed a year or so later and a Wendy's was put up. They were selling drugs in the drive thru. Didn't know that until it was in the papers a couple years after I'd left for college. If only Burger Chef had still been around right?
Arthur Treachers, I live in Columbus Ohio. There is 2. The second is called Marino's Fish and Chips now. Near OSU on 5th Ave. I go once a month for the all you can eat fish on Saturday's...Sadly it is only open 4 days a week. Wednesday-Saturday and only lunch.
Burger Chef was awesome when I was a kid.... It was the 1st burger chain to come to our town. and it was CHEAP. We loved going in and watching the gas fired chain driven burger grill. I had friends that worked there ,in high school ,that were SO glad when they got rid of it as it was a nightmare to clean every night.
Burger Chef was two blocks from my house back in the day. I loved those Burger Chef commercials. The food was good, and I remember the Star Wars promo as well.
My mom worked at the Burger Chef in my hometown in Indiana when I was little. The burgers at Burger Chef were awesome
They use an electrically heated version of those to process reflow solder on circuit boards in some places. We had two at Microdyne that had been replaced by a multi zone Heller reflow oven.
An abandoned burger chef exists in Brookhaven GA.
Our favorite fish & chip shop when I was growing up was H Salt, Esq. No idea how many are still around; my current hometown of Sacramento has one on the edge of the downtown district.
We have a few still here in LA.
Yes, we had one on El Camino Real Drive in San Bruno. Love them. I can remember taking out food there almost every Friday nights after I got off work. They always wrapped the food in newspapers
@SomeBBCAction Wow, nice that there still around. Can't beat H Salt Esquire for fish & chips with malt vinegar on them. Do they still wrap them up in old newspaper when you get take out?
Yum …
I'm from Bellevue. Hearing the last Lums left was that one kinda makes me smile!
Souplantation was the best buffet ever. I loved working up a huge appetite outdoors and going there to wolf down a ton of somewhat healthy food.
I experienced Soup Plantation when I first got to San Diego. It was weird, that you went through the salad line before you paid. To me, it was expensive for what you got, but I lived close to several casinos with cheap but monumental buffets. I'm more of a carnivore, that a vegan. Unhappily, the casinos all built hotels and cater to "whales," rather than the area residents. (They used to be $5 for a buffet dinner, but now most are closer to $50).
Politics and Bad Science killed Sweet Tomatoes and Soup Plantation.
Never realized Kenny Rogers Roasters was gone...I remember one in Boulder Station in Vegas. Now I live in the Philippines and visit the restaurant regularly here.
The ice cream at sweet tomatoes (souplantation) was probably my favorite thing about going there! They were so good! And the salad bar wasn't half bad, I liked dining there.
I loved Burger Chef! My grandmother used to take me there when I was little. Good memories!
I miss Lum’s. Right out of college I got a job in 1989 as a manager at Lum’s in South Burlington, VT. Even then it was one of the few left. I went in the Army the next year, but returned to work there again in 1994 while I looked for something better. Didn’t realize at the time I was part of an ending era! The Ollie Burgers were in fact, pretty good!
I only went to them in FL. They had the Looney Tunes glasses giveaway.
We had a Lum's in Lima, Ohio. Their big draw was that they boiled their hot dogs in beer.
@@mikewrasman5103 Yup
Oh, man, Howard Johnson’s. When I was a kid, we went to HoJo’s ALL. THE. TIME. When we drove to Florida from New Jersey, we stopped at HoJo’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner along the way. Their fried clam roll is still the best fried clams I ever had. Also have fond memories of Arthur Treacher’s. Never had any fish and chips quite like it.
Most of these I never heard of because they're northern or western eateries. Steak n Ale, Arthur Treachers and Howard Johnsons had good food for a short period of time. But like most restaurants they start cutting corners to increase profit margin and after awhile their food turns to trash.
I had never heard of most of these chains before watching this video. The exceptions were Red Barn, Brown Derby, Kenny Rogers Roasters, and Chi-Chi's. I knew of Red Barn from people reminiscing about it, Brown Derby from its cameo appearance at the end of the Disney movie "Fun and Fancy Free", and Kenny Rogers Roasters from a humorous commercial that was commonly on TV in the mid 1990s, that featured Rogers arguing with a drive through attendant over an intercom. Chi-Chi's was the only chain I ever actually ate at, though. My dad worked at one in the early 1990s.
You weren't kidding. Having your birthday party at Farrell's was a big treat. I had several there and it broke my heart to see that wonderful chain close. Same for Chi-Chi's, Sweet Tomatoes, Arthur Treacher's and Howard Johnson's.
Kenny rogers roaster's was a good restaurant, that expanded too fast and didn't do their research about patrons, costs etc. I was sorry to see them go.
Great chicken and cornbread
The Seinfeld episode didn't help matters either.
True the chicken is so good but the price is too high
Boston Chicken was first and had cornered too much of the market before Kenny came around. I saw them in the Philippines though I don't understand how they function as the Lechon Manok or spit roasted whole chicken you find all over the place is much better.
There was one in Cambodia that we always visited when there
I miss Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips. It was a good product that would do well even today so I don't understand it's demise. In general I miss the prevalence of Salad Bars. I remember when Wendy's had an all-you-can-eat salad bar. That was one of my favorite things. Hard to imagine that we will ever see an all-you-can-eat salad bar inside a fast food restaurant ever again with the way prices are going. Also for some of the chain's that still exist today their product has been much diminished. The KFC of the 60's and 70's that I remember growing up was so much better than the KFC of today. Everything about it was much better from the chicken (more flavorful, more plump and less greasy) to the fries and gravy. Maybe that is because I live in Canada and Colonel Sanders retained ownership of the Canadian chain after he sold the U.S. operations and he maintained strict quality control on all of the Canadian restaurants. KFC used to sell "Lunch Boxes" that contained 2 (or 3) pieces of chicken a side of delicious fries (cooked in animal fat not hydrogenated vegetable oil) a delicious side of thick gravy and trademark coleslaw and finished with a slice of tasty "Grecian" bread. You would dunk the bread in the gravy. Sadly not everything gets better with time.
Still 1 original Arthur treachers in the Cleveland area
I remember Arthur Treachers, Red Barn, Burger Chef, Wienerschnitzel, and yeah KFC was better back in the day.
There’s still an Arthur’s in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
I liked Arthur Treacher's as a teen to take out dates.
There's a great fish and chips...proper cod at an Irish pub in my village...run by an actual Irishman and not an Ulsterman by any stretch.
All right on the money, with one exception--I think KFC's chicken pot pie is very good, or was the last time I had it three or four years ago.
I've been to several of these places. I loved Chi-Chi's. I miss the fried ice cream. You can still get their salsa in grocery stores. Burger Chef was next to my local McDonald's. And we used to go to Sweet Tomatoes all the time when we lived in Arizona. Here in NJ we have a similar place called Salad Works. And Arthur Treachers can still be found at rest areas along the NJ Turnpike. There are other chains that are either gone or are: Rustler's Steak House, Sizzler, Roy Rogers(also found at highway rest areas), Ground Round, Gino's, Mr. Donut, are all gone.
Mr. Donut is alive and well in Japan! When I went to Tokyo, I stopped in at one, and the donuts put Dunkin to shame.
You are spot on and if you are wondering which mall has a Arthur Treachers its Bridgewater Commons. Steak and Ale was in Bethlehem PA PA-512 exit US-22 and it closed
Fried ice cream can be had at Carlos O Kelly’s
@@jljordan1 I'm guessing they're not in NJ or the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
I was looking for Rustler's and all the spinoffs of it: Sizzler, Patriot Steakhouse (maybe this was just a Philly thing, but it was the same concept as Rustler's). The first time I ever had steak as a working class kid in Philly in the '70s was Rustler's, and it was a while before I was allowed to graduate from the "chopped steak" to a real one. It was a big deal for my family of seven to go there.
You can get Chi-Chi's salsa in the grocery store. It's pretty close to the flavor I remember. Loved their fajitas, queso and fried ice cream
Chi Chi’s was incredible, that deep fried chimichanga with the gravy poured all over it, to die for…and those Margaritas !!
Chi chis was good
fried ice cream!
@@leosantini6162 hell yeah! i usually skipped dessert in favor of another margarita
The chimichanga was my favorite!!!!
Howard Johnson was a nice place to eat with good food and good prices. I remember Red Barn. I remember burger chef too. I also remember Chi Chis. I also remember Arthur Treachers. There was farrells near my house.
OG God, I remember Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor. I had my birthday there. If you ordered what they called “The Zoo” ( as seen in the video) the employees would run around the room with a kind of stretcher with a large bowl of ice cream sitting in the center of it with banners draped on each side, to the sound of sirens going off. I believe “The Zoo “ had about 50 scoops of whatever ice cream you wanted topped with all the toppings you wanted with little plastic animals set on top, hence the name. It had to be at least a couple of gallons of ice cream in it. It was so much fun there. It looks like and old fashion soda shop and they also had an old fashioned candy shop you could visit while you were there. They had every kind of candy you could imagine. They had lots of penny candies in jars like candy stores use to be in the old days. That’s place was so cool. If I had the money I would open one just like it again. I think we could all use some of those old fashioned fun experiences these days. Anyone else agree? 🙋🏼♀️ Does anyone else remember Farrell’s? If so, I’d love to hear what you remember about your experience there.
I went to Farrells when I was 10. Instead of "the zoo" they had the "pigs trough" it was 6 scoops of ice cream, all the toppings. I finished that and a burger and fries. Oh to be 10 years old and on a growing spurt! It was delicious!
Pretty much remember everything just the way you described it. I went to one that was just on the outskirts of Daly City, CA right near a big mall named Serramonte Center. I loved their black &white sundae with chocolate topping & whipped cream on top with a cherry. Fun memories. I also remember that most locations had a big band organ or player piano that played music nonstop
I was at Farrell's near UCLA on my 21st birthday with a few friends. After polishing off a three scoop hot fudge sundae, my friends surprised me with the free birthday sundae, which I could not eat. Plus the guy hitting the bass drum right behind me nearly blew my head off. Fun times!
@@aura1298 In "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," Ted's kid brother takes Napoleon to an ice cream parlor clearly based on Farrell's.
@@NJGuy1973 no wayyy...duuude.😏
This video listed a few I have memories of, or can recall with some clarity.
Beefsteak Charlies - Me and my family ate at one in Bethesda, Maryland back in late 1984 or early 1985. I remember me and my sister (God rest her soul) sharing a HUGE ice cream sundae - Mom snapped a picture of the two of us wolfing it down like ice cream was going to disappear tomorrow.
Kenny Roger's Roasters - There were a couple of them in my hometown, and the rotisserie chicken was SO good! For a couple of years, it was my go-to place for birthday meals and other special occasions, then it suddenly folded.
Farrell's - I vaguely remember one near a Sears in San Diego back when I was about 5 or 6 years old. We went there every once in a while.
Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips - Shortly after the Avenues Mall opened (about 1992 or thereabouts), Arthur Treacher's was one of the available eateries at the food court. I kinda wish I gave it a try when it was there - this video made it sound like I really missed out.
Steak & Ale - Never ate there, but I remember there used to be one on the Arlington Expressway long ago. It sounds like I missed out on something good.
Howard Johnson's - There used to be one on an overpass up in the north side of Chicago - you'd pass under it if you were going to O'Hare, and I think it was in shot in the original Blues Brothers (scene was Aykroyd and Belushi using a nearby payphone, and Carrie Fisher tried roasting the both of 'em with a flamethrower). That one became a Wendy's before my family relocated to Jacksonville, FL in late 1985.
Duvaalllll!!!!!
There were 2 ho jo's in the 904, one on phillips highway south of where the avenues mall was built, and 1 in st. Augustine on A1A near downtown, both long gone now, the steak and ale on Arlington Expressway was awesome in its heyday. We had a Kenny Roger's Roasters on baymeadows rd and one in mandrin on san jose blvd, neither lasted more than 5 years
SD suks
Your parents must have traveled a LOT
@@darlahouston4670 Right you are. My dad was in the Navy, and we moved a lot when I was a kid. Before I was 10, I lived in 7 different places (2 in Illinois, 4 in California, and 1 in Florida).
Another thing i really miss Chi-Chi's and shoneys at least we still have a bob's big boy here and there plus chi chi's in the grocery ❤
I grew up in Maryland and almost two thirds of these restaurants were there. Sorry to see them go because we had lots of fun there.
The worst loss I know is steak and ale, bonanza, western steer, and western sizzling
I agree, Bonanza and Western Steer were my favorite's.
It was Western Sizzlin' lol but I agree with you
@@oldsguy354 I still eat at my local Western Sizzlin'
Kinda surprised Ryan's didn't make the list. When I was a kid my parents loved going there for dinner, and there was maybe 2 or 3 locations around us. Last time I went though the prices were getting outrageous and the quality of service had dwindled, and that was about 6 years ago. Our favorite location got leveled and turned into a car wash, the second closest closed down sometime last year, only thing closest now is a golden corral, but that places reputation has nose dived heavily in the past decade.
Bankers sok you dry. Not too difficult. They jack up commodity prices, so a place has to give you half or inferior. Eventually everybody will be serving potatoes and pasta and ketchup. Like in the Soviet Union. Actually they do. The pizza stores don't put any spices in their pizza sauce. It is just tomato sauce.
The idea of all you can eat buffets soon wore out mainly because the food just wasn't very good and became highly overpriced.
Ryans was primarily a steakhouse that morphed into an all you can eat Buffett and was successful until the food quality just became too obvious.the last few times I ate at one the food was awful with reheated vegetables with zero flavor and stale desserts and undrinkable tea and soda
Golden corral to me is simply awful food at insane prices and that was before the Biden inflation
There's a Ryan's near me, Columbia SC.
Steak & Ale is the only one I've ever heard of. Bennigans are hard to find too. We used to love the Monte Cristo sandwich from there.
You mean the Monte Crisco? Lol I loved S&A and Bennigans, but I never did develop a taste for the deep fried fat sandwich sprinkled with powdered sugar lol
There is still one in Ocala, Florida, on Hwy40/Silver Springs Blvd.
I'm sorry about the loss of Souplantation. Decent food, not stupidly priced. I used to go to the one on Fletcher Parkway in La Mesa after dialysis. Cheap, easy way to recharge.
There was a Souplantation right near my house. We only went there once after we moved into the Chula Vista area, then COVID happened.
@@andresacosta4832 I was at that one a couple times. Wasn't that just off of 805? I forget the offramp.
@@billh230 Near a Panda Express that has a drive-thru?
@@andresacosta4832 I think you're right. I haven't been that part of CV for a couple of years now. I used to go that way towards Otay Mesa regularly.
Bill, I hope your dialysis is working well for you.
Our Ponderosa Steakhouse closed, our Friendly's closed, our Wendy's closed, Bob Evans was torn down a few weeks ago. Long John Silver's closed due to not passing the code regulations. The fiber glass insulation in the ceiling was falling down & people still went there. Howard Johnson's closed years ago & about 50 miles from us the place that sold turkey & all the delicious things that went with it closed. I think it was called Turkey Hill. The turkey sandwiches were so good. We lose all the old favorites & get all the new fast food places. Maybe we don’t want fast food. Sometimes we'd just like to take our time & have real food.
I'm actually kind of surprised that the pandemic hasn't brought the automat concept back. It was the ultimate no-contact delivery system.
They should bring it back. If an automat had good vegan options I would pay them a visit.
Philly. Horn & Hardart. Which I had totally forgotten about until I read your comment! They had everything from fruit to sandwiches to entrées. And desserts of course!
@@jennoscura2381 Good vegan options.
Yeah! I love of the idea of Automat restaurants! ^_^ They have a few vending machine restaurants in Japan! :D
I read that in NYC and San Francisco there’s a couple automat style places popping up
There’s still a Red Barn Restaurant in Osgood, IN when, I lived in the area, I ate there all the time. I so, miss Burger Chef, that was one of the most loved restaurants growing up in the 70s. Let’s not forget Bonanza’s, Rustler’s and PC Peppercorn’s the cafeteria style steakhouses, PC. Peppercorn’s was on the higher end. I remember Pondarosa came later. Long John Silver’s also had malt vinegar that sat on the tables. Now Mrs. Paul’s frozen fish sticks and, fillets was the best frozen fish you could buy. Steak N’ Ale wasn’t bad, I ate at a few different location, the last time, I ate at one was in Dallas , Texas late at night after a long day of traveling.
Please never eat out again. Every good restraunt you go to is extinct. Save some for us man! Yeesh!!!🤣😂🤣😂
@@jamesrobertson7906 I eat out all the time, you got to enjoy life while you can, I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t allow others to dictate what I do. Well, as far as that food that anyone felt that wasn’t able to get there fare share, well, no one never went to those restaurants to eat like a pig, so, I am sure their is plenty for everyone and, if it’s not their cup of tea, I am sure someone won’t mind chowing down on the leftovers. I sure some little lost puppy will come along and get the 🦴 as long as it Burger King or McDonald’s even a dog doesn’t deserve that remanufactured sh💩t ! Lol
@@jamesrobertson7906 that was a great joke. Could you imagine if you actually caused every restaurant you eat at to close. The world would hunt you faster than Dr Frankenstein's monster! 😂🤣😂🤣😂
@@dcstevens0074 lol🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Bonanza was the best ..
3:10 Hardee's absorbed Burger Chef in 1981. And in 1998, Carl Karcher Enterprises (Carl's Jr.) bought out Hardee's (which was in financial trouble). Since the name was so well-known, they elected to leave the Hardee's name intact, and only slowly change the menu. This has worked well, and if you didn't know you'd just assume that Hardee's found their way after a rocky patch in the 90s.
Burgers in the west, biscuits in the south
Thank you. I’ve wondered why there are 2 different names. Only had Carl’s, and I miss the days when they had Green Burrito too.🥰
I loved burger chef!
Crumbs was awesome. There was a location by my college. I remember walking there on Friday nights for a special treat. I miss this grasshopper and red velvet cupcakes.
Same, near my dorm at Marymount in 08-09. I still miss crumbs even today!
I grew up eating at the souplantation and Loved it! It was lots of healthy fresh food but tasted way better than other buffets. I can’t believe they closed down! I’m guessing the sweet tomatoes in Portland also closed down. That really sucks. They had amazing salads and soup and the BEST cornbread ever!!!
Most people outside of the South won't remember this. They used to be a fast food chain called Colonel Dixie. And yes they had an old Confederate colonel for their symbol. But the food was damn good. They collapsed down to one run down crappy restaurant with no original menu in Mobile Alabama. A couple of years ago someone bought the franchise and started it back up with the original menu. I don't know how much longer they can last with that Confederate colonel. But I do hope the food hangs around after he's gone.
Portland prolly burned it down after seeing a LE officer eating there with his family.
@@monkeywkeys3916 Imagine being so mentally ill that people talking about soup triggers your paranoid schizophrenia and you have to shoehorn your stolen political beliefs into it
I worked for Sweet Tomatoes in Texas, sadly it closed 🥲
Thank the Democrats for their lockdowns.
I miss Ponderosa & Ground Round. Two of my favorites growing up. Another was Friendlies, which I honestly thought was extinct, until I was able to get my childhood favorite 'Reeces Peanut Butter Cup Sunday' at a Myrtle Beach location, after moving from Upstate NY to South Carolina in 2013.
Chi-Chi's had a few locations in Belgium in the mid-90s. I remember it well, it was fantastic. No easy task to find that quality anywhere anymore around these parts.
I would kill to have Arthur Teachers back. I ate there at least 4 times a week in Virginia. So good! I looked up the recipe but it was nowhere near the taste.
Great Video!! This bought back a lot of good memories the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's when family mattered.
Who remembers Bennigans?! Loved the monte cristo
Yes ! The Monte Cristo was great, as well as the desserts.
Yes! Monte was a fav! Also the French Dip 😀
Yes! Their food was reasonably priced, reliable in quality, and tasty. I miss it for a casual lunch or dinner.
I miss steak and ale, Burger chef, and Howard Johnson's. My first job was at a Hardee's that used to be a burger chef when I was a kid.
My very first job was at Burger Chef, along with some friends, we had a blast!
You know you're old when you can recall eating at one of every restaurant mentioned in this video. I'm old.
That food from ChiChis looks so good! One place I wish was successful in it’s expansion is Taco Cabana. It’s only in Texas and unfortunately stayed successful in Texas. My family and I moved to another state and years later they opened a few franchises here that didn’t make it. One location is now a Starbucks and I always remember when we would eat there when it was a Taco Cabana. Another food chain I absolutely miss is Hometown Buffet. That was the place to be every weekend with the family. I won’t forget Bill Johnson’s Big Apple as well. Now that was the place to get some good BBQ. I live by where one of the locations used to be. It’s still the same building only it’s a pediatric dentistry now. Ahhh memories!
Taco Cabana is the worst. I dumped a guy once because I asked him to bring me taco bell and he brought taco cabana instead
Chi-Chis had the best mexican pizza ever.
@@phokang7649 sounds like something a gay dude would say
@@FecalMatador if liking taco bell makes me a gay man that's ok with me
Family went to chi-chi with another family probably twice a month for years!
Hired in on my 18th birthday. LOVED Steak and Ale...workers there for 5 years.. food was spectacular. Miss it!!
Thank you I remember Howard Johnson
HoJo's
We all do.
Apparently, Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs now owns the rights to Arthur Treacher's and is planning on bringing them back.
That would be great. There is still what amounts to a Treacher's location operating under a family name in my home city. The fish is the same, same menu items. Two piece fish with chips and hush puppies is $8.49 currently.
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 👍
Nathan’s is Chinese owned
I could only hope!
Come back
I remember going to steak and ale during the 90's with my parents for special occasions. My Dad loved that place. Sad , both are gone.
My father explained to me when I was a kid how McDonald's and Burger King head really walked all over Burger Chef.
At the time I really didn't understand the process but all I remember is really missing them
I live in a small town and a friend of mine runs a sandwich shop that his grandma opened up here back in the 1960’s. Anyways a few years ago a subway sandwich shop literally opened up across the street from it. Pretty unbelievable. The shop is still going but it struggles really bad ever since subway came to town.
I know when Walmart came to our town like 25 years ago it destroyed several businesses.
Someday it seems like just a handful of companies are gonna own and operate everything.
I loved burger chef
Liked Chi-Chi's, but the 2 I miss the most are Steak n Ale and Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips. I don't understand how mainstream chain steak and seafood restaurants that still survive to this day are around when their food is not half as good as those restaurants were.
I miss Kenny and Steak and Ale.
They still have an Arthur’s where I live.
Are Ground Round’s still around? Peanut shells all over the floor.
@@samanthab1923 I remember Ground Round when I lived in Chicago.
@@daisymae3883 Cool
Actually what destroyed Howard Johnson's was mismanagement and the Name change in the 90's.
They chained the name to HoJo's which Peeved off the actual customers.
That led to a boycott of not going there.
They changed the name to be more hip and try to bring in younger patrons what it really did was alienate the actual travelr customer base.
There were several articles about it and it was acutally a case study in economics class in the 90's.
Trying to be hip by telling people to bring their prostitutes there. If you drove by and saw the name change you'd think they went out of business and a new company are catering to the nightlife now. They just didn't think that new name through.
Contrary to the newer generations of MBAs, quality control is crucial. Cute commercials won't cut it and name changes are a major indicator of failure.
People boycotted a restaurant because of its name?...
@@krysila7722 - I doubt it.
Arther Treacher's was the best! Their fish & chips were awesome with malt vinegar. You didn't mention Nedicks which was popular in NYC. Their hot dogs on that special toasted bun were legendary!
There's one Arthur Treacher restaurant left. It's in Cuyahoga falls Ohio. Just as good as always
Wow! Nedick’s that’s a name from childhood. Whenever we went to the Garden for a Knick’s game we’d stop in.
To die for
Arthur Treacher's was a fun family dinner for my Dad, Mum, and brother would enjoy family time. My father tried over and over again would try to emulate the fish batter recipe. I do miss being his culinary guinea pig.
I can still remember that honey sweet taste.
I miss Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse, a Canadian-themed restaurant chain where the buildings were made to resemble lodges. The location I went to in Maryland had a moose statue out front and a bunch of stuffed animal heads, an animatronic fish that flopped on its mount, an animatronic stuffed raccoon that peeked out of a barrel and looked around on occasion and an animatronic Christmas tree that lit up, opened its eyes, and spoke. One of the heads, Bill the Buffalo, also talked.
I liked the bread and food there, but I loved the atmosphere. It was so cheerful and charming there. We often went on birthdays and the waiters would come out with a little cake and a moose puppet and sing a Bugaboo Creek birthday song. I have so many birthday pictures with that moose puppet growing up and I still know every word of that song.
It’s only recently that I’ve really come to appreciate just how creepy that restaurant was (in a good way!). Bill the Buffalo would talk about all of the dishes that the restaurant offered and since this was a steakhouse, those dishes often involved meat. Imagine the irony of a stuffed buffalo head promoting all of the wonderful meat dishes served at a steakhouse! The Christmas tree at the location I went to was kept up year-round in the lobby. It was supposed to talk as well, but it broke when I was little and I don’t remember what it was supposed to say. Years later, my family came to the restaurant and the tree turned on while we were waiting for a table! The lights turned on, the eyes opened and closed and the mouth moved. No sound came out. It stayed like that until they turned off the animatronics. You call that fixed!?
Unfortunately, there was a fire at the location I went to in the 2000s and the chain rebranded to BC Steakhouse shortly after. They turned off the animatronics and attempted to create a more upscale vibe, which kind of ruined the restaurant’s charm. The chain’s parent company went bankrupt and the last restaurant closed in 2016. I haven’t found anything quite like it since.
In the early 90s I had a friend who lived near one of these and at that time they had a Turkey Gobbler burger that I never forgot - a turkey burger with cranberry mayo on a slightly sweet roll. It was so good.
We had one in Bangor, Maine for years, and it did well for a while, but it is also closed now.
We used to take our daughters to the one in Portland Maine when they were toddlers. They loved it. Sorry to know they are gone
Still have the mason jar mug from when the place first showed up in my area. My sister later worked at it, wearing the Moosebreath nametag; the barbecue sauce was ketchup, molasses and liquid smoke according to a handout she brought home.
That sounds like it was modeled after Red Green's Possum Lodge! 😆
Oh man, Chi-Chi’s… I had such a soft spot, because as a kid when we were really poor, it was the only place at the time that gave free chips & salsa (2 kinds, no less, and also gave free refills of all) and was the only place that had free refills on more than just water - albeit on ice tea only - still wasn’t common for drinks at the time…
we could eat cheap, get full, and the food was pretty good (and sometimes my mom would splurge on margaritas on the rocks (for herself, not me as a child!)) which was supposedly the best at the time
My dad was a Lums fanatic as a young man. And even though the chain was gone by the time my brother and I were growing up, every time we had hot dogs, Dad would reminisce about Lums hot dogs and how they were still the best he'd ever tasted. Made me wish I could have tasted one just once. My defining best hot dog place growing up was The Orange Tree in the mall. All of the ones here closed some time ago, though. Not even sure if the franchise still exists anywhere. Alas, the cruel and merciless march of time erodes all things.
I had great memories of Lum's. They had such a nice vibe. Growing up in Boca Raton FL in the 70's there was every sort of diner/chain like the " Clock " " Ranch House " and you just name it. Makes me sad watching America erode.
@@andyokus5735 I feel you, man. There's an utter contempt by many in charge for small businesses, including restaurants and even small franchises. They're handing this nation over to the oligarchs and mega-corporations and destroying the middle class by taking away our ability to become successful and to contribute to American culture.
@@The-Sneaky-Vampire yes, the chains will put us in chains, that’s why I avoid them if possible.
@@andyokus5735 Had a Lum's at the end of my street in Miami Springs, Fl. and there was one on South Beach so I was good. Loved Lum's
@@russell3380 Yes, I went to both, especially the SB location as it was where I took my MBCC crew during lunch breaks. Ollie Burgers, dogs steamed in beer and many "Frosty Schooners" were popular with everyone!
Excellent presentation and obviously well researched! I remember how Stuckey's vanished from the interstate highways and lately they're popping up like mushrooms... Interesting
God...I LOVED Kenny Rogers, best corn EVER of all time....wish someone would bring that glory back.
I was heartbroken to see Sweet Tomatoes close due to the pandemic. There was one about 10 minutes from my home next to the movie theater I go to. My dad and I loved going there to enjoy all the food they had as we could stuff ourselves without feeling guilty lol.
"pandemic"
Politics and Bad Science killed Sweet Tomatoes and Soup Plantation.
I used to go to one in Orlando pretty tasty
I wasnt. I was a Sweet Tomatoes fan growing up however about 6 years ago I went and there were people literally grabbing off the buffet w their hands. Staff did nothing, went back once more after and the same shit was happening. Disgusting.
@@AMCustomCoasters
*I was a Sweet Tomatoes fan growing up however about 6 years ago I went and there were people literally grabbing off the buffet w their hands. Staff did nothing, went back once more after and the same shit was happening.*
Were the people doing this minorities? 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
There were some Red Barns in Canada too. One of the original buildings is still in Scarborough, a suburb in the east end of Toronto.
It's on Eglinton if I recall. Growing up in the 70's I remember it.
Had a Farrell in Toledo Ohio, only went to it once, for Friends Birthday party
It’s been so long but I still miss chi-chi’s
In Raleigh N.C. back in the early 90's Chi Chi's had a lunch buffet that was surprisingly good .
And their fried ice cream 🍨
I loved the nachos.
There are chi chin's here in Ohio
@@robinluich6626 Is that a Chinese Mexican buffet?
Sweet Tomatoes 😭😭
Ayo he’s here I’m subed
Arthur Treachers was a damm fine eatery.. And yes, I think the combination of cod and their moult vinegar, made the trip 👍👍👍👍...!
Of all those, I miss ChiChis the most. They had the best Chiliconqueso dip on the planet and no one’s repeated the recipe correctly. Their lunch buffet was an amazing value too. I think it was $7 for unlimited trips.
Also, I believe there’s still a former Red Barn restaurant building in Niagara Falls ON. Look in your city. If you see an oddly shaped barn building - chances are it was a Red Barn too.
I loved chichis. Their tortilla soup and corn cake was my favorite meal. I still can't find a comparable tortilla soup.
I think i've seen abandoned red barns in a couple cities before, they seemed out of place since most barns and sheds aren't in the city like that, so that might've been those restaurants.
I only new chi chis by the frozen dinners. gone now as well.
I like a number of things at ChiChis but the favorite was the bar side. 2-fer Margaritas over seafood nachos. Never found a seafood style nacho like it.
@Dwight Dutton That is a pizza restaurant, completely unrelated to the Mexican southwest style chain referenced here.
My father used to talk about “Gino’s” which was a chicken restaurant that he said was pretty big in its day. Philadelphia area, apparently they still operate one restaurant in King of Prussia, PA.
“Everyone goes to Gino’s, cause everywhere else is closed.”
I think I’ve been to the reopened one. It’s not bad!
Philadelphia International Airport Employee........Ginos had a banging Hamburger,,,,,,an 2 piece Chicken with roll an butter,
di: Philly, Baltimore and Washington DC. Yep, they had good burgers in the 60's and early 70's
Gino's was started by Gino Marchetti. As a kid in the 80s I remember them having KFC as well. When I was in college I worked at a former Gino's location that was a Roy Rogers. I was cleaning out above the walk in cooler and found unopened packages of KFC 20 piece chicken buckets from 1983 congratulating the Orioles for winning the World Series. Took them all home and later sold them on Ebay
Cuz Gino's is the place to go. The Gino's in my town is now an Auto Zone. Before it was Gino's it was a Burger Chef and my oldest brother worked there . Whatever burgers didn't sell by the end of the night, he brought them home. That was like 55 years ago. This has truly been a trip down memory lane.
My dad worked at burger chef when he was young. I miss chi-chi's and Arthur treachers. Growing up in Columbus I ate there a lot. There is still a place in grandview that sells the same recipe in an old Arthur treachers. Omg farrells!!! Loved that place too!!! Unfortunately covid caused a lot of restaurant closers, especially buffets.
My brother's first job was at a Lum's. I miss York Steak House and Bonanza Steak House, as my mother would treat me to a meal there if I behaved when we were shopping. Where we went depended upon which mall we were around. I used to live in Lauderhill FL around 1989 to 1992 and remember a Brown's Chicken & Biscuits I used to frequent...not sure if they are still around, but I haven't seen one since I left Florida.
Only methhead or cokehead cooks and waitresses work at restaurants now. I wouldn't go to a restaurant in florida even if it was free meal.
It's ironic that both Beefsteak Charlie's and Chi-Chi's occupied the same building in Albany, NY at different times. It was a Macaroni Grill for the last 25 years or so, but sadly that too is now shuttered.
The Macaroni Grill in my hometown shut down too. I sure hope they aren’t falling on hard times.
I used to eat at the original Macaroni Grill in Leon Springs Texas pretty regularly. It was very near the neighborhood that Phil Romano lived in, and he actually worked there. (At least occasionally) That place was awesome. Great old rustic limestone building (that all the chain stores copied later on). After the company was sold, the original store fell victim to a flash flood or two and closed, but I believe that the original Rudy's BBQ is still next door. I haven't been down that way in a while.
The Macaroni Grill was an amazing restaurant concept.
We used to have a Red Barn where I live in Indiana. The building is still there. It was a daycare for a while, but now it usually sits empty, for sale.
I knew one of the heirs of Howard Johnson's. She told me the reason why Howard Johnson's went out of business. When her grandfather the owner of Howard Johnson's had died he left the Howard Johnson's business to all of his grandchildren. "They all wanted to be the boss" she told me. Arguments broke out and nobody was getting anywhere. She sold her share to the others and slowly afterwards Howard Johnson's went kaput because of the fighting. Some family heirs did hold onto some Howard Johnson's motels and restaurants.
Some people believe that family naturally gets along which is far from the truth.
@@muffs55mercury61especially not when there is a cash cow at the line
Soup Plantation was a real bummer, as it really wasn't their fault at all. One of the rare restaurants that presented all the healthy stuff up front, but gave you plenty of options to get sample pizza slices or get stuffed on soft serve ice cream at the end if that was your thing. I miss that spot. It's just a dead space in the strip mall now.
It rlly is a bummer as a soup and salad lover
Loved the shout out to Ollie's. It's my favorite burger. Their seasoned fries and dill pickle in the side complete my combo.