I’ve been to six of these. How about you?
Chain restaurants dot the American landscape. They line highway exits and shopping districts, often giving these areas a homogenous appearance, no matter where in the country you find yourself. In such environs, it’s easy to think that each chain restaurant is truly ubiquitous, available in some form wherever you happen to be visiting. But this isn’t the case.
Some chain restaurants succeed, while others fail. And some cease to exist entirely. This is the kind of chain eatery we’re interested in today. Some of these places existed when you were a kid, but are gone today, and some rose and fell before you were born! These are chain restaurants that vanished across America.
We begged & begged to go to Farrell’s in Oxmoor Mall until Dad finally relented.
Some dumbass server spilled a plate of food on my father.
He was so pissed and the manager was a dick so we NEVER went back.
I wonder how many chains will die after covid, “enhanced minimum wage” & now massive inflation?
Many I have been to have closed their lobbies permanently.
Drive-thru only.
Fuck joe biden*
They need to bring Chi-Chi’s back!
For fucks sake Jack-in-the-Box survived the same shit!
I think it’s time to reintroduce Sambo’s. Should be a big hit in the ‘hood.
It’s all a moot point; in a few months we will be out of food anyway, thanks to Joey.
I have been to 9 of them.
Anyone remember Burger Queen?
They had a “Queenie Bee” mascot from what I remember.
Burger Chef (& Jeff) as well.
Big Fish Hungry & Big Chicken Hungry sandwiches.
They left out Big Dick’s Hot Dog Palace.
Came to mention Sambo’s.
Farrell’s was awesome, especially The Zoo, which had something like 30 scoops of ice cream and plastic animals on top.
Souplantation was killed by the covid, early on in covid all of the buffet-style serving was shut down (including in grocery stores) and that was the end of Souplantation.
My folks dragged us around the country on vacation in the 60s. I remember HoJos very well – Howard Johnsons and Holiday Inn were always next to each other but for some reason my parents preferred Howard Johnsons. I also remember Stuckey’s off the interstate; the buildings are still around and many of them were converted to adult bookstores. I’m told there are a couple of actual Stuckey’s in Georgia, and my goal is to find one just for old times’ sake.
Souplantation was a favorite of mine, but the over-reaction to Covid killed that chain. I’m not sure the changing preference from sit-down diners and restaurants to fast food joints is a good thing, but those changing preferences have killed quite a few chains.
Souplantation?
Sounds problematic…
I worked at a medium-sized mall while in HS in the early ’70s in which Farrell’s was a main restaurant. It was fun but noisy, like a precursor to Chucky Cheese, because of all the childrens’ birthday parties. Every time the birthday kid’s treat was brought out of the kitchen a fire siren went off and out dashed all the staff to sing and clap a round of “Happy Birthday”! It got old fast.
Don’t know how regional my favorite pizza joint was, but I do miss Pizza Haven. Best sauce on a fast food pizza! “Got a pizza cravin’, go to Pizza Haven!”
Most of the chains in the vid are mid-west or east coast, so by the time they were gone they hadn’t made their way to the PNW. For more local restaurants, Shakey’s pizza was good. I don’t think there are any left now.
I’m not a big fast food or formula restaurant diner. I ate at Olive Garden once. That’s all it took.
I remember Village Inn Pizza.
I still remember how good it tasted too.
They showed B&W Laurel & Hardy flicks on a loop…
Good old days!
AbigailAdams
MARCH 21, 2022 AT 5:09 PM
“I worked at a medium-sized mall while in HS in the early ’70s in which Farrell’s was a main restaurant. It was fun but noisy, like a precursor to Chucky Cheese, because of all the childrens’ birthday parties. Every time the birthday kid’s treat was brought out of the kitchen a fire siren went off and out dashed all the staff to sing and clap a round of “Happy Birthday”! ”
…my older sister’s first job was at one, and I seem to remember the waitress uniform being a ridiculous gingham dress with lace on it that I mocked her over mercilessly, but the “birthday” thing I remember as being EXTRA obnoxious because they flashed ALL THE LIGHTS and used a PA system with a little cant that started “STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING, SWALLOW WHAT YOU’RE CHEWING!” at airport tarmac level decibels.
Even then I found the “chewing” reference gross.
Don’t miss that at all.
But I remember them having good ice cream, tho…
SNS — Never heard that chant, but the fire sirens were loud enough.
One of my favorite scenes in any movie is from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” when the brother (can’t remember the actor’s name) goes to work for the fish and chips place and has to deliver a big order. At the stop light a woman gives him the glance and he smiles back at her but then realizes she’s amused at his “captain” hat and his goofy uniform. So he throws the hat out the window and starts pitching boxes of food out too.
I’ve been to 5. Red Barn was my favorite as a very hungry kid because of the salad bar. After i finished my burger and fries, I could fill the rest of my belly with salad after salad after salad. They had the fake bacon bits, which I still buy occasionally.
I went to the only remaining Arthur Treachers on earth 2 weeks ago in Cuyahoga Falls!
I’ve been to nine of them. It’s a blessing/curse to grow up in Columbus OH because it’s a test market for new concepts in fast food. We usually had everything at some point. (No IN/OUT burgers though). I know where the last Arthur Treachers is. I could bike to it from my house.
We had a Brown Derby and we went there on special occasions. I always got a Shirley Temple. The inside was dark with lots of plants and a sunken dining room area. @Wyatt My parents always stayed at Howard Johnsons too. It was so cool to order a HoJo…which was really just a Pepsi or Coke. LOL!
My favorites that are gone that might be just Ohio’centric restaurants were Borden Burger, The Dutch Pantry and Isaly’s. I only know of one remaining each of GD Ritzy’s (revived) and York Steak House (last one is still open in Columbus. It’s been there for over 40 years.)
We lost a Golden Corral and lots of Mom and Pop restaurants.
I won’t miss Golden Corral but will miss the small ones.
I’ll never forget the Farrell’s Disaster in Sacramento in 1972 (WOW it’s been 50 years already). Farrell’s was located near the airport and during an airshow a Korean War vintage F-86 Sabre Jet aka “Flying Stovepipe” crashed into the building killing about two dozen and injuring about the same number.
At the time my (future) wife was teaching school in Berlin for the DoD and they were being visited by a congressional tour group when then Congressman Willie Brown was notified so he had to cut their visit short and head home.
That was just such a tragic event.
“Howard Johnsons and Holiday Inn were always next to each other but for some reason my parents preferred Howard Johnsons. I also remember Stuckey’s …”
Where I grew up, we had a Howard Johnsons, Mister Donut (I’ve mentioned them a few times in posts, as it reminds me of times with my dad on Saturday mornings). One town over was a Stuckeys and if we went fishing in Tampa Bay (Tampa did have the only Farrell’s I’ve been to) we usually stopped at Stuckey’s on the way home.
There was also a Sambo’s, in our town, but it closed down and for years the diner sat empty. In fact, in the movie Edward Scissorhands right after the scene were Edward was in the hair salon in Southgate Plaza, he met the family across the street in a restaurant which was the old Sambo’s.
BTW, if you are in the Dania Beach/Hollywood Beach area, there is Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor which a lot of people claim it’s as close to Farrell’s as you can get.
7 for me. Farrell’s was my favorite. Like LCD, I remember the plastic animals.
Three and, when a kid, Ferrell’s was a rare treat. Kip’s Big Boy was another favorite, but didn’t make the list.
Good, Ferrells is DEAD! I hated that place! Thank GOD it is gone!!!!!
Loved Sambos, still have one of their plastic menu’s.🙂
Another restaurant was Bob’s Big Boy, will never forget when my Dad ordered a bowl of chili and found a spent shell in it. 😁
When the upscale Green Frog restaurant with the Lilly Pad bar failed the owner realized he had shot too high in quality, service, and high end overhead for expensive seafood. His next venture was Red Lobster. It was originally inexpensive mostly fried seafood using SeaPac’s top shelf frozen seafood. He sold out at the right time.
My claim to fame was being kicked out of a Beefsteak Charlies with my college roommates at University of Maryland.
Twelve of us sat at two tables the waiters pulled together. When they asked us how many pitchers of beer we wanted we all looked around and all at once we all said “twelve!”. It went down hill from there.
We started playing “quarters” with another group of guys at the table next to us, trying to bounce the quarter across the aisle.
They did wait until we paid our tab before kicking us out.
been to 9 (that I remember)
no Hot Shoppes?
no Little Tavern?
no Mighty Mo’s?
no Eddie Leonard’s?
(maybe I’m being a bit too regional)
hated Ferrell’s. had a great ice cream place in Langley Park, called Weile’s
xxxxx://www.underconsideration.com/artofthemenu/archives/weiles_ice_cream.php
Mom & I always tried to split a banana split, but could never finish the whole thing
Sambo’s is gone but Denny’s remains.
What a pity.
73 years ago we lived in VA. HOJos was very big, went there many times. Another chain in Va, Ky, Tenn was “Chicken in a Basket’. Standard meal was fried chicken(red basket) and fries. Must not have been big as not on the vid. I’m sure KFC killed ’em in ’56.
Back in the late 40’s thru the 50’s and 60’s we didn’t eat out much. When we did go out to eat it was usually to Granny’s house! I can still smell the house in my mind.
My favorite place when I was a kid was Taco Hut, don’t know if it was a chain or not, but I do know I loved their taco burgers. I still to this day will get to craving their taco burger, tried them at other places and have even tried to recreate them at home, but nothing ever tastes like I remember them tasting.
My husband tells me probably because even if I had one of theirs I probably wouldn’t think it tastes the same either. lol
Dairy Queen, they’re still around but the food and menu is not the same. They had a supper sandwich I loved and a deluxe burrito.
Sirloin Stockade was another favorite that is no longer around, at least not anywhere I know of. My favorite thing was the little desserts, that basically were just different flavors of jello and whip cream all layered in a Sundae glass, but as a kid I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Can’t imagine why Sambo’s got shut down. Can anyone think of a reason?
A&W Root Beer is still holding on by a thread, at least in the PNW.
There was a short-lived chain restaurant near me back in the 80’s called ‘Farmer Brown’s Fried Chicken’. It was said to owned by a former Dallas Cowboy. It was the best fried chicken I ever ate other than my mom’s.
WHEN I WAS 18, I GOT A LOT OF GUY AN GIRL FRIENDS TO GO TO FARRELL’S IN THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, AND FILL A LONG TABLE OF PEOPLE, ENJOYING BANANA SPLITS ABD THE LIKE..
I GOT ALL TO AGREE TO RUN THE GINORMOUS BILL, AND WE RACED HOME WITH GUTS FULL OF ICE CREAM..
ONE GIRL TURNED ME IN TO THE PARENTS, AND I WORK EXTRA TO PAY THE BILL MYSELF, AS I WAS NOT ABOUT TO GO TO THE OTHER FAMILIES AND TURN THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS IN..
IT WAS STILL WORTH THE OVERTIME I HAD TO WORK TO COME UP WITH THE MOOLAH!!
BENITO, Dine and Dash cost me a couple times as well. What really took the fun out of it for me was when I learned the waitresses were responsible for the tab. I never did it again and I’ve been a generous tipper ever since.
JOE6, EXACTLY!!
SAME HERE, FELT LIKE SHIT WHEN I GOT SMARTER 😖
I never considered eating chains at all, much less in a restaurant.
Is it anything like link sausage?
Do they squirt chain oil when you bite into them?
Have they been aged on Harleys, or are they cheap imports from Meheeco that have never seen a sprocket?
“Sambo’s is gone but Denny’s remains.”
Which makes me wonder if La Quinta is still around.
La Quinta translates into Next to Denny’s, IIRC. So, they must be.
Wonder how many barrels of sugar Ferrell’s went through each day in all that ice cream?
I think I remember they had a banana split that was really huge and if you finish it, it was free.
Went to the McDonald’s nextdoor while the oil was being changed in the company truck a while back and it was freezing out. McDonald’s indoor dining has been closed becay of were all gonna die Chi-flu at this McDonald’s . So I sat on a rock and eat that fish sandwich that was cold. No outdoor seats? It’s like they they don’t want you there. I was only eating there because of the wait, they suck at most everything. The ice is ok I guess.
I remember sambo’s being a pretty decent place to have breakfast. First they came for Sambo’s then Uncle Ben then Aunt Jemima. RIP
The wrong places go under sometimes me thinks.
Ferrell’s isn’t missed by me.