Jack-In-The-Box is alive and well.
Ah… Gino’s.
[singing] Want something yummy, something really delish. Just rub your tummy and make a wish. [/singing]
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by CalMeacham *
Big Barn was a chain in Salt Lake, too. They all closed before I came, but one local hamburger joint got some old signs, and was selling “Big Barney” burgers on account of those signs… I only realized what it had been when I stood well back, mentally subtracted part of the facade, and realized that the restaurant looked like a big barn.
I remember that chain… it actually was called ** Red Barn ** and I used to love the Big Barney.
Two Pesos Mexican restaurants. They stayed open until 3:00 am on weekends, perfect for the “after bar” set.
In upstate New York, Carroll’s is still around – sort of. The company now runs Burger Kings.
No one’s mentioned Wetson’s, for good reason. I ate there once, and their fries were memorable. They were, bar none, the worst french fries ever made. Not only that, but they were the worst possible french fry. Imagine raw potatoes covered in cold motor oil. These were worse.
I used to like eating at Needick’s in New York City. They had a very nice orange drink.
Papa Ginos, a chain of pizza shops.
I believe Hardees bought out Roy Rogers, though in some areas, they were forced to change the name back to Roy Rogers (evidently, people knew of Hardee’s reputation). Hardee’s does seem to be gone, though.
Steak and Ale, an upscale chain restaurant. Actually, the food there was pretty good, but it seems to have vanished. Maybe it was before its time.
Is Long John Silver’s still around? Tasteless fish filets. We once complained and the guy said he knew they had no flavor, but when they tried to add something, the customers complained.
Around here, there was Mike’s Subs/Neba Roast Beef. They were actually the same chain; Neba came first, went into bankruptcy and its owner Mike started the sub shops as a separate corporation. Evidently he did no better at that, since the shops are long gone.
I also remember the Red Barn, though I never ate there. And it’s great that Arthur Treacher’s (“The Original Fish and Chips*”) is making a comeback.
*Strangely enough, the slogan had some basis in fact: they bought up the shop in England that some historians considered the originator of the dish.
At least in suburban Maryland, where I grew up, Mariott converted all of the Bob’s Big Boys into Shoneys. And I think Big Boys have a number of different names around the country - maybe depending on the franchisee’s name?
Any Seattleites remember Herfy’s? And Washingtonians Scholl’s Cafeteria?
Oh, and what about Mariott’s start - Hot Shoppes? The last one I remember was in the Montgomery Mall in Bethesda before it renovated in the late 80s.
Godfather’s Pizza You Can’t Refuse - I think they’re mostly gone. Ground Round is still [ahem] around, mainly along interstates. I thought Shakey’s was long dead, but it turns out they’re still in business back home. I guess they just don’t advertise anymore.
Okay, in my neck of the woods (Southern Indiana, right across the Ohio from Louisville, KY), we have Sonic. We have a Big Boy. We have Long John Silver’s. Godfather’s I VAGUELY remember, as I was very young (actually, Godfathers is now the name of a local strip club). On a recent trip to Atlanta, I stopped and ate in an IHOP. I’ve heard there’s also one in Indianapolis, but have not driven up there to see. The one that I miss most of all, besides the curb A&W, is Druther’s. Remember Andy Dandytale? He was their mascot. Kinda like Johnny Appleseed…burger joint. The food wasn’t GREAT, but when you’re a kid, any burger joint is good. Maybe I miss 'em so much because I once went on a mad hunt with this girl I was dating to find one since she was addicted. We heard that there was one halfway across the state, so we drove there one day. No Druther’s. I still remember the jingle…“I’d Druther go to Druther’s restaurant.”
Papa Gino’s pizza shops are still alive and well in the Boston area. Although they have closed quite a few shops, they have opened some new ones (there’s one on Route 1 in Saugus, MA that’s combined with a D’Angelo’s sandwich shop). No relation to the Gino Marchetti chain noted above.
Roy Rogers is still around, whoever owns them. There’s one near Sturbridge, MA along route 84, and another in the Brunswick Square Mall in East Brunswick, N.J.
Is “Needick’s” supposed to be “Nathan’s”, the hot-dog emporium that started out at Coney Island? They’ve closed some franchises (at the Galleria in Cambridge, MA), but opened others (out in central MA, for instance).
Would that be Nob Knee? I worked with a woman who grew up in New Albany, and she said it was “Nob Knee”. Anyway, there is an IHOP in Indy.
RealityChuck, Steak and Ale is still around. If the S & A in Indianapolis is the same chain. Their website has a clickable map to see if there’s one near you.
If Mike’s Subs mutated into JERSEY Mike’s Subs, then they are still around. If someone else with the terribly rare name of “Mike” got the brainstorm to open a sandwich shop, then it’s different.
Nob Knee? That it would be. Though we’re not nearly as touchy about the way it’s pronounced as Louisvillians are about THAT town (it’s Luhvulle, not Louieville or Lewisville). You know it, huh?
Come to Wisconsin for some of those lost chains. We have Sonic, we have Hardee’s, although the whole thing is really owned by Carl’s. My California friends recognize the star logo when they eat at Hardee’s here.
And we have Ground Round in Milwaukee. No shells on the floor, or big screen cartoons but still kid friendly. There are desserts that look like worms in pudding and cookie crumb dirt. Very popular with my kids.
I miss Chips, where you could get a bag with enough hamburgers fries and drinks to feed a family of four.
Still alive and well in the SF Bay area:
Jack in the Box (duh)
Straw Hat Pizza
Godfather’s Pizza
IHOP (just built a new one nearby, in fact)
A & W (a bit further down the coast – and still some in the midwest, if memory serves.)
Foster’s Freeze (quite a few)
There are still a few Long John Silvers, but they’re getting tough to find. You can check their website, though.
Superdude…my parents live in New Albany. I’ll look you up next time I’m out for a visit!
Yeah, Burger Chef was great. They invented the fun meal,
and did at least as much to revolutionize serving food
fast as McDonald’s.
A few Roy Rogers may still be around, but they’re
doomed. It’s no longer a franchise.
Cool! Please do. By the way I figure it, you had to have been here, and been one of the lucky ones who got out. I can’t figure that your parents would have come here voluntarily.
Cool! Please do. By the way I figure it, you had to have been here, and been one of the lucky ones who got out. I can’t figure that your parents would have come here voluntarily.
No, CalMeecham, Needick’s isn’t Nathan’s (the latter is still doing well). It was a local NYC chain that served short-order hamburgers and their orange drink. I used to eat at their branch in Penn Station when I was commuting to class.
Rue – I’d assume Jersey Mike isn’t the same as Mike’s Subs, since the Albany, NY Mike never opened anything outside the area.
There is one Arthur Treacher’s left in the Chicago area (or at least, it was there as recently as a couple of years ago) in Elgin.
Up here in Canada in the early seventies we had a small chain of restaurants called Dog n’ Suds. They served mostly hot dogs and root beer, hence the name. They got wiped out by A+W , who are still strong in Canada (they re introduced the burger family last year), and of course McDonald’s. I don’t remember much about the food except it was pretty atrocious… The local Dog and Suds building sat empty for a few years and then they opened another restaurant that lasted a year or so. It closed and a third restaurant opened that served Mexican food. Unfortunately every stinking thing on the menu was deep fried, including the taco’s :shudder:. I still have nightmares about that place. They finally realized that some locations are cursed and they tore down the building. Now all that’s left is a bare concrete pad.
Keith
I can verify the existence of at least one Long John Silver’s in Pennsylvania (as of 3 years ago).
There are also A&Ws and Godfather’s Pizzas in San Diego. Also a couple of blue-roofed IHOPS.
Odieman: Dog 'N Suds couldn’t have been too small a chain, because there was at least one in Indianapolis (c. 1965).
Garsh, I’m getting old. I can remember when Steak and Shakes were real drive-ins.
I can’t believe no one’s mention Doggy Diner yet! They used to have the best french fries. (I suspect now they were cooked in lard). Their logo was the giant smiling head of a Dachsund wearting a chef’s hat. These things are now collector’s items, and one has been made a sort of landmark here in SF. There used to be over twenty of these restaraunts. Truly a pity they’re gone.