# Chain places I miss **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [July 31, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721 "2021-07-31T19:44:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/41 "2021-08-01T06:56:21Z")
Burger Chef. Loved it as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/42 "2021-08-01T07:27:34Z")
There’s actually a Der Wienerschitzel not far from me. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/43 "2021-08-01T07:43:29Z")
I’d give anything to have an Original Tommy’s up here in the PNW. You can’t so much as even find a copycat of their chiliburger in these parts. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/44 "2021-08-01T08:24:36Z")
> [@mtnmatt](#): > > I think there are still Shakeys here in SoCal, I recently saw an ad and thought the mojo fries looked good, if not a bit heavy paired with pizza. There are still about 50 Shakey’s left. [Find a Pizza Restaurant Near You - Shakey’s Pizza (shakeys.com)](https://www.shakeys.com/search/?latitude=45.603549&longitude=-122.737905) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/45 "2021-08-01T09:03:54Z")
I was a delivery driver for Rocky Rococo’s when I was in grad school. One of the few things I miss about Milwaukee. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/46 "2021-08-01T11:46:51Z")
+1 but at least Hardees maintained quality ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/47 "2021-08-01T12:29:19Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > It’s odd to me to hear Schlotzsky’s mentioned in a thread on chain restaurants that people miss – there are a dozen within ten miles of my house. Same here. I love Schlotzsky’s but ONLY the original sandwich. I’ve tried some of the others, but nothing is as good as the original. > [@Infovore](#): > > **Whataburger**. I know they still exist, but not anywhere near me. We’ve got Whataburgers all over San Antonio. But then their corporate office is here. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/48 "2021-08-01T12:44:23Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > There are two of them along the route I drive to Green Bay (one in Racine, one in Sheboygan), Let me know next time you’re stopping at the Sheboygan one. I’ll see if I can meet you there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/49 "2021-08-01T12:52:09Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > [Bill Knapp’s.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Knapp%27s) I loved their food as a kid, took my own kids there when we travelled through areas where they had restaurants, and we were all disappointed when we stopped in South Bend, IN around 2003 or so and found the restaurant there closed, along with all the rest. We loved the food, especially their biscuits and honey and their chocolate cake. We’d take my Grandma there for her birthday every year so she could get her age discount. Turning 75? Your meal is 75% off! Every single time my dad would ask the waitress “ if you’re over 100, do you get money back?” Answer: yes. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/50 "2021-08-01T13:02:02Z")
I recall _Bennigan’s_ was a well above average chain restaurant. I understand they might be coming back. _The Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes_ chain is one that recently went under but we never had them in NJ. I really enjoyed the one my friends and I used in San Diego. Went to several in Florida in Orlando & Tampa areas. Those were Sweet Tomatoes, they never seemed as good and the last time it was absolutely run down. I wish there was an _A&W_ near me, I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit one, but it would be nice to have one somewhat nearby. We have _Stewart’s_ at least, but that chain has been running downhill and is pretty inconsistent in quality between locations. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/51 "2021-08-01T13:26:32Z")
Another vote for **Sweet Tomatoes** – No more PUMPKIN MUFFINS! [sigh] **Beefsteak Charlie’s** – All you can eat salad bar with huge bowl of steamed shrimp that was almost empty by the time I was done with it. And a Chicken Teriyaki dish that I would have traded my date for. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/52 "2021-08-01T13:36:32Z")
There are still Bennigan’s, but only less than a dozen and none near anyplace I go regularly. Oddly, there is one in Cyprus (of all places) and I DO go to Cyprus every few years. Their Monte Cristo sandwich (with raspberry preserves on the side) is to kill for. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/53 "2021-08-01T13:41:13Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > one of my American associates wanted to check out a place that had recently opened up in Fort Worth. It was some kind of chain steakhouse, and he was pretty sure I’d never heard of it, but he was equally sure that I’d like it I am not sure about right now but in the recent past there has also been at least one Boston Pizza in the Metroplex. Also, it seems that before the pandemic there was a Moxie’s in Dallas that was doing gangbusters. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/54 "2021-08-01T13:50:41Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > There are still Bennigan’s, but only less than a dozen and none near anyplace I go regularly. None remotely near me, and another place I wouldn’t go on a road trip for. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/55 "2021-08-01T14:12:27Z")
In the category of “there are still plenty of them around, just not around _me_”, I miss Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. Easily my favorite fried chicken chain. At this point, it’s been so long since I’ve had their chicken, I’m a little afraid if I ever get a chance to have some again, my expectations will have been ramped up so much that it will be a disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/56 "2021-08-01T14:13:43Z")
Howard Johnson’s - for the fried clams. And, as mentioned above, Bill Knapp’s. I recall the food at both places being plain, but good. Kresge dime store: I wish I had saved my tin toys “made in Japan” - take them apart and the inside had lithography for an orange juice can. As a youngster, it was the place to pick up supplies for the new school year. As a college student, I used to treat myself to one of the their dollar breakfasts every so often; an egg, a strip of bacon, toast, and hot tea/coffee. But I can still listen to their in-store music, posted on [archive.com](http://archive.com): [S. S. Kresge Christmas Background Music Record No. 246 : Special Recordings Inc. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive](http://archive.org/details/S.S.KresgeChristmasBackgroundMusicRecordNo.246) ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/57 "2021-08-01T14:37:48Z")
As a kid I really liked [Farrell’](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrell's_Ice_Cream_Parlour)s. It was a fun ice cream place that served family restaurant food and had a nifty turn-of-the-century (1900s) theme. Their burgers were tasty, but the real star of the show for kids was the ice cream: they had all kinds of crazy Texas-sized ice cream concoctions with various awards given to anyone who could consume each dessert at one sitting. I remember the most accessible “big dessert” for kids was the Pig’s Trough, a wooden trough with several scoops of ice cream in it. If you finished it, you scribbled your name on the trough (like autographing a cast), and they gave you a badge honoring your achievement. When you were done, they had a neat store selling all kinds of awesome candy, kind of like the store at Cracker Barrel restaurants. What a great place for kids. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/58 "2021-08-01T14:47:01Z")
Still using the old signage, eh? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/59 "2021-08-01T15:26:40Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > As a kid I really liked [Farrell’](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrell's_Ice_Cream_Parlour)s. > It was a fun ice cream place that served family restaurant food and had a nifty turn-of-the-century (1900s) theme. > > Their burgers were tasty, but the real star of the show for kids was the ice cream: they had all kinds of crazy Texas-sized ice cream concoctions with various awards given to anyone who could consume each dessert at one sitting. > > I remember the most accessible “big dessert” for kids was the Pig’s Trough, a wooden trough with several scoops of ice cream in it. If you finished it, you scribbled your name on the trough (like autographing a cast), and they gave you a badge honoring your achievement. > > When you were done, they had a neat store selling all kinds of awesome candy, kind of like the store at Cracker Barrel restaurants. What a great place for kids. When I was a senior in high school, I had a small role in its production of _ **Arsenic and Old Lace** _. After the final performance, the director (a hot brunette named Shelley) took the cast and crew to Farrell’s for the wrap party. I ended up sitting next to Shelley at one of the tables. There was one member of the stage crew (Brent) who must have weighed around 300 pounds. (I do not exaggerate.) In the space of a half hour or so, we watched him consume three Pig Troughs, tying the current record. By the time he was finished, Shelley had started to turn green. The wait staff made a big thing of it, having Brent stand up to take a bow as a one-man band played. When the manager asked Brent if he wanted to order a fourth Pig Trough and set a new record, Brent replied… “I ain’t got no more money.” 😖 ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/60 "2021-08-01T16:03:25Z")
Godfather’s Pizza. Loved their sausage pizza. Nearest one to me is 50 miles away. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721.md?page=4)