Oh, I loved Lum’s. Schooners of beer, and hot dogs cooked in beer. They had the most deliciously spiced fries, and burgers coated with spices. I researched them a couple years back and sent away for some packets of ‘authentic Lum’s burger and fries spices’. Quite tasty, no matter if the same thing or not. (I used to go there for lunch in the 70’s in a mini-skirt, long blonde hair I could sit on, and then back to work for 5 hours. Those days, along with the ‘authentic’ spices, sadly GONE.) 
Anyone else remember Coco’s? Burgers, pies, pancake breakfasts… I used to think it was local on the East Coast, but after the one near me closed down, I took a trip to California and found another one not far from Disneyland. That was over 20 years ago, though. Are any still around?
Perkins was a similar chain that used to have restaurants everywhere, but I haven’t seen one in years.
Couldn’t tell you anything more than the name but wasn’t it Perkin’s Pancacke and Steak? Seems to me it was along the lines of a Denny’s or the such.
Perkins definitely still exists—according to their website, in the majority of US states—but the two nearest me closed within the past decade, so I’m not surprised to hear there aren’t as many as there used to be. They are somewhat similar to Denny’s or IHOP, but with baked goods—muffins, pies, and such.
There are a few left but I haven’t been in one in ages. They look to be doing better overseas than here in the US.
Can’t say how many have restaurants.
Anybody remember the Embers? Plugged by TV weathergirl and ***Airport ***bit player Nancy Nelson? “Grilled meat not only tastes better, it’s better for you!”
Not a bad place at all; unfortunately, I see from Google Geo that the one on Lake Street in Minneapolis has been shut down.
I remember lots of the others from when I was growing up around the country: Ground Round in Wisconsin, Dog and Suds in Illinois, HoJo’s in Michigan, Big Boy and Colonel Sander’s (before it was known simply as “KFC”) in West Virginia. There was also a Harvey’s at every place we stopped along the Illinois tollway.
It was Perkins Pancake House when I was a kid, but they were later Pancake & Steak when it merged with a steakhouse chain. Perkins was one of those chains that massively expanded and then ended up cutting back in a lot of locations. All the Perkins in upstate NY seem to be gone, but they are still pretty common in PA. Perkins is the first place I ever had/saw soup in a bread bowl.
One type of restaurant that seems to exist only in the past with very few exceptions, are department store restaurants. I used to be fascinated by the salad/smorgasborg bar at Bamberger’s and was a member of their birthday club. I also remember JC Penney’s and Boscov’s having simpler restaurants.
Gino’s is back, there are a few in MD.
We had an Embers in our town. Most appropriate name, it burned down three times. Somebody wasn’t paying their protection fee.
Dotson’s was very popular, and historic. Good chicken and ribs for carry-out.
Never ate in there though, think I would have not be welcome to
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2002-02-08/news/0202080023_1_dotson-redd-foxx-annapolis
I loved the pizza stand at Woolworth’s. Still some of the best pizza I’ve ever had.
Oh, yes. Hudson’s’s restaurant was upscale for me at the time, as Hudson’s was still a bit upscale (and, you know, existed) at the time.
(I’m losing my grasp of English: should that transform to “Hudsons’”? Or avoid the issue by saying “the restaurant at Hudson’s”?)
I already said it above – there are two Howard Johnson’s left. One in Lake George (open seasonally, although I’ve heard that it might actually be closed) and in Bangor Maine.
I fondly remember department store restaurants. Other than K-Mart. Replacing its homegrown restaurant with chains like Little Seizures was the best decision ever, and I dislike LC which should tell you something.
In Florida we had Maas Brother’s department stores which had their own restaurants. I liked the basket of different breads they gave before the meal, and the quietness and relaxed nature of the restaurant, which unfortunately presaged its closure because I don’t ever remember seeing more than 2 other patrons in the restaurant other than during holiday season.
Speaking of which, I hear that hotel restaurants are dying too, and I can believe it because I am usually one of the few patrons in them other than for breakfast buffets (even breakfast buffets you have to pay for seem to garner patrons.) However, they may stay for longer because they are so expensive that one or two customers per hour can pay for the waitstaff and expenses (if not for the space they could be using for something else.)
I like to go to hotel restaurants because while I can drive 1000 miles during the day, once I’ve found my day’s or trip’s destination, I don’t like navigating around in a car all over the place looking for food.
I remember Coco’s. For some reason it was my aunt’s favorite place and our family went their regularly. That was in So. California. After having lived here in Florida for many years, I had totally forgotten about it until I went back to No. Cal. for a visit and where did my step mom want to go; Cocos!
I think I cracked the case! 
I believe one of Tiger Woods’ um, indiscretions was with a Perkin’s waitress.
My family and I used to stop at the Perkins in East Stroudsburg, PA on the way to and from college. I remember that they had awesome croissants–the best I’ve ever had anywhere.
I also remember eating at a diner which was a converted dining car from a train. I don’t remember its name.
Hey, anyone else remember Stuckey’s! With a gift shop the size of the restaurant.
I recall there being Stuckey’s here, though I never ate at one. I assume it had a country motif?
There was a store similar to that and Cracker Barrel called Kissin Cousins. One time when my sister was a toddler she really wanted to go to Cracker Barrel for their gift shop but we went to Kissin Cousins instead because it was closer (and their gift shop was smaller but still probably big to a toddler :))