Defunct restaurant chains that you miss

Love the magic pan. I did not like HH, but I did go there.

Someone told me that the magic pan was owned by stouffers, and they used their first generation frozen dips. Is this true?

I liked the burgers and lobster bisque at Hamburger Hamlet in Chevy Chase. Was there one closer to downtown, Georgetown? I can't remember now. It would have been during Watergate.

I think I ate at the Magic Pan in Boston...some creperie on Boylston Street, during 1973.

I vaguely remember the Sir Walter Raleigh Inn. I may have worked for their ad agency.

Was there a Sir Walter Raleigh Inn on Western Avenue in Friendship Heights? That's where I saw my first salad bar, whatever it was called.

DC area/ Alexandria VA: The ground round, shakeys pizza, Chesapeake bay seafood house, Roy rogers, Peking duck, generous george’s pizza, friendly’s, Dixie pig

R3, there was a Hamburger Hamlet on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, near Montgomery Mall. That's the one I went to.

R4, there was a Raleigh Inn in downtown Bethesda, I think, although the one my family went to was in Wheaton. There could have been one in Friendship Heights as well; it was a popular chain at the time.

R2, I don't know if they were owned by Stouffer's, but I do know now that the filling for their spinach souffle crepe was Stouffer's frozen spinach souffle.

R5, Roy Rogers had the best friend chicken, much better than KFC. They still do, although the only ones I know of are at a couple of rest stops on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

I totally forgot about magic pan..I lived near Montgomery Mall but moved back West in 77😀

R2 I heard that all restaurants who serve a spinach crepe use Stouffer's frozen spinach soufflé as the filling. It is good.

Los Angeles area. The Velvet Turtle. Ohhhhhh, how I miss their Beef Wellington. Can't seem to find it anywhere anymore. That, and their table side tossed salad! Just decadent.

King’s

Here in Toledo we have the only remaining White Tower. Is it missed?

Another vote for Shakey's, assuming they are completely gone. I thought there was still a holdout or two somewhere.

Houston's. I know there are still some, but they're not around anymore in the cities I go to. For a while there in the 90s/early 00s it was a great restaurant with well-done interiors, great menu and happy servers.

Love’s Wood Pit Barbeque, a chain. “When you’re in Love’s, the whole world’s delicious.”

ZUM ZUM in NYC German style fast food, loved the sausage with German potato salad.

There's a Shakeys pizza in Waipahu, Hawaii. Can't vouch for the pizza being the same, but is definitely a chain pizza restaurant.

Go figure...

What hapenned to Hamburger Hamlet?

How about Koo Koo Roo. Or California Chicken? El Pollo Loco?

I miss L.A.😢

Also miss Yoshinoya ^

There are a few on the New Jersey Turnpike as well R7

Hey R14 there is a Houston's in Aventura/North Miami on US1/Biscayne Boulevard but the menu is nothing like the 1980s menu, which had such amazing great salads.

Friendly's is gone. The Friendly's on University Parkway in Sarasota near the Ringling Museum is now something called Freddy's. The burgers aren't bad.

I loved Hamburger Hamlet. They had the greatest patty melt ever.

People will laugh, but I really miss Kenny Rogers' Roasters. They had a delicious chicken caesar pita, and their cornbread muffins were so good and didn't crumble.

Burger Chef

*Gay Dan's

*(Yes, there really was such a restaurant chain from 1950 to the early 1970s when they changed their name to Mr. Dan's.)

El Pollo Loco is all over southern Cal. Still serve delicious grilled chicken.

I miss Hamburger Hamlet Hollywood. I once saw Shelley Winters there keeping up her Mrs. Rosen body long after the Poseidon Adventure had been forgotten.

How about restaurant chains I would like to see go? I will start with In and Out burger. Shittiest burgers in town.

The only reason they get a lot of high ratings is the burgers are cheap thin patties which make it a perfect place for social media addicted tees with no cash to check in on FB and Yelp.

Shakey’s pizza exists in various locations in Japan.

Arthur Treacher's fish and chips - I loved that when I was a kid.

Dunkin' Donuts isn't defunct, just harder to find. When I was a kid they were all over; now there are only two in Houston.

I liked Shakey's when I was a kid. And Houston's made good hamburgers. I can't remember the last time I saw one.

Jojo's had great food, I liked it. Delicious!

NYC: Schraffts.

The best high teas and the best ice cream sundaes ever. Wonderful, civilized restaurants. Old-Fashioned, wise-cracking, sweet waitresses. Gone forever.

Shakey's is still around, but in very small numbers. I just saw one a couple weeks ago on a road trip and it totally caught me by surprise.

FACTOID: Shakey's pizza dough is so crispy because they use NO yeast in their dough. Basically its a giant round cracker.

R31 spoke French to the counterman. Imagine!

Dutch Pantry.

In NYC - Bagel Nosh

Baker's Square. They used to be all over California, I think there is only a few left in flyoverstan. Their chocolate french silk pie was to dye for. It won awards.

[quote]Their chocolate french silk pie was to dye for.

No dye in that pie, r35.

^Die^

Ah Koo Koo Roo....they were ahead of the times. I was sorry to see it go in West Hollywood. I haven't eaten once at the Shake Shack....it is any good?

To the poster that mentioned Generous George’s Pizza - I forgot all about that place - I loved their pizza. Does anyone remember the Pleasant Peasant at Mazza Gallerie? That was the cool spot to go!

Barker's Square, I almost forgot. Great place to have dessert...loved the coconut cream pie too.

[quote]Does anyone remember the Pleasant Peasant at Mazza Gallerie? That was the cool spot to go!

I knew a guy who had come to DC from Atlanta to manage the PP @ Mazza. What WAS his name?

Ted’s Montana Grill. Started with so much promise...tasty food and generous portions. Near the end the quality and quantity of food declined dramatically. My server told me that they might be closing, which they did a week or so later. I was crazy about the onion rings and southwestern salad.

I ate at the PP in Philadelphia ages ago. I think that it’s a furniture store now.

"Dunkin' Donuts isn't defunct, just harder to find."

Not hard to find at all here in Philly. Just about 1 on every major street corner in the city and suburbs. If there's no DD, it's because the sites are already occupied by a CVS or Walgreen's.

A second to Roy Rogers and Magic Pan. Double-R-Burgers and seafood crepes. Mmmmm......

Would that Horn & Hardart was still with us. We had so many in CC Philadelphia( I believe there were 5 East of City Hall), it was always a treat to go to the Automat. All those windows to choose from, the coffee that was dispensed from a silver spigot set in the wall(it operated by turning a handle), those odd tall tables that were designed to be stood around, the lady in the glass booth who dispensed change by tossing coins into marble slots. The rice pudding, chicken potpie and babka were particular favorites. I'm getting soggy with nostalgia. Also had a cafeteria-style one, and a sit down one with waitress service.

Anyone remember the name of the Doris Day film where she talked with Audrey Meadows, while operating the windows in a H&H automat?

R2 Stouffer's never owned the Magic Pan ( Im about 1000 feet away from Stouffer's headquarters - which is owned by Nestle) pre Nestle and becoming a national brand, they had an outlet store at the factory - my youth was filled with spinach souffle, seafood crepes, blueberry crumb cake, and lots of French bread pizzas..

I miss Baker's Square - it was previously called Pop'n Fresh Pies -- still have a couple pie tins from there...

Loved Rax roast beef - any still around?

[quote] I'm about 1000 feet away from Stouffer's headquarters

Cleveland?

Bennigans

Howard Johnson's

D'Lites was pretty good "lite, healthy" fast food in the mid -1980s, but absolutely no one seems to remember it.

It's the stupid name, r48.

The infamous Gay Shakeys is still on SM and Orange.One of the few things I miss about LA.

"Shakey's Pizza is a pizza restaurant chain based in the United States. Founded in 1954, it was the first franchise pizza chain in the United States. In 1968, the chain had 342 locations. The chain currently has about 500 stores globally, and 51 in the United States."

R49 the stupid name is why it ought to be remembered. (Also, for their incredible vegetarian pita sandwich).

R44 the movie you're looking for might be That Touch of Mink.

"I'm about 1000 feet away from Stouffer's headquarters"

Solon?

I remember a soup & salad cafeteria place called Salmugundi's (sp) that was in a couple So Cal malls when I was a pre/early teen. It was the first place I ever got chocolate mousse or had unsalted butter for bread. I heard the chain started in SF and there may have been one or two still in SF when I moved here in late 80s. Also in So Cal was a 24 hour JoJo's restaurant that was our after disco place to go. They made something called a Hot Fudge Ice Cream Puff (it was a cream puff with soft serve vanilla ice cream and hot fudge on top) also good date nut bread with cream cheese.

I have always wanted to go to a full size automat since I was a kid. Too late.

I used to go to Bennigan's religiously in college R47. Very generous 2 for 1 happy hour from 11 to around 4-5. I'd go for lunch and drink four Bloody Marys then go to class.

I'm often surprised to find out though (like Bennigan's) when I travel for work, a lot of these chains aren't defunct. They just closed all the locations in my area.

[re38] i miss koo koo roo. I have resorted to making a hack recipe which is decent. but i kiss the whole package. such a great fadt meal stop. why did they go out of business? mismanagement? https://topsecretrecipes.com/koo-koo-roo-original-skinless-flame-broiled-chicken-copycat-recipe.html

I also miss the good earth rastaurants.

Please excuse my typos..damn phone keyboard.

Yeah. It's the phone's fault.

Was The Good Earth on Westwood Blvd?

Souplantation still around in So. Cal?

I also miss Numero Uno pizza with the thick crust and whole tomatoes 🍅.

R52, yep, there is a Stouffer's in Solon, OH. I'm not the OP that mentioned it, but I lived there for about 12 years. Nestle is right across the street. Stouffer's has a small "outlet" store where they sell their stuff dirt cheap. I've bought entire cases of stuff like frozen flatbread pizzas for like $7.

[quote]Souplantation still around in So. Cal?

Definitely. And they're elsewhere under the name Sweet Tomatoes.

There are still quite a few Shakey's in the LA area -- and they have the Buncha Lunch buffet. The original Shakey's was in Sacramento, near the Sac State campus -- not sure if it's still there.

[quote]Anyone remember the name of the Doris Day film where she talked with Audrey Meadows, while operating the windows in a H&H automat?

As mentioned above, it's "That Touch of Mink." One of my favorite movie scenes of all time is when Audrey Meadows reaches through the little food window and slaps Gig Young.

Are there any Po' Folks still around? They were kind of a low-rent Cracker Barrel. How about The Black-eyed Pea? They were a classier Cracker Barrel.

Speaking of Stouffers, we went here often with my grandparents for lunch at Shaker Square. My 80 yr old tanned and blonde Aunt Adele worked the floor as a fashion model.

In my younger days, we used to go to Shoney's while terribly hung-over from the previous night's partying and put an all-out assault on the breakfast buffet. Shoney's Breakfast Buffet - I miss it!

Friendly's still has ~175 locations in the northeast.

I miss the Marie Callender's restaurant in Seattle. The chain still exists but they pulled back and retrenched, mostly to California.

I miss the Monte Cristo sandwich at Bennigan's.

The name was terrible, but Naugles had a fantastic green burrito.

Black Eyed Pea was really popular in Texas. They had a great chicken fried steak

Bob’s Big Boy Godfather’s Pizza

Victoria’s Station. Had great Prime Rib and chocolate mousse

Farrells ice cream

[quote] Dunkin' Donuts isn't defunct, just harder to find. When I was a kid they were all over; now there are only two in Houston.

Maybe they all moved to NYC. There's like one on every block.

Dunkin's is alive and thriving in the east.

In Mass. there are no more Brighams, which had the most incredible hot fudge and where I learned to love Rasberry Lime Rickeys.

R5 OMG I love you! I grew up going to Chesapeake Bay Seafood House and my family missed it so much when it dwindled. Roy Rogers had the best fried chicken and roast beef sandwiches...there are actually still a couple of them left in Leesburg, Virginia that still make the food the way Roy Rogers used to. The franchise locations up I-95 are not the same at all.

[quote] Dunkin' Donuts isn't defunct, just harder to find. When I was a kid they were all over; now there are only two in Houston.

Weird, they are like Subways in the Midwest - one every 300 feet.

Dunkin has moved to kiosks in the west as well.

R22 Friendly's lives on in the Northeast but it's going to hell - I don't know how much longer they have as a company. It used to be good.

R74 Before Brighams there was Baileys - one behind Filenes on Franklin Street and one overlooking the Common next to the Episcopal Cathedral on Tremont Street - and the hot fudge was both better than Brighams and they were way more generous with. They put hot fudge (or butterscotch sauce) at the bottom of the silver sundae dish, then the ice cream and then more fudge on top. As a kid, a trip downtown with my grandmother always included a stop there mid-afternoon when she needed to sit down and "rest her feet" after an arduous day of shopping. They went out of business in the 1980's, long before Brighams.

Before Baileys there was Thompson's Spa but I barely remember them because the last one closed about 1960 or so. But the food was great and check out the prices: ten cents for hot clam juice...

Every year my mother took us to Bailey's when we went downtown to go Xmas shopping. She always ordered an olive loaf sandwich while we had the sundae's. I was fascinated by Boylston St. entrance. I still think Brighams had the better hot fudge.

I can't find olive loaf or pickle and pimento loaf in any of the grocery stores around me R79. Except for Safeway, where they are selling an 8-oz package of Oscar Meyer P&P loaf for $5.99.

VIP's. I looked forward to eating at one of these on our I-5 jaunts down to southern California.

Mildred's . . .

r82, now that was SOME pie!

Bickford's Pancake House

Swensens

OP I like your restaurants!. How did Magic Pan not make it. I went to the one at Tysons a lot. Sir Walter Raleigh Inn was very popular. It was locally owned. Lots of employees from the hospital ate there all the time. And Trader Vic's had those fun drinks with the little umbrellas. Oh the days of old DC were so much better for food and fun.

There's at least one Baker's Square location that I know of... on the Chicago/Evanston border.

Ho Jo’s

Ho Jo’s fried clam strips basket...ahhh

I haven't lived on the east coast for many years, but I assume (and hope) that Beefsteak Charlie's is dead and buried.

Sambo's which used character decorations and menu items based on characters from the book Li'l Black Sambo

Sambo's had the bestest pancakes!

Roy Rogers

Fuddruckers

Arthur Treachers

Whatever that Mmexican chain was what closed down on account of the salmonella in the lettuce

R29 Seriously? Wow, they can’t build Dunkin D’s fast enough in NE Ohio. There are two down the road from me, and Another two in the other direction.

There was a steakhouse chain in PA and NJ called "Beefsteak Charlies". Adults could drink all the free beer, wine or sangria they wanted as part of their meal. What could possibly go wrong with that??

r92 It really did! I vividly remember my visit to Sambo's (1978). The pancakes were very fluffy.

Fuddruckers isn't defunct, AFAIK. It's owned by Luby's, and the website is still operational.

Burger Chef. You bought your burger plain and took it over to the "Burger Bar" which was like a salad bar wth lots of different toppings and condiments. Their quality was all over the place, but if you found a good one the burger really was outstanding.

There are Fuddrucker's here in CA. They're still around.

I miss Sambo's too!

Steak and Shake is about to go under.

A & W 's and MCL cafeteria. Very few around.

Roy Rogers is all over DC now. I think they’re all franchises. There’s a couple in Northern Virginia and quite a few in Maryland. Does anyone remember going to the Brass Pony in Woodies at Wheaton Plaza? Farrells ice cream was awesome. I always felt really strange going to the bathroom there because it was way down in the basement lol. I remember Sir Walter Raleigh it seemed like everybody went to homecoming and prom dinner there. Lol Chi Chi’s?

Farrell's recently rebooted in SoCal R72 but they are still a pretty small operation for now.

Bob's Big Boys

r91 There's still one remaining Sambo's (possibly the original?) in Santa Barbara. They're only open for breakfast and lunch.

R93 Arthur Treachers still exists, from what I gather they are connected to Nathan's Famous now. There has been a co-branded Arthur Treachers/Nathan's Famous in the food court of the Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel since it opened in 2015.

This thread is digging up a lot of memories - places I’d totally forgotten. A few others...

Nedicks - All over Midtown Manhattan. I can still picture the round counters. My dad would take me there for hot dogs.

Lum’s - Sort of like Denny’s but better food. Nicer decor. In the DC suburbs.

Cooky’s - A steakhouse chain on Long Island. It was done up to look something like a medieval castle. I remember how impressed I was by the round loaves of warm bread brought to the table on cutting boards with bread knives.

Has someone already mentioned Steak & Egg?

There are still a number of Baker's Square restaurants in the Chicago area. There's a Fuddrucker's near my house, too.

Lettuce Entertain You (a large restaurant group) bought the Magic Pan name and opened a few as mall food stands--a terrible idea and a failure. I grew up in SoCal and the Magic Pan was one of my favorite restaurants in my late teens/early 20s, along with Hamburger Hamlet and Reuben's.

A lot of the old "mainstream" American-food type places in California have either shrunk or shut down altogether -- I think a lot of this is due to the huge increase in the Hispanic and Asian population groups. Coco's and Carrow's were recently bought by Shari's (from Oregon.) Marie Callender's has far fewer locations than it used to. Denny's sticks around by virtue of it being everywhere and open 24 hours. IHOPs seem to be doing OK.

Chi-Chis for some trashy Mexican food.

A&W restaurants exist in Canada. The food tastes better there than in the US, whereas the Fatburger chain in the US serves better-tasting food than the Canadian Fatburger restaurants do.

The web site for Shakey's states there are about 500 locations worldwide with about 60 in the U.S., primarily in the western states.

Baker's Square was great - their pies were just as good as Polly's, Cocos or Marie Callender. And good all around menu as I recall. First time I ever had honey mustard chicken was there.

"Herfy's"!

The one located on Elliott Avenue back then was perfectly situated for late-night, out of the way charbroiled greasy goodness!

Souplantation is great. The best salad bar I know of and always great soups. Problem is everything is so good and plentiful I always overeat there.

r114 Herfy's isn't defunct. There are some in the international district, Burien, Auburn and Seattle's Georgetown district.

^^ Thanks! (Maybe I'm thinking of "Dag's"?)

Farrell's ice cream parlours were great fun and crazy, noisy places filled with excitement. We always went there for birthdays. At its peak the chain had 130 locations. Now it's down to just one surviving location, in Brea, California.

Famous Barr’s in St. Louis. My mother would take us there after shopping for the French onion soup. Yum.

Sir George's Smorgasbord, owned by none other than Liberace's brother George Liberace.

From reading the kids' placemats at Sambos, I learned as a kid that pancakes were made by tigers running in a circle so much that they melted into pancakes.

In NYC: Schraffts, Chock Full O'Nuts, Zum Zum (though, I did hate those gross aluminum dishes they served their food in), Woolworth's had great sundaes and Horn & Hardart was cool, if only for the novelty factor. Their baked beans and hot chocolate were excellent.

There's Long John Silvers/A&W restaurant in my town here in Texas. I should probably eat there more before those two are gone.

We went to an A&W in Boulder City, Nevada last year. It was OK, just ordinary fast food. Lots of deep fried things. Root beer still good.

R104, I loved Bob's Big Boy. They had great patty melts, as good as Denny's (which are very good). There are no Denny's near me, either, although I know they're still around. I've resorted to making my own patty melts from time to time, but it's a lot of trouble.

Blimpie's (back in the 70s/80s- unbelievable heros, far superior to that Subway trash)

Orange Julius

Big Barry's

The Frisch's Big Boy in my hometown just closed and reopened as a Chipotle. It's still owned by the same company, they just figured they could make more money running a Chipotle. There's only two Big Boys left in our area.

R125 I loved Bob’s Big Boy, especially the Patty Melt or the Brawny Beef. My dad used to treat us out on random weekdays. I always got a Patty Melt, a vanilla milkshake in a steel cup, shared my dad’s salad with blue cheese dressing and got a buttermilk donut on the way out. If I ever find myself on death row, that’ll be my last meal.

Oh and I always hugged the Big Boy statue on my way out.

Grew up in DC and OP, you brought back memories of my childhood. Sir Walter Raleigh was our go to for dinner. The had great prime rib. Salad bar was great but GD Graffiti ??? Had a better salad bar and the deserts were the best. Worked at Pleasant Peasant and waited on the rich ladies of Bethesda who "lunched." There was Houlihans and Fritzbees. Anyone remember The American Cafe in Friendship Heights. Loved that place.

Saladalley

I'm in LA in the Valley and we have a Hamburger Hamlet still. We also have a Shakey's Pizza that is pretty good.

I miss Luv's Woodpit BBQ. They were great. And Daphne's Greek Cafe.

Calm down with that shit, r91. If you'd ever actually been in a Sambo's, you'd have known that there wasn't any "black" to it.

Burger Boy. Although I really only remember the giant statue outside.

Another vote for Chock Full O'Nuts and their counter service, and cream cheese sandwiches on date nut bread, plus endless cups of "heavenly" coffee

I miss La Crepe, a small New York City chain of creperies, so delicious and a treat when we came into the city for a show.

Red Barn

R130, was GD Graffiti on Rockville Pike, or maybe just off the Pike? If so, then I remember the place - sort of a gangster theme? - and, yes, they did have an amazing salad bar, although IIRC it was more fruit than vegetable. Yes, the Raleigh Inn had great prime rib. It came with what I thought was the most amazing, delicious horseradish sauce, which I now realize was just Kraft Horseradish Sauce, aka horseradish and mayo. Simpler times called for simpler minds in my case, it seems.

Sizzler’s. When younger, liked the meals like hamburger “steaks” and Malibu chicken. The toast was really good.

As I got older, the salad bar became more elaborate and I liked the salad bar and soups.

ShopHouse by Chipotle. It was fantastic.

ShopHouse. Sigh... 😥

R10 my mother was a waitress at the Velvet Turtle off of the 405 in the 70’s. Great food!

I liked Hot Shoppe cafeterias by Marriott. I used to eat at the Tysons Corner one as a kid.

R132, did the Sherman Oaks Hamburger Hamlet reopen? They closed for "remodeling" last year. This was the last HH. I miss Luv's, too.

Straw Hat Pizza

Pioneer Chicken

Pup ‘N’ Taco

Oops Straw Hat Pizza and Pioneer Chicken have a few locations still open ... just not in the L.A. area.

[quote]Anyone remember The American Cafe in Friendship Heights.

Was that the same as the one in Georgetown? Where in Friendship Heights?

Straw Hat is still in Long Beach and Cerritos (and about 20 other CA locations). There are just 2 Pioneer Chickens and they are both in LA (Boyle Heights and Bell Gardens).

[quote]Sambo's which used character decorations and menu items based on characters from the book

I went to the one in Santa Barbara as a kid and at the time before all the racial controversy they had a lovely mural painted on one wall of little Sambo running from the tiger until he turned into butter. LOL. That's gone now but the restaurant is still there and quite popular for breakfast. Very kitchy.

The Copper Penny - but maybe there’s still one or two left in California?

Sambos even had toys - a little sawdust-stuffed tiger and Sambo doll, who was a light-skinned Indian boy in a turban.

Where the Georgetown American Cafe was in the 1980s is where Blimpie had been in the 1970s.

There are about 10 Baker's Square restaurants in the Twin Cities.

Dunkin' Donuts rebooted here as well. I haven't been to one so I don't know how good they are.

Krispy Kreme donuts failed here and all of them closed. You could get better donuts at our grocery chain for less money.

Bennigans

THE TRAGIC PAN! My BF at the time worked at the one on Oak or Walton St. in Chicago.

Is the person who said King’s, do you mean Kings Food Host?

King's is a Denny's competitor in suburban Pittsburgh.

R142. Oh mi god! That's the one we went to! Right across from Best Buy! Life was so good back in the day. Most things were simple and made sense. Oh where, O where can I Getz Beef Wellington again?

How about the ubiquitous Marie Callendar's restaurants or Mimi's?

Baker's Square has a lot of restaurants in the Chicago and Mpls-St. Paul metro areas and a few in IN, IA and WI. I ate there a lot when I lived in the Twin Cities, and their French Silk, Banana Cream and Fresh Strawberry pies are great.

And speaking of strawberry pie, Big Boy was famous for them, so much so that there are sites online that claim to have the original recipe.

Kings Food Host was in my hometown, and they were my favorite place to eat as a kid. Each booth had a kind of desktop jukebox that displayed the menu, and attached to it was a phone where you called in your order. They were famous for their Cheese Frenchee, a cheese sandwich with the crusts cut off, quartered and dipped in batter, then coated with cracker crumbs and deep fried. I got the recipe online and have made them many times since!

The upscale flagship Marie Callendar's in LA on Mid Wiltshire Blvd was actually called Callendar's. They probably spent like 2 million on the interior. Swanky for a chain like that. Everything at the time was upgraded, from the handsome wait staff in long white aprons to very upscale classic bar. It just closed down last year.

They claimed rent doubled, but landlord disputes that public statement and said it only went up 10% after 35 years with no increase.

I knew the founders of Kings Food Host rather well, R159. If you saw that Ray Kroc movie from a couple years ago, there's the scene where the McDonald brothers are discussing the proper temp for French fries, and that was so much like listening to the Price brothers from Kings it scared me. I once got at least a 15 minute lecture on the best way to salt the hamburger patties, and believe it or not, it was exciting to listen to it. They knew how to put out good food, but like so many of the restaurants in this thread, they weren't so good at operating a chain of stores.

York Steakhouse chain in Ohio.

Friendly's (I loved their fried clam basket).

[quote]I loved Bob's Big Boy. They had great patty melts, as good as Denny's (which are very good).

Denny's dropped their patty melts from the menu several years ago. I don't remember how Bob's patty melts were, but they did have great grilled cheese sandwiches. Patty melts seem to be mostly found on the menus of mom and pop restaurants around here now.

In my area of NorCal, we still have Marie Callender's, A&W, El Pollo Loco, Dunkin Donuts, Mimi's, and Sizzler. Marie Callender's still has great pie, even though they've dropped a few that I liked. Sizzler is still good too, with a great salad bar.

Does "defunct" have an alternate meaning on DL? People keep listing places that are still around. Marie Callender's has 50 restaurants in California and a few in Nevada and Utah. A&W has more than 1,100 locations, with more than 100 added in the last few years (they were much larger many years ago, however). Mimi's Cafe has nearly 150. I was shocked to see that Chicken Delight still has a few locations.

No one else has heard of Schraffts? No one else misses it.

Sigh.

r164, it appears that extinction is local...

Sir Walter Raleigh’s brings back memories. So many DC/Nova posters in this thread I love it. Does anyone remember Holly Farms chicken or Taco Laredo? I miss Farrell’s too. I never stopped craving Chesapeake bay seafood house. Ever!

Woolworth's. I forgot what I used to eat there. French fries and patty melt, probably.

Woolworth's had a snack bar for eat-in or take out. Their fried chicken was delicious.

Big Boy is still around. About six years ago I stopped at one while driving through Indiana. The food was delicious but it looks like that location closed down.

Burger Guy.

R102

Yes, I use to have lunch with my Mother at the Brass Pony.Forgot all about it.

R164, that's right ... I forgot Denny's had dropped the patty melt from their menu. I ate in one a couple of years ago and was sorely disappointed. They had obviously tried to update their menu to make it more "contemporary" and healthy. Talk about not understanding your market! No one goes to Denny's for vaguely Italian-sounding food, much less healthy food. They go for patty melts, fries, sundaes, and of course breakfast all day (which I think they do still have).

R143, thanks for the link. I loved Hot Shoppes' Orange Freeze as a kid. I'd even try to make one for myself now if I could find orange sherbet. Sherbet has gotten very hard to find, at least in my area outside the summer months.

Bennigan's is still around, but vaguely resembles what it was in the 80's. As Moe from THE SIMPSONS succinctly called it: "Deep fried food and a bunch of crazy crap on the walls."

Now the name and logo is the same but the interiors have been stripped and minimized. If you look on google images some of the locations have bland interiors similar to Denny's. They have a lot of the same 80's menu, but... eh, no thanks.

In the 80's I worked at the Bennigan's in the Dallas Galleria mall, directly across from the ice rink, next to an arty movie theater, and surrounded by stores like Benneton and The Sharper Image. What a perfectly hilarious job that was. The joke in OFFICE SPACE about Jennifer Anniston being penalized by a manager for not wearing "three points of flair" is based on FACT. Once they "punished" me for showing up with only one flair point by making me wear an E.T. baseball cap hat for a shift. In the kitchen, most of the menu items were just stuff in plastic bags warmed up in the microwave and then poured over rice or pasta. The basic menu items were best.

Back then the best thing they made was their Monte Christo sandwich. Delicious. The Death By Chocolate dessert was also really good and a good deal. The burgers were okay, but the nachos were huge and yummy, and the potato skins were great, and they had a great generous soup/salad/baked potato bar. They served giant 80's-style daiquiris and margaritas. And ice cold beer served in mugs kept in a freezer. Everything was fried and served with rivers of ranch dressing, oh... the rivers of ranch dressing! All generous portions in a big basket with grease-soaked paper. Mmm...

Back then it was a great go-to spot because each location was different but you always knew what to expect and they delivered, and the prices weren't crazy.

Dead drunk Dean Martin at the Beverly Hills Hamburger Hamlet.

Carroll's - it wasn't anything special - good enough - but I liked the ambiance.

We had one of those in NJ, r177. We'd drive there for lunch in HS.

[quote]Does "defunct" have an alternate meaning on DL?

Yes. Just like "troll" does.

I think most (if not all) of the Bennigan's in Houston have closed. I had a BF for several months that worked across the street from my office. Free lunch and all.

L love this thread. I remember so many of these. I loved the Magic Pan at Tysons. I think it was patterned after a restaurant in NYC in the 60s called La Crepe--somewhere in the W 50s just off 5th, I think. And Hamburger Hamlet--there was one in Georgetown on M Street, more or less where Urban Outfitters is now, and one in Chevy Chase where whatever iteration of Chadwicks is now. And Zum Zum in NYC and later in Cambridge, MA.

And Bailey's hot fudge sundaes in Boston. Aaaah.

I miss Schraffts too, r165. As a kid I would go there with my grandmother and/or my mother, and I always got the chicken salad on toasted cheese bread. It was lovely.

Anyone who remembers Nedicks and Schraffts must remember Chock Full O' Nuts. There was one on practically every corner in Manhattan until the mid-late 60s.

By the time I moved to NY, there might have been one Schraft's. It was on the UES and it never occurred to me to go there because it was a candy store, or a candy brand, at least, and I didn't like candy.

For old-time San Franciscans ...

R58 -- Oh, hell yes, The Copper Penny!! Loved that place!

We had one in Encino, CA when I was growing up. My dad and I went there for breakfast almost every Saturday morning, while Mom caught up on her beauty sleep. We were all about sitting at the counter....which I could swear had old pennies suspended in epoxy? Or maybe around the edge of the counter? (It's a Panera & a Blow-Dry bar now. Ugh.)

Ack. The above post ^^^ was meant for R150, not R58 (although, yes, I miss Numero Uno and their thick crust & whole tomatoes, too!)

Yeah, I remember Schrafft’s. My dad would take me there after we visited his parents way up on the UWS. I think it was on Broadway in the 90s? Of course, that was at least half a century ago so my memory is not foolproof. But I remember there was also a Barton’s and maybe even a Barricini’s on the same block.

R185, wasn’t there a Zims on Polk or Van Ness? Or maybe Van Ness and Market? We’d go after dancing at Busby’s (sp?). If we didn’t go to Miz Brown’s. OMG.

IIRC, Zim's was on Van Ness.

R177, I had one of my first jobs at Carrolls. I was a grill cook at a Carrols in Rochester NY my first year of college. I hated it. Maybe the food was ok but it was the worst job.

Yes, Zim's was at Market and Van Ness (plus other locations.) Also recall Miz Brown's Country Kitchen and Miz Brown's Feed Bag. I have a friend who was a cook at the downtown SF Woolworth's lunch counter, but it was years before we met.

I was a waitress in a So Cal Bob's Big Boy when I was 18--19. That food was terrible. So many awful menu items I would talk people out of ordering. The early bird diners were so cheap.

For those who grew up in So Cal in the '60s--'80s, do any of you recall a not chain former truck stop diner on Harbor Blvd, south of Disneyland going toward Garden Grove called Belisle? Oh. My. GAWD! Best 24 hour place EVER, with big haired waitresses and one gay waiter who would say, "MMMMMmm Hmmmmm!" each time someone ordered an item. They made pies that looked like cone heads with huge pointy piles of whipped cream rotating in one of those tall pie cases. Everything on the menu was comfort food like a full turkey dinner and meatloaf with smashed potatoes and vegetables in massive portions you could share or take home. It was one of those places "decorated" with license plates and deer heads and a juke box and assorted junk accumulated over 50 years of business. It's a crime this place closed.

A few I remember from commercials in the early '70s ...

H. Salt Fish and Chips

Lums

Mr. Steak

The Blue Whale, Collinsport ME . . .

r192 Yep! I remember Belisle ... I didn't move to SoCal until '87 and didn't live anywhere near there, but a friend who grew up in the OC introduced me to it. I was astounded at the enormous portions -- they made the Cheesecake Factory look like cuisine minceur.

R97 Yes! Burger Chef was much better than McDonalds in the 1960s and 1970s. My very first job when I was 17 was at a Burger Chef. "The Downtowner" - the first inside, sit-down Burger Chef in the country, in 1965. My job was to make the French Fries, from scratch. Took a tremendous amount of work but the fries were delicious and guaranteed always fresh and hot from the fryer. I loved the Big Shef sandwich. It was the forerunner of the Big Mac..which McDonalds stole the idea from Burger Chef, of course. Eventually the Burger Chefs that didn't go out of business became Hardees. Hardees sucks! Bad, bad fast food.

R18....California Chicken Cafe is still around & thriving with locations in Hollywood, West LA, Santa Monica, Venice, Encino, Woodland Hills, West Hills & Northridge. It's the closest thing to Koo-Koo-Roo (minus the freshly roasted turkey). Love the Chinese Chicken Salad wrap!

Kenny Roger's Roasters. I used to get a BBQ chicken pita there that was marvelous and not too fattening.

Kenny Rogers Roasters

[quote]I remember a soup & salad cafeteria place called Salmugundi's.

I worked at Salmagundi’s ladling soup out to office workers in the Embarcadero Center in 1979-1980.

Is Marie Callender's still around? I used to have lunch there at Horton Plaza in San Diego?

Brigham's ice cream shop in Boston.

But the best was Bailey's in Boston and Chestnut Hill. Silver ice cream bowls and dishes with the hot fudge overflowing onto the silver dish.

Brigham's was very good, but sort of an everyday thing. But Bailey's, now that was special after a day of shopping with your mother at Filene's, Jordan Marsh, Kennedy's, R.H. Stearns and Gilchrist in town Boston

[quote]But the best was Bailey's in Boston and Chestnut Hill. Silver ice cream bowls and dishes with the hot fudge overflowing onto the silver dish.

Actual silver?

Wow, I remember the Magic Pan at Tyson’s Corner when I was in high school in the late 70s-early 80’s. Sir Walter Raleigh rings a bell too. We used to sneak out at lunch and go to Roy Rogers. Are they still around??

I remember Joe Theismann had some kind of restaurant too.

Not actual silver, r203. And the reason it looked like all the hot fudge in Boston was on your sundae was because the bowl was very shallow and the sauce had nowhere to go but into the dish.

R202. Loved Bailey’s in Boston too.

I used to meet a lot of homeless at Bailey's in Cambridge.

I can't believe one little e coli outbreak doomed Chi-Chi's! Jack in the Box has had dozens and persevered through it all!

There used to be a Japanese chain called Dosanko in NYC. There was one near my work on Fifth near E 53rd Street and I used to eat lunch there a lot. It was a noodle place by I always got the chicken katsu with white rice, which came with a little side salad. They had a delicious salad dressing, which was so tasty.

R200---Thank you for your service!

It was not bad food, right? I don't think I am remembering wrong. I wasn't very old (13--16) but I thought it beat shit like Hot Dog on a Stick and Orange Julius as options for a mall lunch. And it was served cafeteria style, moving your tray past the soups and salads and bread and desert options. I always enjoyed cafeteria experiences.

R192---After I got the fuck outta OC I didn't go back often and rarely had opportunity to go to Belisle once I moved away. I'm not even sure what year it closed. I go to the area more frequently now to visit my niece and would make a point of going there if I could. Such a bummer, everything I remember fondly about So Cal has pretty much been systematically removed.

The Soup Nazi had a nice group of chain soup shops throughout the country.

Soup Nazi soup is still available.

What happened to Todai, the Asian buffet chain that was all over Southern California? They were always packed, and then one day they shut them all down.

R202 et al

Make your own Bailey's Hot Fudge Sauce

r213 Here Todai, Gone Tomorrai.

Captain D's. for fast seafood they weren't bad.

I hear Hamptons is no more. God, I met many a blind date there in my L.A. youth. Always ordered O Solo Mio burger. Great brunch too, back when I could still drink during the day.

Maybe someone can help with this one: when I last lived in LA, granted, 15 years ago, there was an Asian fast food place around Silverlake where I could drive through and get a rice bowl with veggies and/or meat and felt relatively healthy getting it. Is it still around and does anyone have a clue what the name was (or second question first, I guess).

"Veggies," r217? Seriously?

Red Barn. Though the commercial is cringe worthy, when the only two black people are, of course, the ones eating the fried chicken.

R217. Do you mean Yoshinoya?

r217 There are a number of Asian rice bowl chains--in addition to the already-mentioned Yoshinoya, there's Flame Broiler Express and Waba Grill. They all have numerous locations.

R216, there are some locations of Captain D's left. I know they're in Nashville. And they're franchising! You could open your own, and fat whores rejoice! every day at the deep fryer.

So all of you smug, sanctimonius twats and twatettes on The Coasts have no Baker's Squares anymore? No more French silk pie?

Ah, HA-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-HA! We have two - count 'em, TWO - here in Orland Park, Illinois, "Flyoverstan."

R14 The Houstons that I know of are in:

Nashville

Century City Shopping Center (CA)

NYC

I think they are all open along with many other locations. The salad with the tortilla strips was fantastic

Maybe not.

Wikipedia says there's reincarnated Magic Pans in the Denver and Washington airports. Basically someone bought the name and doesn't use the magic pan crepe machine.

The great Houston's salad is called "Grilled Chicken Salad."

Piccadilly cafeterias. I guess they have a few left but nothing like it used to be. They had the best catfish and corn sticks.

R222 Captain D's in Nashville was the go-to place when elderly couples wanted a night out. lol.

R212 His original tiny soup shop is still open on W. 55th and 8th Ave. I remember when I first visited NYC, my sister schooled me about this soup guy and how I needed to know what I wanted immediately or he'd get mad. I had to read the menu from the doorway before getting in line. This was before Seinfeld.

He opened another shop on the East side but I don't know if it's still open. I went to it about 9 years ago. For $5 you could get a big bowl of soup, an apple, a wheat dinner roll and little piece of chocolate.

I liked his black bean soup best and also the corn chowder.

So the soup Nazi was real?

Yes. Exactly like how he portrayed on Seinfeld. Many of the characters were real people. I see the real Kramer periodically and he's very much like Michael's portrayal. One time, I was at the drugstore waiting for a prescription. He came up w/ an old beatbox tape player by his ear. He said excitedly to me, "Listen to this!" nad pressed the cassette layer. I can't think of what song it was. In real life: George was Larry David. Elaine was Carol Leifer

I don't remember the real Soup Man being so fat. See below.

Here is the real Kramer --- Kenny Kramer. I've seen him about a dozen time but he's always had his hair in a ponytail.

typo: dozen times

R71 Victoria Station had the best BBQ ribs.

Victoria Station also had great Prime Rib.

The burger joint Gino's - famous for the Gino's Giant.

Towards the end, the chain also sold KFC, but then they all shut down after a while.

Used to have a restaurant in Olde City called "The Rusty Scupper." Food was good, it was an almost every Saturday ritual for us, it had the look of a chain. Does anyone know if so?

Indiana DL'ers: Anyone remember Laughner's cafeteria?

[quote]So all of you smug, sanctimonius twats and twatettes on The Coasts have no Baker's Squares anymore? No more French silk pie?

Baker's Square was inferior to Marie Callenders and Coco's, both of which we still have in CA. The best thing about Baker's Square was that it offered half-slices of pie.

I've never tried these recipes, but this guy claims to have links to Magic Pan recipes. I loved that place too. According to the Magic Pan Wikipedia page, they were owned by Quaker, not Stoffers.

I'll add a new one .... the original Hudson's Restaurants. Probably regional to Midwest. They had the best Maurice Salad and Cheese Soup and that's all I ever ordered when I was there. As the Hudson stores were sold to Marshall Fields, and then to Macy's, they maintained the restaurant near me for a while, but now as Macy's are closing, it's now gone. I have been able to get those recipes, but have not tried them.

Loved Kings and Po Folks. What fun this thread is. Henry's Hamburgers Minnie Pearl's Chicken Sandy's Horn and Hardart was an automat chain. At this restaurant you could purchase prepared food from behind a glass window, kind of like a giant vending machine. I ate at one and it was delicious. Steak and Ale House of Pies they were so good!! Trader Vic was fabulous. Used to go to the one in Chicago.

House of Pies is still in Houston. When I was a teenager it was the only place open all night, so it was the traditional after-concert gathering place.

I loved Steak and Ale as a kid.

Norm's is still around in SoCAl but they've closed many of them near(ish) to the center of LA. I grew up near the one in East Hollywood (demolished by Kaiser hospital) and so, since we moved east, our new locale became the one on Valley and Del Mar in San Gabriel. We enjoyed that place for years until the Asian tsunami turned that corner into Ground Zero of The New Chinese Colony.

The thing was, that place was always packed with Asians and Latinos. The post upthread that said the increase in Asians and Latinos may have caused American style chain diners to close might be true if one considers only the corporate minds that decides which places stay open or close, but at least with that Norm's, the new people loved the steak and eggs just as much as the rest of us.

I found the Yelp site for this long-closed location, and found this review:

"I'm Chinese American living in Chinese-land (San Gabriel Valley) but sometimes you just want something different.

"And Norm's was one of the last non-Chinese consistent mainstays on one of China-land's main thoroughfares (Valley Blvd). Now closed down-- so developers can build 1039403 more Asian whatevers on top of the 19238924839482934892438 Asian whatevers which already exist around here! Seriously, how many more commercial units for yogurt / boba / foot massage / hot-pot / pho / tofu / Shanghai-nese / insurance agencies / photo booths / KTV's / aftermarket car parts / Oriental medicine stores / 99 Ranch and Shun Fat's do we need?!?!"

r243 There also used to be a Marie Callender's in San Gabriel that was a victim of the same thing as Norm's.

BTW, there's a new Norm's in El Monte (Valley @ Santa Anita) and a new-ish one in West Covina (Azusa Ave. @ Rowland.) And the huge new Porto's in West Covina just opened.

Houston's has 19 locations, so it's hardly "defunct." And it's part of a larger chain that includes Bandera, Rutherford Grill (Napa Valley -- highly recommended!), etc.

[quote][R243] There also used to be a Marie Callender's in San Gabriel that was a victim of the same thing as Norm's.

Marie Callender's in Glendale also closed -- some think because of the influx of Armenians (who used to enjoy the place, too).

It appears to have closed its Georgetown, DC, location, r245. I never liked it much. I didn't find it much of a destination restaurant, either from the drive-and-park perspective or the walk-down-the-hill-from-M-Street perspective when I was already in Georgetown. My friend, Freddy, however adored the place, so I ate there far more often than I really wanted to. Wasn't there an Italian restaurant right near there, too, that wasn't so great?

It' s interesting that so many mainly defunct restaurant chains have a handful of leftovers that are still operating.

Is the Norm's up the road from the Beverly Center closed? Again, part of many drunk nights spent there.

Marie Calendars still in Toluca Lake?

I remember going to the Houston’s in Georgetown quite a bit in the 80’s, they had good salads, I seem to remember a Cobb salad with a warm honey mustard dressing, and an appetizer basket of bread with loads of melted cheese. Didn’t eat much else there, but had plenty of mimosas at boozy brunches.

[R39] Baker's Square does not do the half slices anymore.

The breakfast is pretty decent.

[quote]Houston's has 19 locations, so it's hardly "defunct."

They closed the ones in NYC, DC, LA, and Orlando.

But I guess if you're in Irvine or Memphis, you're golden.

Closed in Atlanta too, by Lenox, and that place was still always hopping. Don't get it.

O'Charley's had the cutest waters, and a good beef tips and grilled onions. But I guess they are still around too.

waiters

I came to O'Charley's for the waters.

What waters? We're in the desert.

I was misinformed.

Pizza Haven

And the Wednesday smorgabord

r257 Are you from Seattle? Remember all-you-can-eat fish and chips at Skippers?

[quote]Baker's Square was inferior to Marie Callenders and Coco's

I disagree; Baker's Square had some excellent pie choices, including a Key Lime Pie during a time when Marie Callender's didn't offer it, at least when we used to eat there.

R243/R244.....a new Norms will also be opening soon in Encino. (only their second restaurant in the SFV).

The reaction to Norms going into that space (formerly a Tony Roma's) on the Encino Next Door group was hilarious!! Nobody cared about shitty Tony Roma's closing (rightly so), but people felt VERY passionately about what should -- or rather, what should NOT -- replace it. There were some Norms defenders, to be sure....but the vast majority were NOT pleased, to say the least. (they wanted something more upscale/chic/hip). That thread must have generated 3x-4x the number of posts as any of the typical "hot-button" issues around here (home burglaries, homeless encampments, Waze/morning traffic).

Since the Van Nuys Norms has become a hellhole of screaming children, I guess the Encino people feared they would get the same...

"Used to have a restaurant in Olde City called "The Rusty Scupper." Food was good, it was an almost every Saturday ritual for us, it had the look of a chain. Does anyone know if so?"

I believe it was. In addition to the New Market at Head House Square location (has anything ever made a go of it at that location), there was at least one other on Route 38 in Cherry Hill. Googling it shows a still active location in Baltimore.

Not sure if it was related, but there used to be (for many years) a Rusty Scupper in Oakland.

Gawd, I forgot all about Norm's but now I remember it again!

GD Graffiti was off the pike and yes, it had a gangster theme. Completely forgot about that. American Cafe in a Friendship Heights was above Booeymonger. I went there all the time when I was in my late teens!

Closing chains

@AP

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's British restaurant chain has become insolvent, putting 1,300 jobs at risk.

r267 Pre-defunct?

Prefunct?

Hop’s Steak and Ale Kenny Rogers Roaster’s Bennigan's Piccadilly Rax Po Folks

Sorry for the formatting.

Red Barn came to my city in 1969, and was closed by 1971.

I will remember the Hungries forever, though.

I remember a chain in the San Diego area called Boll Weevil. I guess they're still around, but they are few and far between.

R222 We have one Captain D's in this state and there are several in the Nashville, Tennessee area. They had some of the best fries I've ever had and their fish is good. It's better than Long John Silver's.

Lilliput’s Omelets

Woolworth’s lunch counter

Coco’s

Clifton’s Cafeteria

Herschel’s Deli

There sure are a lot of TV ads for Captain Ds here in Atlanta so they can't be totally out of business. They even have a huge advertising budget apparently.

Anyone remember The Coon Chicken Inn?

Good times.

Anyone remember Skinny Haven in Southern California? They had the best deserts. Everything was supposedly lo-cal. The las Good Earth I remember was across from Fashion Island. Salumungundi’s (sp) turned into the Back Bay Rowing club in the south coast plaza location, not sure what it is now. Hamburger Hamlet had the best hot dog and fries omg. The Chart House was our family go to for nice dinners but I think they’ve gone downhill.

Was it Bennigan's that had the killer Monte Cristo?

Yes R278.

Bumping for other thread that ending up moving over here.

[quote]R2 Someone told me that the magic pan was owned by stouffers, and they used their first generation frozen dips. Is this true?

The delightful Tragic Pan was not owned by Stouffers. It was later bought by Quaker Oats, though.

They did use that Stouffers product, as did some other restaurants.

I used to work in a restaurant right next door to the magic pan in south coast plaza, a mall in Southern California. One of my co-workers worked at both places and he was always running over and changing his apron because that was the only difference in our uniforms. We would go and eat there after work sometimes, I don’t think it was all that for the prices. The atmosphere was nice though.

Sweet Tomatoes-- the huge salad bar. I miss it terribly.

The one nearest me, on the edge of Dallas, was always busy. I don't understand how the chain went out of business, but I need a salad bar buffet.

R222, There's a Capitan D's in Plano, TX, (and probably elsewhere in Texas), but it's across the street from the superior, non-chain Fish Shack.

r283 Sweet Tomatoes is not out of business. It, and its California sibling Souplantation, are still around.

"plantation" seems an odd idea on which to build your brand

My favorite restaurant when I was growing up. It was always a special occasion when we went to Love's.

Their ribs were good, but their baked beans were TO DIE FOR.

Macheesmo Mouse in Portland

R282, I don't recall the prices as being too bad. Here's a menu with prices. There's no date, but the prices seem about right for when I ate there in 1976. The spinach soufflé crêpe (apparently made with Stouffer's spinach soufflé for the filling) was $3.30. If that was the price in '76, it translates to $14.72 in current money. Sometimes I'd splurge on the crêpes St Jacques at $4.40 ($19.63). These don't seem like unreasonably high prices for a restaurant with table service and a nice atmosphere.

Note the portion size: two crêpes. They were not huge; IIRC, they fit on a standard-sized dinner plate (not the giant charger-sized plates restaurants use now) with a bit of room to spare. This is why people were not so fat 40 years ago.

[quote]Captain D's in Nashville was the go-to place when elderly couples wanted a night out. lol.

I remember when Captain D's had table service. Hell, I remember when Captain D's was Mr. D's.

The closing of Hamburger Hamlet on Sunset was a sad day. That last night, everyone in LA who was a regular showed up- people like Nancy Sinatra. And the original owner, Marilyn Lewis was also Cardinali, who did Marlo's clothes for That Girl.

I think CA has originated more chains than any other state, from fast food like McDonald's, Bob's Big Boy (first double-decker before the Big Mac), Taco Bell to middle of the road- Marie Callendar's, Coco's, Mimi's, Cheesecake Factory, CA Pizza Kitchen and high-end- Lawry's, Fleming's, and do many more.

Don’t forget Royal Castle. The franchise near my childhood house has become a series of banks.

Mel's. I take my wife there and while I ate, she'd throw straws

Burger Chef while I very rarely eat fast food now, as a teenager and early 20's I almost lived in them. In a small town fast food places were the place to be and be seen. Burger Chef had the best hamburgers and fries.

r287 I used to like Love's beans also. I wonder if there's a good copycat recipe out there.

Schlotzky’s Deli

I miss Hamburger Hamlet so much. I loved the booths and oversized chairs and the hot dogs and fries were amazing . They used to put little plastic monkeys on your coke.

[quote]r291 I think CA has originated more chains than any other state, from fast food like McDonald's, Bob's Big Boy (first double-decker before the Big Mac), Taco Bell to middle of the road- Marie Callendar's, Coco's, Mimi's, Cheesecake Factory, CA Pizza Kitchen and high-end- Lawry's, Fleming's, and do many more.

And, don't forget [italic]me!

(regretable original logo)

Also Jack in the Box, Panda Express and of course In N Out.

All the Grandy's in the north Dallas suburbs shuttered simultaneously and I can't get decent chicken livers anywhere. All the regular chicken places have been replaced with aspirational chicken places: CFA, Canes, SuperChix, Slim Chickens, some place that rhymes with Canes that I can't remember the name of. How many goddamn chicken places does one town need?

Lay off the chicken fingers, Frisco, your kids are getting boobies, boys and girls alike!

In the early 70s my parents used to take all five of us kids and our friends to Farrell's for gargantuan ice cream concoctions (the Zoo usually). It was the same Farrell's where 22 people died when a plane crashed into it during a youth football team party. The exit required going through a novelty shop full of candy jars and comics and toys, not unlike The Wishing Well.

Later in the 70s The Good Earth was a good place to eat healthy, and the waiters and busboys were always worth reminding me of my developing sexuality.

And these LA landmarks are sadly no more.