# 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:** 5
**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, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/81 "2021-08-01T22:19:24Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Remember the little ramekins of au gratin potatoes? Oh, do I ever! My favorite side! I’d get a chicken 'n biscuits, au gratin potatoes, and bean soup! ---
**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, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/82 "2021-08-01T22:22:14Z")
guilty as charged ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/83 "2021-08-01T22:44:52Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > I also miss Bojangles chicken and biscuits from my time there. Likewise, as a former NC resident, there’s no place I’ve found around here that can scratch that chicken-and-biscuits itch like Bo’s. And that iced tea so sweet it makes your toes curl. Mmm. . . ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/84 "2021-08-01T22:53:14Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > Friendly’s was a regular go-to place when I was in college. There were several in the Albany area, including one a mile or so from campus. (One minor advantage of the place was the way the waitress wrote up the tickets, with each of the four seats in a four-top in a quarter of the pad, made it easy for us to determine who owed what.) > > There’s one on Clifton Park, but it’s not impressive. Friendly’s was never able to adjust when interest in ice cream sundaes waned. Really? I only rarely ate ice cream there. Mostly we went for a meal. ---
**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, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/85 "2021-08-01T23:10:08Z")
When I was in high school, [Farrell’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrell's_Ice_Cream_Parlour?wprov=sfti1) was the place to go for after-school socializing. I remember the “Zoo” sundae, mentioned in that Wikipedia article. I haven’t seen one in decades. Apparently the last one closed just a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/86 "2021-08-01T23:35:51Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > > [@Infovore](#): > > > > **Whataburger**. I know they still exist, but not anywhere near me. > > I miss them too. There was one across from my West Texas dive-bar hangout back in the day, and it stayed open very late. Many a late-night drunken meal was had there. Another chain that still has several locations in Tucson. ---
**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, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/87 "2021-08-01T23:40:27Z")
Watch me make Southern Californians of a certain age drool - [**Naugles.**](https://www.nauglestacos.com/) [![](https://popmenucloud.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1440,height=1440,fit=scale-down,format=auto,quality=60/rjodbita/bc4c83d1-64ec-4fdc-a4ca-c5de254eba86.jpg) ](https://popmenucloud.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1440,height=1440,fit=scale-down,format=auto,quality=60/rjodbita/bc4c83d1-64ec-4fdc-a4ca-c5de254eba86.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Somethingwitty1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/somethingwitty1/32/8899_2.png) [@Somethingwitty1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Somethingwitty1)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/88 "2021-08-01T23:46:55Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > There was actually a Shakey’s in Bangkok I was never a big fan of their pizza, but I certainly ate there plenty of times. There is not really bad pizza IMO. And the buffet was popular with us in high school. But it was a decent enough regional chain. But what I found most peculiar, was went I went to the Philippines. You might expect Mcdonalds or other global chains. But Shakey’s was all over the place. at least the touristy areas I visited. This always seemed odd to me. If you want to expand your pizza chain, wouldn’t you expand domestically? ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/89 "2021-08-01T23:52:22Z")
Ahhh, holy shit, Swensen’s. My parents used to drag me to classical music concerts in summer. My reward when it was over was Swensen’s, where I’d get a nice big malt. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/90 "2021-08-01T23:53:14Z")
Shakey’s was in Japan. I’d never even heard of the place until I was there. I actually visited their buffet quite a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/91 "2021-08-01T23:55:56Z")
> [@Somethingwitty1](#): > > But what I found most peculiar, was went I went to the Philippines. You might expect Mcdonalds or other global chains. But Shakey’s was all over the place. at least the touristy areas I visited. This always seemed odd to me. If you want to expand your pizza chain, wouldn’t you expand domestically? In the US, they’d have all sorts of competition, particularly from Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Papa John and Little Caesar’s. The Philippines might be a wide open market. Or it might simply be that the local franchise operator is just aggressive. ---
**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 2, 2021, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/92 "2021-08-02T00:00:19Z")
Around here it was just “The Der.” ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/93 "2021-08-02T00:02:48Z")
Didn’t mean to imply Schlotzsky’s had disappeared. Just that the local franchisee had failed and that currently there are none anywhere near me. Currently, the closest locations seem to be Battle Creek MI. or Maumee OH. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/94 "2021-08-02T00:05:58Z")
> [@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. I live not too far from one here in Arkansas but a lot of them closed a few years back. It turns out that basing your business model on screwing over your franchisees is not good for business. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/95 "2021-08-02T02:03:02Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > Didn’t mean to imply Schlotzsky’s had disappeared. Oh, I didn’t mean to imply you did! It’s just funny to me how chains can completely saturate one market and be peripheral or non-existent in another. As another example, in Texas we have a grocery chain called H-E-B that has enormous brand awareness – there’s one in every moderate-sized town, their ads are all over the place, etc. They have 340 stores and are the 19th largest retailer in America. But I’ve rarely met someone from outside of Texas who’s aware of them, which isn’t surprising because all of their stores are in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/96 "2021-08-02T02:43:17Z")
[Mimi’s Cafe](https://www.mimiscafe.com/). I grew up with it in CA, and was happy when it expanded to MD. But now there are no more around here. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/97 "2021-08-02T02:58:08Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I miss Shakey’s. I owe my life to Shakey’s Pizza. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/98 "2021-08-02T03:01:20Z")
I wish I could clone Shakey’s like Cartman did, but I can’t get my hands on enough stem cells. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vq7NFBm2oRw/maxresdefault.jpg "Cartman replicates a Shakey's Pizza") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq7NFBm2oRw) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/99 "2021-08-02T03:12:45Z")
My parents met at the first Shakey’s. I literally wouldn’t exist without it. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721/100 "2021-08-02T03:24:30Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Canadian chains are sometimes different from the US. Sometimes they are regional and survive in smaller towns only (Godfather). Godfather Pizza? In London, Ontario? I’ve never had a Godfather pizza, but I do recall being in London maybe 30 years ago, and noticing them all over. What struck me was that they were all individually numbered: Godfather Part III Pizza," “Godfather Part IV Pizza,” “Godfather Part V Pizza,” and so on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chain-places-i-miss/947721.md?page=6)