# Defunct restaurant chains
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 6, 2006, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004 "2006-12-06T00:37:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 12
### Author:  [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/221 "2006-12-08T00:14:26Z")
This is before my time, but I read about it in a book: **Bullwinkle’s Pizza**. Chuck E. Cheese-style chain with animatronic versions of Jay Ward and Total TV characters.
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### Author:  [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/222 "2006-12-08T00:45:09Z")
There used to be a small chain called All-American Burgers here in LA. Nothing special, and I don’t know if they still exist.
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### Author:  [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/223 "2006-12-08T00:51:54Z")
[QUOTE=jackelope]
My stepfather used to take us all to Morrison’s for dinner sometimes; I guess it was a cheap way to feed a bunch of kids. Man, that food was awful. Like a nursing-home cafeteria.
[/QUOTE]
Funny, I used to live in Clearwater, FL and remember the Morrison’s at Countryside Mall had quite good food for a cafeteria chain. In fact, the Blue Jays players used to come in for dinner all the time during spring training.
I am truly enjoying reading this thread. I’m a native NYer, and reading about all these old chains really takes me back. Agree with the critiques of **Wetson’s** and **Carroll’s** --the most gawdawful burgers in the history of food itself! But some people must have liked it; I remember every year Mr. Wetson used to show up on the Jerry Lewis Telethon with huge donation checks. And the **Automat** --when my Dad would take me into the city, I used to _beg_ him to take me there. I just thought that was the coolest thing going!
Anybody from the tri-state area remember a chain in NJ called **Dutch Hut**? Great roast beef sammiches, IIRC!
I was surprised to learn that there are still **Chicken Delight**'s around. I remember another place called **Chicken Holiday** ; their chicken was a lot less dry than CD.
And someone earlier mentioned **Nedick’s** – best orange drink ever!
How about **Bun & Burger**? Used to be lots in Manhattan. Or **Zum Zum** – pseudo-German type place, mostly in malls, pretty meh.
Re: earlier post about **Tastee Freez** – they appear to have resurfaced (here in Las Vegas, anyway) inside Wienerschnitzel franchises. Soft-serve is as good as I remember–not as good as Carvel, but better than DQ.
BTW, are there still **Carvel**'s in NY? We have a couple here, and I go as often as I can, ‘cause there ain’t nuthin’ better than Carvel vanilla soft serve! They have gotten kinda pricey, though.
I’m sure there are lots more, but I can’t think of them right now.
BTW, quick trivia question: what was the original name of **Chuck E. Cheese** (the restaurant, not the character)?
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### Author:  [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/224 "2006-12-08T00:55:27Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray]
These days it seems that Togo’s, Baskin-Robbins, and Dunkin Donuts are being co-located whenever they put up a new one.
[/QUOTE]
Now that you mention it, that is the case in the Pentagon.
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### Author:  [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/225 "2006-12-08T01:13:14Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager]
no Dunkin Donuts ☹
[/QUOTE]
☹ indeed. I went back east to visit my sister in Boston last weekend, and I got a vanilla-frosting-filled donut. I have missed those so much since moving to the Bay Area…
And yes, I have had fresh, hot Krispy Kremes, and no, they’re not a superior or even adequate substitute (I know, I will get this thread moved to Great Debates, or even the Pit). I love living in California, but I do miss the thunderstorms and the Dunkin Donuts from back east.
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### Author:  [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/226 "2006-12-08T01:45:37Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray]
These days it seems that Togo’s, Baskin-Robbins, and Dunkin Donuts are being co-located whenever they put up a new one.
[/QUOTE]
All three are part of the same company, [Dunkin’ Brands](http://www.dunkinbrands.com/). I believe that the Togo’s name is being phased and and replaced with “Dunkin’ Deli”.
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### Author:  [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/227 "2006-12-08T02:20:17Z")
[QUOTE=want2know]
BTW, quick trivia question: what was the original name of **Chuck E. Cheese** (the restaurant, not the character)?
[/QUOTE]
Well, the local one was originally **Showbiz Pizza**. But there was a Chuck E Cheese down the road when Showbiz first opened.
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### Author:  [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/228 "2006-12-08T02:26:41Z")
[QUOTE=aktep]
Well, the local one was originally **Showbiz Pizza**. But there was a Chuck E Cheese down the road when Showbiz first opened.
[/QUOTE]
I believe \*\*Showbiz Pizza \*\* was a competitor. Anyone else?
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### Author:  [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/229 "2006-12-08T02:57:56Z")
[QUOTE=want2know]
I believe \*\*Showbiz Pizza \*\* was a competitor. Anyone else?
[/QUOTE]
“Chuck E Cheese Pizza Time Theater” was the original name, but to me that’s not really different.
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### Author:  [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/230 "2006-12-08T03:07:12Z")
Ok, when was the last time anyone saw a Sizzler Steakhouse?
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### Author:  [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/231 "2006-12-08T03:18:09Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham]
All the free-standing **TCBY** ’s I know have disappeared from the Northeast. Too bad – I liked their stuff. Their sugar-free, fat-free vanilla yogurt was the only sugar-free fat-free dessert I really liked, dammit! They still have them at the rest stops along the New Jersey Parkway, too.
[/QUOTE]
Austin has a free-standing TCBY.
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/232 "2006-12-08T03:28:26Z")
[QUOTE=Only Mostly Dead]
The only **Togo’s** I know in any form is in the food court at the Pentagon.
[/QUOTE]
The original **Togo’s** was in an old house just a few blocks away from San Jose State. Imagine the kind of sub shop that the guys in Delta House would have frequented. One of the wall decorations was King Crimson’s first LP with the words “I said NO PEPPERS!!!” coming out of it’s mouth. My mom was the one who turned our whole family on to Togo’s back in the early 70’s. Whenever she didn’t feel like cooking, we’d have a family size #3.
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### Author:  [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/233 "2006-12-08T04:32:23Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun]
Ok, when was the last time anyone saw a Sizzler Steakhouse?
[/QUOTE]
There is one within about ten minutes of where I live, and a couple more in the metropolitan area alone.
As for some others mentioned, there is a Togo’s and a TCBY at my college, an H. Salt downtown, a stand-alone A&W was around until it became an arson target earlier this year, and Church’s, Little Caesar’s, Popeye’s, Boston Market, and Jack In The Box all have several outlets in the area.
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### Author:  [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/234 "2006-12-08T05:03:03Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray]
Yes, I can tell that from the location listings at the Ponderosa Web site. The question is, were they _always_ the same restaurant?
[/QUOTE]
I can’t answer definitively, but I seem to remember the Appleton/Green Bay area of Wisconsin having both Ponderosas and Bonanzas back in the '80s so I’m thinking that perhaps they were competitors rather than “sister” brands at one point. You can find a lot of things on the web, but the 1985 Appleton Area Yellow Pages ain’t one of them.
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### Author:  [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/235 "2006-12-08T07:50:22Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun]
Ok, when was the last time anyone saw a Sizzler Steakhouse?
[/QUOTE]
Tonight, on my drive home from work. Brand new location, too, only been open for about two months.
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### Author:  [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/236 "2006-12-08T11:56:26Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun]
Ok, when was the last time anyone saw a Sizzler Steakhouse?
[/QUOTE]
I had thought of Sizzler earlier, but didn’t mention it because they haven’t gone away entirely. They’ve only localized (and increased density) to [the west](http://www.sizzler.com/wherewesizzle/wherewesizzle.html).
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### Author:  [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/237 "2006-12-08T12:43:48Z")
[QUOTE=SkipMagic]
[Rax](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rax_Restaurants) (and the accompanying alligator mascot) left the Kansas City area years ago, so I thought it was no longer around; however, turns out (according to the Wikipedia article), there are 30 or so of them left.
Also, local Mexican fast food franchise, Taco Via, seems to be slowly dying out. Not quite defunct, but getting there. Which is a pity, 'cause where else can I get me some delicious (yet artery-clogging) [taco dogs](http://www.taco-via.com/wst_page11.html)?
[/QUOTE]
I came into this thread just to mention Rax. I also had thought about Showbiz (which, IMO was MUCH better than Chuck E. Cheese). These two establishments, both in Hattiesburg, MS, were favorites of mine and my husband’s when we were dating. In fact, we used to joke about how we kept the places in business, because we were there every weekend (I _loved_ Rax roast beef sandwiches!!).
Oddly enough, that Showbiz closed down shortly after we got married and moved to Alabama. And Rax wasn’t far behind.
Maybe we DID keep them in business, who knows? 😃
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### Author:  [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/238 "2006-12-08T13:09:44Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun]
Ok, when was the last time anyone saw a Sizzler Steakhouse?
[/QUOTE]
There are several of them in Queensland, although they nearly went out of business not long ago because of two poisoining attacks within a few months of each other (someone putting rat poison in the food, IIRC).
**Quiznos** got completely buried by Subway here- there are only three in the entire State, and five in the entire country.
There was also a chain in New Zealand called **Georgie Pie** , which sold meat pies. They went belly-up in the mid '90s and got bought out by McDonald’s, who converted all the GP restaurants to McDonald’s restaurants.
Pizza Hut are a shadow of their former selves now, too- focusing mainly on deliveries, rather than sit-down restaurants. They’re still around, though.
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### Author:  [@diku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diku)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/239 "2006-12-08T14:28:32Z")
Hmm, places I remember from Lexington:
**Fresher Cooker** , a sandwich chain that made healthy sandwiches and soups. In the mid-80’s. They didn’t last. Not to be confused with Cooker, a family sit-down restaurant.
**G.D. Ritzy’s** , a 50’s style hamburger shop. Last one I saw was in Bowling Green, KY. Really good burgers and shoestring fries.
**Taco Tico** , first mexican fast food place I remember.
Church’s Chicken is co-located with all of the White Castle’s here in Nashville. Big Boy is still all over Ohio, usually under the **Frisch’s** name. Shoney’s is still here, but they don’t operate under the Big Boy name, and have different food from Big Boy’s.
Ponderosa and Bonanza were separate restaraunts at one time, at least I assume so. I assume that because there was a Ponderosa across the street from a Bonanza in Lexington. Directly across the street.
Showtime Pizza was start by the guy that start Atari. Nolan Bushnell. We used to have both.
Seriously, if you want old places that you remember, drive to Bowling Green, KY. More fast-food places than any other city per-capita. It’s also a test market for restaraunts. When I was in college, we had NINE Subway’s. This is in a town of about 40,000.
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### Author:  [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2006, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defunct-restaurant-chains/383004/240 "2006-12-08T14:39:00Z")
[QUOTE=Only Mostly Dead]
I had thought of Sizzler earlier, but didn’t mention it because they haven’t gone away entirely. They’ve only localized (and increased density) to [the west](http://www.sizzler.com/wherewesizzle/wherewesizzle.html).
[/QUOTE]
It’s funny how so many of these places mentioned in this thread have just gone elsewhere, not entirely away. I haven’t seen a Sizzler in a good 15 years at least.
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