I remember a chain in Wisconsin (and elsewhere, maybe), in the 70s, that sold pies. And coffee.
It was like Dunkin Donuts, but for pie.
This was real.
BTW–I ain’t goin’ & you can bring your own. 
[QUOTE=tanstaafl]
We had another chain of “southern” style restaurants around here called “Black-Eyed Peas” that seem to have gone away. Does anyone remember them or know if there are any still around somewhere? As I recall they weren’t great but were at least a step up from Folks.
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I remember them. There was one near where we lived when I went to high school (in Maryland), and my parents loved it. I’m not so crazy about southern-style food, though. No idea if it’s still there.
[QUOTE=stanger]
Back in the late 70’s to early 80’s was a hamburger place called GW Jr’s
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That explains what he was doing when he should have been in the Texas National Guard…
(I know political jokes are frowned upon in serious discussions. But seriously, with a name like that, it’s hard not to resist.)
I can find no trace of it on the web, but I could have sworn there was definitely a late 1970’s burger chain called Judy’s that was a direct ripoff of Wendy’s back when Wendy’s first got huge- they had the same interior design, same square burgers, same plastic beaded curtains, everything except I think the main color was light blue.
Spread out in Ontario (Canada) in the 1970s and the 1980s was a chain called Mother’s Pizza Parlour. Mother’s Pizza was the place to go for birthday parties. They were about on par with restaurants like Ponderosa Steakhouse. Nicer than a Big Boy, but not as nice as Olive Garden.
I think they got bought out by Pizza Hut. And I vaguely recall some kind of trademark fight between Mother’s Pizza Parlour and Mama’s Pizza.
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor]
I remember a chain in Wisconsin (and elsewhere, maybe), in the 70s, that sold pies. And coffee.
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Poppin’ Fresh, probably.
[QUOTE=acsenray]
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.
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Ironically, Taco Bell is having e. coli problems related to green onions right now.
There’s a defunct Victoria Station north of here that got converted into an antique mall. Trying to remember their ad jingle - was it “Victoria Station - It’s a cut above” or “Victoria Station - Just a cut above”?
[QUOTE=ColonelDax]
Gino’s, home of the Heroburger.
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Gino’s!
Had one of those bad boys in Cinnaminson (Sin-City), NJ.
But, the Heroburger, fuggedaboudit…Gino Giant, fries and a Black & White Shake all the way!
We had a darn good Sambos there too.
[QUOTE=The Sausage Creature]
Straw Hat pizza. I think Papa John’s bought them out. I remember the local Straw Hat fondly for its many video games and the “quarter horse”.
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Never eaten there, but there’s a Straw Hat 1/2 mile from where I work in Visalia, CA.
Joe
[QUOTE=gotpasswords]
Poppin’ Fresh, probably.
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Yep. Poppin’ Fresh morphed into Bakers Square which can still be found in the Upper Midwest and California. I guess they stilll concentrate on pies, as they’ve registered “The Best Pie in America” as their trademark.
There’s both an Arthur Treacher’s and a Roy Roger’s in one of the rest stops along I-95 between Baltimore and Philly. There’s two large rest stops; I can’t remember which one they’re in.
I remember Farrell’s. It was the place to have your birthday party when I was in elementary school.
Popeye’s Chicken is still around here, as are a couple of Friendly’s.
I used to beg my parents to take me to **Dog -n- Suds ** in Fox Lake, IL. Miss that place…kinda like an A&W, drive-up only.
We have a Houlihan’s here in Schaumburg, IL…sucky.
I think the Bennigan’s off-brand **Steak and Ale ** is dead around here, not sure about other areas.
Just want to confirm that Popeye’s, A&W, and Baker’s Square still exist around Chicagoland!
-Cem
[QUOTE=Cemetery Savior]
I think the Bennigan’s off-brand **Steak and Ale ** is dead around here, not sure about other areas.
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There’s a Steak & Ale still here in Baltimore.
[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
Heh-heh. I did. My son was conceived at the Howard Johnson’s in Elgin, IL.
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I stayed in one in Lawrenceville, NJ on my interview trip out of grad school.
As for the restaurants, they were the toast of the highways - hamburger with smothered onions - yum. Pierre Franey, the famous chef, developed dishes for them for quite some time, working out of New York.
Popeyes is still growing - they opened a new one near me recently.
Is Friendly’s still around in the East?
[QUOTE=Voyager]
Is Friendly’s still around in the East?
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There’s a couple in Maryland.
Lum’s is alive and well in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We used to lunch there a few years back: flat soda but decent stick to your ribs grub.
I particularly miss Bojangles, which was thriving down here when I was a kid. It was a chicken and biscuits chain with amazing sausage biscuits! And there was Wuv’s, a burger and fries chain that’s long extinct. And how come I can’t find a Steak n’ Shake east of Sawgrass? I love SnS.
[QUOTE=CalMeacham]
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.
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Post #56. According to Wikipedia, there’s about 30 left. The one in my old neighborhood is gone, though.
This won’t mean much to the American dopers, but I have fond memories of the Happy Eater chain. I spent many a pre-pubescent birthday party eating junk and playing in the numerous playground attractions there.
It was a simpler time. We didn’t expect much. The round, red, faux-Pacman logo (in all its eighties artistic glory) was enough to ease our minds with thoughts of hamburgers and big metal slides.
[QUOTE=Voyager]
Is Friendly’s still around in the East?
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I ate at one several years ago in Sandusky, OH.
[QUOTE=BiblioCat]
There’s a Steak & Ale still here in Baltimore.
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There’s a Steak & Ale here in Fort Myers, about 1/2 a mile from my apartment. I hate it.
(Tangent that only a few - if any - will get: oddly, there are no good pictures of the batwing hamberger snatcher on line. Closest I can get is the featured items link here. Maybe I should drop a line to O’Neill.)