Remember These Chain Restaurants ? They're Still Hanging On

[ownyourfuture]

I have to admit, I thought some of those companies listed here were already out of business.
https://moneywise.com/a/remember-these-chain-restaurants
Kenny Rogers Roasters always reminds me of an episode of Seinfeld.

 

[davebarnes]

The original Quiznos used to toast your sandwich twice. First, toast the naked bread and then heat the ingredients.

 

[RunningBum]

I was just wondering what happened to Quiznos. I probably liked them best of the big chain sub sandwich places.

 

[COcheesehead]

The original Quiznos used to toast your sandwich twice. First, toast the naked bread and then heat the ingredients.

Interesting how many chains came from the Denver area:
Quiznos
Smashburger
Noodles
Chipotle
Rock Bottom
Old Chicago
Village Inn

 

[braumeister]

How about Stuckeys?
They used to be all over the interstate highways, but I haven't seen one in quite a few years.

 

[joeea]

When I was a kid, we used to go to Kemp's Hamburgers for their $0.15 hamburgers.
https://i0.wp.com/burlingtonretro.c...08/img_92101.jpg?zoom=1.5&fit=1800,2610&ssl=1

Of course that was back while the Earth was still cooling, so likely nobody remembers them.

 

[davebarnes]

Interesting how many chains came from the Denver area:...

Garbanzo
Qdoba

 

[GravitySucks]

The food at most of these places sucked.
That HoJo clam roll was not as good as you remember. Local Ground Round used to sell me beer at 17, so they got that going for them though.��

 

[euro]

How about Stuckeys?
They used to be all over the interstate highways, but I haven't seen one in quite a few years.

Stuckey's apparently shrunk down to just a handful of stores in the 80-ies but they are back up to about 200. My DW always points them out when we drive Texas interstates as it reminds her of their road trips as a child back in the 60-ies. Special treat (according to DW): pecan log rolls

 

[euro]

I was just wondering what happened to Quiznos. I probably liked them best of the big chain sub sandwich places.

My neighborhood one went broke, but there are still many, many of them around.

 

[braumeister]

That HoJo clam roll was not as good as you remember.

When I was young I had a summer job at the last Howard Johnson's that was actually controlled by Howard himself. All the rest were franchised and run by HJ, Jr.

As I recall, there were only two things that stood out for quality at HJ -- the fried clams and the ice cream. Everything else was pretty ordinary institutional food, and some things you wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.

My favorite example was one of our biggest sellers: ham salad. There was a law at the time that said a minimum of 40% of the meat in ham salad had to be ham. You don't really want to know more than that.

 

[Red Badger]

The mid-west had Little Black Sambo's. Haven't seen that in quite some time. Go figure.....

 

[COcheesehead]

The mid-west had Little Black Sambo's. Haven't seen that in quite some time. Go figure.....

Actually that chain started in Santa Barbara and the original is still there as Sambo's and as popular as ever.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Boston Market was hot for a while, then poof.

Krispy-Kreme opened a couple doughnut shops up here and for about a month the drive-through lines spilled out into the street. Two years later their stores were closed.

The mid-west had Little Black Sambo's. Haven't seen that in quite some time. Go figure.....

That reminds me of this point we ran across on Highway 61 outside of Natchez: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammy%27s_Cupboard

 

[tmm99]

Interesting how many chains came from the Denver area:
Quiznos
Smashburger
Noodles
Chipotle
Rock Bottom
Old Chicago
Village Inn

Add Boston Chicken (Boston Market) to the list, although this started in Golden, CO.

 

[tmm99]

I just looked up Long John Silver's and it's still around
The last time I visited the restaurant was in the 80's in Tucson, AZ. I liked their shrimp salad.

 

[CardsFan]

The mid-west had Little Black Sambo's. Haven't seen that in quite some time. Go figure.....

Just for the record, the chain was called Sambo's (with nothing else added).

Supposedly named after the founders (Sam Battistone Sr. and Newell Bohnett). Story here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo's

Not making a judgement one way or the other, but just setting the record straight.

 

[Dtail]

Boston Market was hot for a while, then poof.

Krispy-Kreme opened a couple doughnut shops up here and for about a month the drive-through lines spilled out into the street. Two years later their stores were closed.


That reminds me of this point we ran across on Highway 61 outside of Natchez: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammy%27s_Cupboard

Still have a Boston Market near me, but haven't gone in years.
DGF loves Krispy Kreme, but thankfully not one near us. lol

 

[candrew]

Phoenix Area Chains

Two local coffee shop chains that went the wayside in the Phoenix area were Hobo Joe's and Humpty Dumpty's.

 

[Midpack]

How about Stuckeys?
They used to be all over the interstate highways, but I haven't seen one in quite a few years.

We hadn’t seen one in forever either until we noticed one driving through TN last week. I thought they died a long time ago too, but evidently not https://www.stuckeys.com/find-a-stuckeys?addressInput=&cat=0

 

[ransil]

Rax

Burger Chef

 

[COcheesehead]

Add Boston Chicken (Boston Market) to the list, although this started in Golden, CO.

Golden reminded me of Einstein’s. They are still based there.

 

[scrabbler1]

I ate at Ground Round a lot in the 1970s and 1980s. I loved their burgers and later on ate a steak/chicken combo meal when I couldn't decide which one to have.


Bennigan's was my favorite among those chain restaurants. I last ate at one in 2003 before finding it closed when I returned there in 2004.


I was expecting to see Sizzler's on the list. Here on LI (NY), those steak houses were everywhere in the 1970s and 1980s and still hanging in there into the mid-2000s. I don't think they are on LI any more. They had transformed from being called to pick up your food at the kitchen pick-up counter to having partial waitress service to deliver your food, after waiting on line to order.


Another popular restaurant in he northeast US which has cut back greatly in the last 20 years was Friendly's. Mainly an ice cream shop (and a really good one) into the 1970s and 1980s, they had to expand their limited main menu choices in the 1990s but the kitchens in many of their chains lacked the capacity, I recall reading circa 2000; so they closed. Very few of them remain here on LI now.

 

[REattempt]

Bill Knapp’s, Michigan and maybe some other places? Free mini birthday cake, garden burger (green olives), biscuits, bean soup and Au gratin potatoes.

 

[CardsFan]

Another popular restaurant in he northeast US which has cut back greatly in the last 20 years was Friendly's. Mainly an ice cream shop (and a really good one) into the 1970s and 1980s, they had to expand their limited main menu choices in the 1990s but the kitchens in many of their chains lacked the capacity, I recall reading circa 2000; so they closed. Very few of them remain here on LI now.

I grew up outside Boston, and Friendly's was a staple for ice cream, in particular, but also a good burger.

Looks like there are still quite a few around, even on LI, according to this map: https://www.friendlysrestaurants.com/locate/ . All on the east coast, but I have noticed Friendly's ice cream, at supermarkets, even here in the mid-west.