Another chain that hasn’t quite gone away, but that is the process is Shakey’s Pizza. We had one in my town as a kid with a player piano. I had my birthday there once.
Shakey’s Pizza…I remember my girlfriend’s dad moonlighting there and listening to *Sky Pilot * over and over on the jukebox while doing a hit of chocolate mesc. Then a couple years later, they turned into The Ground Round (another restaurant that hasn’t quite gone away) and I worked there as a clown.
Are there any Ground Rounds left? All the ones I knew of in the Northeast (which all seemed to be built on the sites of vanished Howard Johnasons – I’m pretty sure they were owned by the same folks) have dried up and blown away.
the ** Houlihan’s** have pretty much disappeared, too.
Another MacConald’s-style restaurant that disappeared (AFAIK) a long time ago was Carroll’s.
there were a lot of Boston-area chains that have vanished in the past 30 years or so. Pewter Pot Muffin House, Bailey’s ice cream. Is Brigham’s still around?
I was seriously disappointed when Steve’s ice cream, originally of Somerville, MA, folded. They had spread as far west as Salt Lake City, and maybe farther.
Some old-time chains that are gone – Horn and Hardart’s Automats inn NYC, and Schraft’s. Therer’s stioll a lit-up Schraft’s sign near Sullivan Square on Boston’s Orange line, but the restaurant is decades gone.
Olley’s Trolleys still exists. I’ve seen at least within Washington DC in a pretty prime spot, at the Metro Center metro stop, right across from a giant Barnes and Noble. On the ground floor of the Hotel Harrington.
And as others have jumped on, Popeye’s is still alive and kicking. As too many commercials (“Eye-EEEEEE Popping Flavor!”) point out, it’s the Official Fried Chicken of the Washington Redskins. I wish I was making that up.
OMG, I’ve been reading this thread and have just been amazed at all the chains I remember; I’ve been to way too many of them, but Pewter Pot really caught my eye. They had the absolute BEST muffins in the entire world!
I went to college in Rhode Island (URI) and went up to MA one day for some long-forgotten reason, I ended up stopping at the Pewter Pot in Braintree. I loved the muffins so much I subsequently made trips there specifically to buy muffins! Long way to go for muffins, but well worth it 
Wow, what a trip down memory lane! I’m getting verklempt thinking about Shakey’s and Ferrell’s and Pioneer Chicken. And I actually have very fond memories of Sambo’s.
Another one that comes to mind that I don’t think anyone mentioned is Der Weinerschnitzel. I think I only ate their once, but what stands out in my mind is that it seems like they had a big hotdog on the roof. Does that ring anyone’s bell?
I was changing channels on the teevee when Pup’N’Taco still existed. The first station I came to was a religious show. The next had a Pup’N’Taco commercial. The audio came out this way…
And the banquet was laid out on the table…
Pup’N’Taco! Pup’N’Taco! Pup’N’Taco!
There are numerous local-ish chains that are no more…
*Minuteman Hamburgers * were in Arkansas; don’t know where else. They had good flame broiled burgers and they had this thing called a Deep Dish Radar Pie which was a cherry pie in a paper bowl with a pat of butter on the top. The “Radar” referred to the fact it was microwaved, which was still a novelty in the late 60s/early 70s.
*Little Tavern Hamburgers * was like a cross between White Castle and Five Guys; they’re now defunct, though somebody on here (Weirddave?) told me there’s still one near White Flint, I can’t find any evidence of it’s continued existence…there might still be a couple in Baltimore.
I thought *Tastee Freez * was gone, but they still seem to be hanging on. They’re nothing special, but my first PeeWee baseball team was sponsored by the local Tastee Freez, so I have a special fondness due to that.
They still exist…they dropped the “Der”, apparently.
(I know this because I was going to post that, googled it, and found them). 
It’s getting harder and harder to find a Brown’s Chicken around Chicagoland, but they used to be everywhere. I don’t think I’ve seen a Hardees in many a year, but we always laugh when we get up to Wisconsin and see Rocky Rococo’s Pizza, which disappeared from around here a long, long time ago.
There was a food contamination scare about two or three years ago – I think it was contaminated green onions – that resulted in a few deaths. That effectively killed Chi-Chis, even though it was a supplier problem.
Arthur Treacher’s is still around in the Washington, D.C., area, but I haven’t been to them. I remember the commercials well. A housewife would show up at the restaurant with her own homemade fish and chips, the restaurant manager would try it and sadly shake his head. “Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips … the meal you cannot make at home!”
I love Steak ‘n’ Shake and White Castle, but I can’t get them around here. I have to grab what I can on my trips back to the midwest.
Does anyone remember – Cassano’s pizza, Godfather’s pizza, Pizza Chef, Duff’s smorgasboard, Famous Recipe fried chicken?
I ate at a Friendly’s a few months ago in Dayton, Ohio.
There might not be any more Wimpy’s, but I believe that the Dayton area still has a Wympee’s. Good burgers.
I also recall a burger place (besides Wendy’s) that made a big deal about their burgers being square-shaped, not round (the bun was also square). Anyone recall that one?
Does anyone remember a fast food commercial that used the song “Boxes, little boxes …” encouraging people to try something besides burgers?
There’s one at Northwest Highway and Hicks in Palatine. There’s also one on Arlington Heights Road - just south of Dundee. Here’s a list of more of 'em.
I only went there once or twice, but does anybody else remember Carl’s Jr.'s Mexican restaurant, Taco De Carlos?
Sometimes I feel invisible.
But then someone notices my post;
Actually Lou, the A&W I went to was located in Florida, on Treasure Island, and it was there at least 40 years ago. It may even still be there but I haven’t been out that way for a while. Hmm … I may need to take a short road trip, but part of me doesn’t want to know if it’s gone I want to go on thinking that it’s still there as I remember it. Nowadays the closest A&W to me shares space with KFC.
Their breakfasts are some of the best food you can get, just off the American highway.
I love their breakfast cassirole.
I think all the Yum Brands – A&W, KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Long John Silver’s – are moving towards co-locating.
Houlihan’s is still around. My friends and I go there often in St. Louis - but they discontinued our favorite dish - cheese fries with bacon and ranch for dipping. There is one in Union Station and one at the Galleria, and might be more in STL, the site was loading slow so I didn’t check.
Which is why you sometimes see Long John’s KenTaco Hut.
…&W
I had several birthday parties at the Farrells in Kahala Mall, for those Hawaii folks in the thread. My family used to go to the Pioneer Chicken at the mall on a regular basis. I also remember stopping at the A&W Root Beer on drives around the island.
And I still miss the Yum Yum Tree, especially the pies. I had my first french dip sandwich there.