There used to be a place called Danvers here, but they closed. They had the absolute best roast beef sandwiches. They were sliced by hand off of a large roast rather than the sliced stuff at Arbys. They also allowed you to put whatever you wanted on your hamburger at a hamburger bar.
There are several Maryland Fried Chicken known to survive (interestingly, none are in Maryland), and I wouldn’t know about Jack’s.
Big Boy is still out there: http://www.bigboy.com/
Check the locator. Not too many places left. Only one in the whole state of Illinois???
I miss Marc’s Big Boy.
I went to school with the son of a Shoney’s bigwig so I remember pretty well, Shoney’s dropped the Big Boy affiliation in the late 80’s since they figured they could still sell the same food without paying the Big Boy group franchise fees. Apparently it worked. The quality didn’t change. It’s still pretty crappy (except for hot fudge cakes…mmmmmm…)
Originally posted by Dooku:
I thought I was the only one who remembered Andy’s, Dooku! I’m from Fort Smith, Arkansas and we ate there a couple of times when I was kid. My stepfather even used to say Andy was Wendy’s brother, so the similarites WERE pretty obvious. Seems like the colors were earth tones like brown, gold and red, but I could be wrong. Didn’t seem to be around very long, IIRC.
According to [url=“Restaurants Mountain Home Arkansas, Bull Shoals, Twin Lakes Area”]this[/utl], the one in Mountain Home is still there! :eek:
I sit corrected…guess it was just the Fort Smith one that wasn’t around long!
Obviously the strategy worked on me. I didn’t even notice they’d dropped the affiliation until it was called to my attention in this thread.
I feel certain there are still Shoney’s in the Atlanta area. But the only one I can picture in my head is the one on Scott Boulevard across from the Indian restaurant Udipi.
But that building itself became an Indian restaurant, and then burned down over a year ago.
Just some comments …
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I’d like to thank all who’ve posted so far and have provided information. I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s responses.
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Anyone remember Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips? I remember one in Memphis in the '70s that had a sign of a pic of a smiling gent wearing a derby and the upper part was this giant fake umbrella pointing sideways.
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Anyone remember Chicken Unlimited? I thought this was a one-of-a-kind place when I lived in Wisconsin, but a college prof of mine from the Chicago 'burbs said he worked at one while in his teens.
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Have the Checkers Hamburgers franchises gone under? We used to have 'em out in the Chicago 'burbs, and now they’re all gone. They made a damn good and inexpensive hamburger. Now when I’m in the Detroit area, I see these places called Rally’s, that LOOK like that they a similiar layout/menu, but I don’t know if it’s the same thing.
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I remember in the late '70s Hardee’s had a spokesman called the “Runner.” He was this tan, middle-aged guy that wore a silver racing jacket and drove a corvette or similiar looking car in the commercials. When the guy stopped for an autograph signing at the local Hardee’s, my best friend’s little brother thought this guy was God. Eh, he was 7.
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RE: Shoney’s & Big Boy. I remember Shoney’s had the Big Boy franchise when I was a little kid living in Memphis. Their hook for me was the free Big Boy comic book you’d get. As for the content (in the early '70s issues), the comic would also have an ad for fan club premiums, a letter column, a ongoing feature spotlighting one of the 50 states, and a directory of cities that had the restaurant in your state.
Their existed Shoney’s (sans the Big Boy) in the west Chicago suburbs in the '90s, and I recall seing one in Wisconsin, but the one nearby has been an IHOP restaurant now for years.
In Michigan, I know Big Boy’s had the Elias Bros. tag. Someone from MI told me there was a lot of internal squabbling with the ownernship in fairly recent years. Quite a few shut down, but you still find many along I-94. Yes, they still give away a comic book.
There was one still in business in Alexandria, VA during the '90s. It’s probably gone now.
Rally’s and Checkers are technically the same thing. They’re both owned by the same company and focus on different areas. Rally’s seems to be mainly a Midwest thing while Checkers is mainly a Mid-Atlantic/Southern thing.
There are still several Maryland Fried Chickens in Coastal SC.
Add to the Big Boy franchisess: Manners Big Boy in Cleveland (OH) and environs. “Adventures of the Big Boy” (and Dolly, his girlfriend) comics were available there.
When I was growing up, Lum’s and Red Barn were among my family’s favorite places to eat. Northeast Ohio also had a chain called the Beef Corral, owned and operated by the football-playing Modzelewski brothers Ed and Dick.
Chicken Delight is now a bare-bones operation – the company used to have a lot more stores, including several in Northeat Ohio. And my dad’s among the many long-time Cleveland-area residents who fondly remember Royal Castle Hamburgers, White Castle-like “sliders” that were “Fit for a King” at restaurants that were “Open 25 Hours a Day”.
Lots to comment on.
There are plenty of Elias Brother’s Big Boys near me. In fact, there are two within a couple of miles. The one near my parents that I’d been going to all my life is still there.
There used to be Shoney’s around, but they all sold out and are now Big Boys.
I remember Arthur Treachers. It was right next door to Kentucky Fried Chicken near my grandparent’s house.
I also remember the Burger Chef works bar. You could order your burger w"With" (everything on it) or “Without” (just bun, meat and cheese then you went to the works bar and piled on what you liked)
Before Hardee’s bought out Burger Chef, they did do burgers, at least the one near my old Doctor’s office did. Plus, they did chilidogs. I was so disappointed the first time I went into one that had been a Burger Chef and discovered they didn’t do the chili dogs.
Don’t eat White Castles. Here in the Detroit area,there are plenty of places that look like White Castle, but the food is so much better (Bates, Top Hat, Bray’s, The Giant System) these places are always fried though, not steamed.
Anyone remember the Taco Bell Bellbeefer. It was like a burger, only the meat was loose. I was so pleased the first time my parents dragged me to a Taco Bell to find out they had more than just Mexican food. Never could stand Mexican food.
I think there’s a Lum’s by my parent’s cottage near Alpena Michigan, but I’m not sure if that’s what the place was called. I bought a T-shirt but my ex got it in the divorce.
There is a A&W drive thru on the way there, in Standish Michigan. I stoped with my kids last year and they were fascinated by the woman bringing the food right to the car and hanging it on the window!
And one question, although this is a modern one…
Why the hell does Sonic advertise in the Detroit and Alpena areas when the closest one is all the way in Columbus, OH?!?!?!?!?!
I want to try some of that stuff and can’t!!! :mad:
Never mind, the restaurnt in Alpena is called Lud’s
The Beelbeefer - I still try to order that and Cinnamon Crispas (cinnamon and sugar covered tortilla chips) every time I got to Taco Bell (which isn’t often, because they no longer have Bellbeefers and Cinnamon Crispas).
I know how you feel. I feel exactly the same way. And I’m in Columbus, OH.
The closest Sonic is still about an hour and a half from me, in the middle of nowhere (Neslonville), where there’s absolutely no other reason I would ever want to go. I just can’t see myself driving there just to eat at Sonic.
We nearly did that last Sunday. I wanted a coconut cream pie milkshake, which I’ve never had, but we just couldn’t justify driving to Nelsonville.
Some others in this thread:
There’s still a Rax and an Arthur Treacher’s about 20 minutes from my house. I heartily recommend Arthur Treacher’s for the chips. Hoo doggie.
Shoney’s is gone from around here, just within the last six months.
And does anyone remember Zantigo? I think they were bought out by Taco Bell in the 80’s. They had Coke while TB had Pepsi. shudder
The town where I grew up in Kentucky had an Ollie’s Trolley (my sister worked there - witnessed a stabbing in the parking lot) and an abomination called Burger Queen whose corporate policy seemed to be ‘if a competitor has a successful product, copy it.’ They are no longer around, that I’m aware of.
Surely people remember Sambo’s?
It had a sort of “Jungle Book” theme, with a vaguely Afro-Indian boy and Bengal tigers as their mascots. Not too surprising that we don’t see those anymore, but as I recall they lasted until circa 1980.
There’s a few Zantiago’s still holding on here in the Cities (for non-locals, I mean the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN). The food’s not bad, but not what I’m used to (I’m a Taco Bell girl myself). I’ve only eaten there a coupla times.
Rax was great! I’m sad there’s not any around here anymore.
I third the Sonic commercials. I don’t know whether there’s any around up here (tho’ I highly doubt it) and I get sick of their commercials when I can’t try their food. At least they’re a little funny.