What fast food places or restaurants are a thing of the past??? Chi-Chi's and Steak and Ale, The Chi-Chi's down the

[debm55]

road caused all the Chi-Chi's to be shut down as 5 people died from e-coli

[hlthe2b]

1. Most don't remember but the country had "Shrimp Boats" the nation over--Some locations became Taco Bells in 70s.

My sister and I loved fried shrimp so my Mom sought them out until they disappeared.

The other from that period: Shakey's Pizza. They had (yes, I'm serious) shrimp pizza! LOL

[bottomofthehill]

2. I don't see Arthur Treacher Fish and Chips anyplace anymore.

Also, around Roy Rogers is all but gone.

[malthaussen]

4. Loved the Double-R-Bar burger. n/t

[bottomofthehill]

8. I was a big fan of the Fixin Bar.

The burger really was the way you like it since you added the fixings yourself.

[debm55]

25. I don't think we had any around here.

[bottomofthehill]

6. Well, I stand corrected.

Apparently there are a bunch(nearly 40) of Roy’s left in MD, PA, VA mostly.

[debm55]

7. Me either. Haven't seen Roy Rogers since I was in college many moons ago

[werdna]

21. C.F. Ohio

https://www.officialarthurtreachers.net/
1833 State Rd, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223

[debm55]

26. Thant's neat. Are there just those two left in the US?

[bottomofthehill]

35. Per Wiki

At its peak, the chain included over 600 locations. The chain now has 37 locations in six states, either company owned or franchised.[2][4]

[EYESORE 9001]

38. I live not extremely far from the one of three remaining Arthur Treacher's

I ate there a couple of years back, mostly out of nostalgia,

[bottomofthehill]

61. Wow, I did not know any were left at all.

[NNadir]

71. There's one outside of Knoxville TN, at least there was four or five years ago.

I saw it driving my son back from his internship at ORNL.

[EYESORE 9001]

73. This is from 2022

https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/the-last-remaining-arthur-treachers-fish-chips-bounces-back-during-lent

Looks like the one I visited is the last one, which I didn’t know. Atmosphere was a bit surreal with small, vintage black and white TVs scattered throughout. They were all playing films with Arthur Treacher or silent films.

[moniss]

78. I think the Treacher's

all sank out of sight after years of the grease softening the foundations of the buildings and the ground underneath.

[bottomofthehill]

99. You may be right. They were greasy.

We did not eat at them too often. We grew up a stones throw from the original Legal Sea foods in Inman Square. When I was a kid it was a take out fish and chips place that grew into a seafood empire and is now fading.

[debm55]

117. Ty moniss. HAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHA

[kelly1mm]

94. H. Salt Fish and Chips was big on the west coast in the 70's and 80's and got absorbed into KFC. nt

[malthaussen]

3. Gino's. Even having the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise couldn't save them.

I worked at Gino's for one day as a teenager. I was tasked with making the chicken, a lengthy process of multiple steps. I got all of it right except the last one: putting a tray under the coating machine to hold the flour-based solution that the chicken would be coated with. So it all spilled onto the floor. Manager took one look, and that was the end of my Gino's career.

Many years later, I was a security guard at their corporate HQ before they went bankrupt.

-- Mal

[debm55]

9. Sorry for you Mal

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

32. They had a lot of Gino's franchises in the Baltimore area.

The Sirloiner and the Gino Giant were great and it was the only way to get Kentucky Fried Chicken in those days.

I also miss Burger Chef and the Red Barn restaurants, which also featured fried chicken on their menu.

Also, White Coffee Pot served some decent sit-down meals that were inexpensive.

[OnDoutside]

5. The first time I visited the US was in 1991 and the

first restaurant my colleagues took me to was a Steak and Ale, it was pretty good back then.

I think they're gone a while but one of the nicest restaurants I went to was the Charthouse on Condado in San Juan, PR. They did a circular molasses bread with a whole roasted garlic bulb in the middle..mmmmm Main course was the black pepper crusted Callahan cut steak.

[debm55]

12. Ty OnDoutside. It sounds great.

[Walleye]

10. Howard Johnson

[debm55]

14. Yes, long gone. Ty Walleye.

[bottomofthehill]

60. How I miss Ho-Jo's.

Lots of family memories there. My parents rarely took us out as kids. When they did, it was Ho-Joe or the Red Coach Grille. The Red Coach was a small New England chain. Very small.

[Walleye]

62. We'd always stop there when we were driving on the turnpike up to Pennsylvania, I remember the fried clams, of course

[MichMan]

124. Just drove by one in Northern Florida a couple days ago

[bottomofthehill]

125. the motel is still open, but I think the lunch/dinner counters are all closed.

[sinkingfeeling]

11. Does Howard Johnson's count?

[debm55]

17. Sure, we would stop there to get ice cream and not stay overnight.

[LisaM]

36. We would stop there too.

My mom liked the fried clam strips. We liked the hot dogs that came on those buttered New England style buns.

[debm55]

41. Ty LisaM. My husband always talks about their fried clam strip sandwiches.

[IbogaProject]

56. They had diners and hotels

Not often both at once.

I was just remembering Ponderosa Steakhouse, and another steak one where you pushed your tray got everything else and they brought your entree out to you.

[debm55]

74. I remember Ponderosa steakhouse . yes , you would slide your tray down the line and get you salad , potato,drink..tell

them how you wanted your steak cooked and get your dessert

[TexasTowelie]

13. Steak & Ale is supposed to make a comeback.

They have new franchisers that are looking to redevelop the brand in the Plains states along with the Bennigans brand. It won't be as large of a chain, but the concept will reappear.

[debm55]

19. Thanks for the information, TexasTowelie.

[SKKY]

15. My favorite fast food burger was from Burger Chef...

....they haven't been around in a long, long time.

[debm55]

20. We had a Burger King around here but no Burger Chef. I think Burger King is gone too---very recently. But I hated the

King and their burgers.

[Shermann]

43. The Whopper is great when made correctly

You'd think they would have mastered the consistency problem by now but haven't. Sometimes they are just a soggy, gross mess.

[debm55]

75. Agree

[LeonidPlanck]

132. Wait.

You guys don’t have Burger Kings? They’re all over here. Walked into one last year to get a Whopper, but they’re $12 now so I walked out and haven’t been back since.

In college I’d stop and get a double Whopper with cheese extra everything and eat it driving to the crags. It cost ~5 bucks then.

The trick to successfully surviving a messy Whopper is the technique. Ya really gotta finesse the side 180 degrees from the consumed end, but not with so much pressure that 90 and 270 rupture.

I dunno anymore. It’s been decades-ish. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[debm55]

135. Thank you LeonidPlanck and welcome to DU.

[LeonidPlanck]

140. Thanks,

I’ve received a pretty hearty welcome back from most of the old-timers who might remember me from the before times.

But to the post subject, I miss the A&W. I’m sure there might be a few still operating but in my area they’re all empty lots with lotsa rust. Dad would take us once in a while back in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

All I remember is that it was always cold and raining and we sat in the folks’ crappy car and ate hot burgers and root beer floats listening to Rick Rizzs and Dave Niehaus call Mariners games well into the ‘80s.

And, remember boys and girls, there’s no crying in baseball!

[AllaN01Bear]

66. bk shut down in sonora also.

arbies sandwichs

[werdna]

22. Sad Story

An ex-employee came into a state side outlet and murdered most of the employees. Incredibly bad nation wide news coverage resulting in huge revenue losses. This happened at a time when the company was trying to expand into Australia and had over extended their investments while getting less than a luke warm response. The combined losses drove them under.

[debm55]

40. Thank you werdna. That is very sad.

[Different Drummer]

48. Burger Chef was sold to Hardee's in 1982.

[Shermann]

81. Speaking of Hardee's

A historic location near me that has been there since 1978 closed recently.

I had lunch there a few times and it was good. But I like all fast food.

[OldBaldy1701E]

128. That is too bad.

I had eaten at the very first one several times as a small child. I am also related (a few 'removed's back) to one of the founders of the chain. He also started another place in the area that served barbecue. I have had both many times as a child.

(For those who may not know, the very first 'Hardee's' was in Greenville, North Carolina, started by Wilber Hardee. After a year or so, he decided to expand and partnered with my relative and another guy and opened what is referred to as 'Building No:1' in Rocky Mount, N.C.. In 1972, my relative opened the other place called 'Gardner's Barbecue', also in Rocky Mount, which is still open today.)

[debm55]

116. Thank you Different Drummer.

[EarnestPutz]

55. Burger Chef burgers were either flame broiled and dosed with smoke flavoring and were pretty bad. IIRC.

[debm55]

118. Ty EarnestPutz. It doesn;t sound too good.

[ProfessorGAC]

72. We Had Burger Chef

In fact, my youngest uncle worked there when I was a toddler & early school age.
He was a lot younger than my mom so he was only 14 when I was born.
It was there until I was in late grade school or early HS. A BK went in it's place, but in a completely new building.

[debm55]

119. Thank you ProfessorGAC

[MichMan]

98. My first job was at Burger Chef

My first job when I was in HS in the mid 70's.

They had a throwback promotion one summer when I was working there to celebrate some anniversary of the company. Regular hamburgers were only 15 cents. It was the 1st fast food restaurant in my small suburban town, so immensely popular.

Instead of someone ordering just one large burger like a Big Chef ( Big Mac clone) or Super Chef (Whopper clone) , people would order like 10 regular hamburgers instead. I worked cooking the food, so that meant you had to make 10 sandwiches instead of just one.

When it got really busy, and people were ordering 10, 20 or 30 at a time, it got crazy. They were so cheap, people would buy them for their dog, or even to have wars throwing them at each other in the parking lot. We had an employee discount, but you could pretty much just make whatever you wanted, without ever having to pay

[debm55]

120. Thank you MichMan. That is a funny post.

[enid602]

16. Lubys

Lubys Cafetería in Houston TX. I lived there in the ‘80’s. I always liked the ‘Luanne Special.’

[debm55]

39. Thank you, enid602

[LudwigPastorius]

103. Kind of the Hill character, Luanne Platter:

Mike Judge's inside tribute to Luby's cafeterias.

[GP6971]

18. Tony Roma's for ribs.

[debm55]

27. Ty, You used to be able to buy they in packages at the food store to take home and make.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

69. There is still one open in Las Vegas

Stopped by there in 2019 for their steak ans lobster special for 14.99 or something like that.

[BOSSHOG]

23. Mr quick Burgers

Good food, kinda not good management

[debm55]

30. I guess that is why they are not around any more.

[Lunabell]

24. Burger Chef.

And Krystal's/White Castle restaurants are closing fast. I love the small Krystal burgers. They bring back childhood memories.

[debm55]

31. We had a White Castle around here. They were like sliders. TY

[yellowdogintexas]

49. Team Krystal here. I know they tried to expand outside of the Mid South

but that didn't work. There are still plenty of them in Tennessee (the original home of Krystal is Chattanooga)

[Lunabell]

57. I grew up in Nashville and it was our go-to fast food place.

Just so different from any other. The Krystals here in the Tallahassee area closed a long time ago. 😔 😟

[JT45242]

28. Is ground round still operating anywhere?

Used to live going with the old man ...peanuts to throw on floor when I was a kid

[debm55]

33. They were here in my section of Pittsburgh. I vaguely remember someone slipping on the peanut shells and they stopped

doing that. Then they closed.

[Sneederbunk]

29. Lum's

[woodsprite]

34. Shakey's, and I am on a constant search for a pizza sauce

That comes close to theirs, or a copycat recipe I could make at home. Lisa’s Pizza down in Rodanthe, NC is the closest I’ve found so far, just a bit spicier. They don’t deliver to Delaware! 😟

And Bennigan’s. We loved their loaded potato soup. Hubby and I got a free dinner there once because a server dumped a whole tray of iced teas down my husband’s back. 😂

[debm55]

37. Thank you woodsprite.

[rsdsharp]

44. We have a Bennigan's in Des Moines.

[TBF]

91. They might still have Shakey's on the West Coast

but I'm pretty sure there are not nearly as many as in their prime. I grew up in the midwest and loved going there (but that was back in the late 70s or early 80s)

[Shermann]

42. Papa Murphy's

They sell take and bake pizzas which I really like.

https://www.papamurphys.com/

There were a few nearby but they have all closed. It's better than carryout if you need some time between when you are out running errands and when you want to eat (and they are slightly cheaper). They were simple to cook and always came out perfect and are way better than the supermarket versions.

[rsdsharp]

45. There's a Papa Murphey's about a mile from me.

[GP6971]

54. They're alive and well here

in western Washington. Must have at least a half dozen within 15 miles.

[Shermann]

58. They are based in Vancouver, so you are probably safe.

They may not have caught on here though. A shame.

They are really fast too so you generally don't even need to call ahead.

[rsdsharp]

46. Henry's Hamburgers. It was sort of a discount McDonalds.

When McDonalds burgers were 15¢, Henry’s were 12¢. They were overpriced. Apparently, there is still one in Michigan.

[Shermann]

59. Do they have a scary looking discount clown mascot? nt

[rsdsharp]

65. Not that I'm aware of, but I haven't seen one in nearly 50 years.

[debm55]

121. Gee, how can a place be a discout McDonalds. They must have been bad.

[Freddie]

47. The steak places - Ponderosa and Rustler

Going to the local Rustler was a real treat when we were kids. Mmmmm Texas Toast! Wonder why they all disappeared.

[snpsmom]

95. And Sizzler n/t

[debm55]

136. Ty Freddie. I really liked the Texas Toast. TY

[yellowdogintexas]

50. TGI Fridays, at least in Texas, also Bennigans

I miss Steak and Ale (which was once named Jolly Ox)

[RandySF]

51. Burger Queen

[debm55]

137. HAHAHHAHAHAH For real??

[RandySF]

138. Yeah, it was a southern franchise.

[debm55]

139. Ty RandySF.

[Ritabert]

52. I liked Bennigan's

They had the best veggie burger ever. I'm a vegetarian.

[dameatball]

53. Biff Burger. My first teen hangout after ballgames. May have been more rgeional than national.

They had an interesting little sauce that was on the burger. I was told that the last one was in St. Pete but it closed.

[debm55]

89. Ty dameatball. Think it was regional, as I don't remember them here.

[IcyPeas]

63. Chock Full O'Nuts

[debm55]

85. Wasn't that coffee?

[IcyPeas]

107. They were a chain of restaurants with counter service too

I used to love their coffee from their shops. Back in the day Chock Full O'Nuts and Dunkin' Donuts had the best take out coffee.

Its unusual name derives from the 18 nut shops that founder William Black (c. 1902 – 1983) established with the brand in the city beginning in 1926. When the Great Depression struck, he converted them to lunch counters, serving a cup of coffee and a sandwich for five cents.

The company's signature "nutted cheese" sandwich, made of cream cheese and chopped nuts on dark raisin bread, cost a nickel with a cup of coffee when the company was founded. When coffee prices went up in the 1950s, Black, like other restaurateurs, held to a five cent cup of coffee by watering it down.[3] But soon he broke ranks and raised the price, announcing that he refused to compromise on quality. In 1953, the coffee brand was introduced to supermarkets.

From Wikipedia

[JoseBalow]

64. Sambo's

For obvious reasons



The last "Sambo's" branded restaurant was renamed in 2020

[yonder]

68. My very first payrolled job was at a Sambos in Las Vegas, NV.

I lasted two days, was 14 or 15 and clueless. In many ways.

[debm55]

80. That was the worst name to give a place

[debm55]

83. Thank you JoseBalow, I think they renamed them Denny's

[JoseBalow]

90. Yes, some locations were sold to Denny's

And some were sold to other chains, and some were kept and re-named. There is more detailed info about that on the Wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo's

[cloudbase]

67. Winky's

[debm55]

77. I remember Winky's!!!!

[Mr.Bill]

70. H. Salt Esq. Fish and Chips.

The best of the fish and chips places.

The town we just moved to has a privately owned F & C joint in the shopping center near us which is very good but pretty pricey, I guess like all the fast food places now.

[debm55]

76. Thank you Mr. Bill

[kelly1mm]

96. Loved them! In the SF bay area at least they were absorbed into KFC for a while then dropped

a few years later. Mid to late 80's.

[AllaN01Bear]

79. bob's big boy.

[debm55]

82. We had them around here but they were just called Big Boys.

[moniss]

84. Sambo's was a big chain that for

obvious reasons became unpopular and died except for the original location which is now called Chad's.

[debm55]

87. Thank you moniss.

[doc03]

86. Hardees, Burger Chef, Arthur Treachers and local Big Boy franchise Elby's

[debm55]

88. Thank you doc03

[FuzzyRabbit]

92. Pizza Haven

A popular Pacific Northwest regional chain. Lots of locations, many near college campuses. They were one of the pioneers of pizza delivery, with small jeeps with warming ovens in the back.

[debm55]

115. Thank you, FuzzyRabbit

[dai13sy]

93. I love the discussions that pop up here

debm55 always posts interesting and fun topics

[debm55]

114. Thank you.

[kelly1mm]

97. Po Folks. There are a few rumored to still be around. I went a lot to the one in Hagerstown MD in the

early 90's.

So their hook was 'poor people' food. Think country fried steak, ocra, hush puppies. Their drinks were served in mason jars. They had all you can eat specials and being 22 and in the military that was the bomb!

[debm55]

113. Ty Kelly1mm. I remember them. Didn't they have picnic like table where people ate instead of individual tables.?

[moniss]

100. Fred Harvey's were a big deal during the days of train travel

in the last century and later on the interstates. All gone now. I did a whole write-up on it for some friends awhile back. They recruited young women from all over the country to be waitresses etc. and come live and work at these rail stops. They were called Harvey Girls and Judy Garland even did a movie about being one. Here is a famous song from the movie. Also a little brief documentary about Harvey Girls.

[choie]

101. Sizzler!

They had the best salad bar. Also Ground Round.

[debm55]

112. TY choie. Loved the salad bar.

[Pisces]

102. Rally's

[debm55]

111. Ty Pisces.

Last edited Mon Apr 8, 2024, 11:47 AM - Edit history (1)

[dflprincess]

104. Steak and Ale may be making a come back

There's plans to put one in one of the local hotels this spring.

[debm55]

110. TY , dflprincess for the information.

[LudwigPastorius]

105. Was going to post, Boston Market, but...

apparently after filing for bankruptcy a third time, there are still some open.

[debm55]

109. Ty LudwigPastorius. Very few, if any are open here.

[Bristlecone]

106. CoCo's

[debm55]

108. Ty Bristlecone.

[OldBaldy1701E]

122. Ahh, Steak and Ale...

There was one out by the airport in Raleigh, N.C. and I loved to go there.

Let's see... there used to be both a Dairy Queen and a Dairy King... I don't see the 'Kings' anymore.

Are there still any O'Charley's out there?

Nowadays all the 'Godfather's Pizza' locations that I see are just a product rack in a convenience store. I guess they are not 'stand alone' anymore.

We did have a Bennigan's in Raleigh as well. It was okay.

Oh, does Bojangles still exist?

[debm55]

123. Thank you OldBaldy1701E.The only one I m familiar with it the Dairy Queen.

[Shermann]

129. Bojangles is still going strong. nt

[OldBaldy1701E]

130. Cool. I liked their biscuits and their chicken. (n/t)

[OldBaldy1701E]

131. I had another thought.

The restaurant is not gone, but this feature is. Does anyone recall the 'buffet' at Wendy's? Back in the day they had a buffet which I rather liked. So of course, they stoped doing it.

[unblock]

126. We used to call steak and ale "fake and stale"

[debm55]

134. Thank you unblock.

[iscooterliberally]

127. My local Bobby Rubino's closed down and got replaced with a chicken place.

I think the new place is called Raising Cane's or something like that. It's right next to a PDQ (chicken tender place), a KFC and a Chick Filet. Go figure. When I was a child I liked to read all the names of the signs on the road while my mom was driving. We went passed a Royal Castle. The letter "C" was burned out on their sign, so I said "Royal Astle". I got smacked for that.

[debm55]

133. Thank you iscooterliberally. Thant's funny

[Chakaconcarne]

141. Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour

[area51]

142. Does anyone remember

Stuckey's?