For the record, both camps are right: The Florida-based fast food chain was home to some of the most unique food ever served in a casual restaurant setting. If you remember popular movies like Back To The Future (1985) featured scenes with old school cafes, and the nostalgia for these kinds of restaurants is what made G.D. Ritzys initially popular when they first opened in 1981. Oh, and chocolate! Woolworth, which opened in 1879 in Utica, New York, was one of the original discount stores, also known as five-and-dime stores at that time. } ); But '80s kids rejoice: A revived Naugles has been in Fountain Valley, California, since 2015. It was founded by brothers Frank and Donald Thomas in 1954, according to John S. Flack, Jr., Burger Chef superfan and unofficial historian. The chain is noted for introducing several fast-food staples to the industry, like kids' meals with toys. In 1997, 300 of the remaining . Bill Johnson's Big Apple, a 59-year icon at 3757 E. Van Buren St., closed May 24, 2015. document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', function() { All rights reserved. Open from 1929 to 1965, the restaurant and night club was a place where celebrities and socialites alike could enjoy cocktails, a steak dinner, and a night of dancing. In what is now regarded as a cautionary tale of slapping a famous name on a restaurant and calling it quite, Minnie Pearl's Chicken, named after the country singer Pearl, once had almost 500 locations in business. Since then Dolly Parton has opened her ownDixie Stampede, which serves nightly feasts in Branson, Missouri and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Supermarket chain Pantry Pride bought the company in 1984, and the brand . Desperate for financing, the struggling chain filed for bankruptcy in 2002. Considering its all-you-can-eat salad bar; unlimited beer, wine, and sangria; and massive portions of hamburgers, steaks, ribs and chickenall available at ridiculously low pricesit's easy to see why Beefsteak Charlie's was a restaurant lover's dream in the 1970's and 80s. Jim's Tiffany Place. The company, famous for its warm croissants, had 93 stores in its peak, but eventually closed down in 2000. Dakota's Grill & Bar. Many locations were converted to Hardee's in the '90s after the burger chain bought Rax. Radical Eats. However poor business decision and mismanagement eventually led to the downfall of Bennigans. After starting out in Portland, Oregon in 1963, there were 130 Farrell's locations in all by the mid-1970s, shortly after the chain was acquired by the Marriott Corporation. The final spot (in Nevada) closed in 1995. Bill Gruning opened the first one, in South Orange, in 1910; stores would . 8th Avenue Grille. Stillinger sold 50 million within a few years, and Business Insider tells us that Hasbro bought the Koosh Ball in 1997 for a cool $100 million. Howard Johnson's, at one point the largest restaurant chain in the U.S., started out as a small soda fountain and newsstand in Quincy, Massachusetts, according to the New England Historical Society. It was a major brand well into the '80s; by the time Black died in 1983, according to the New York Times, the company touted an annual revenue of $115.8 million, with 80 percent of that coming from grocery store coffee. First founded in Ohio in 1980, the 1950s-style restaurant grew quickly, with about 100 locations at its peak. At the start, Gino's Hamburgers was simply Gino's Drive-In, a hamburger company started in Baltimore, Maryland, in the late 1950s. The nautical-themed restaurant that served up unbelievable deals on seafood (as waiters wore colonial garb, no less) was scattered across the country. Founded in 1978, there were more than 100 locations by 1985 but by 1987, it had sold 90 percent of its restaurants to Hardee's after ceasing to franchise in 1986 and filing for bankruptcy. McCrory's. The first McCrory thrift store opened in Scottdale, Pa., in 1882. The restaurant eventually rebranded itself, changing its name to No Place Like Sam's and Jolly Tiger, however there's still one original Sambo's left in the United Statesthe original restaurant, which is run by the founder's grandson in Santa Barbara, California. Gino's hamburgers Marriott claimed a few franchises in the '80s, such as Gino's Hamburgers, which was started in Baltimore by a pair of NFL players in 1957. While the chain had a rocky financial status through the '70s, there were over 300 chains in operation by the '80s. While the hotels still exist (the brand is owned by Wyndham), there is one and only one Howard Johnson's restaurant in Lake George, New York. The "new" restaurant chain enjoyed regional success around New York in the 1970s and looked poised to go big in the 80s, but by the end of that decade, locations were closing and the chain was again bankrupt. A handful of non-corporate locations still exist in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. 5/17/2011. Domenic's Capri Italian Restaurant. An outgrowth of the California-based health food craze of the 1970s, the first Souplantation opened in San Diego in 1978 (per the Los Angeles Times) and expanded across the nation in the 1980s and beyond. This meticulously-researched gem recalls dozens of shuttered restaurants going all the way back to Denver's earliest days. And although they were great while they lasted, not all of them were long-lasting. All Rights Reserved. An unusual tactic on fast food, D'Lites marketed itself based on nutritional value. Save. Macayo's has a storied past, so let's briefly recap. Here are 52 once-beloved stores that don't exist anymore in bricks and mortar. Amazing restaurants have been around for decades, but some iconic American restaurants of the 80s have closed down most, if not all of their locations. It took on the rest of the East Coast in the '70s, too. Horn & Hardart was the undisputed king of automat restaurants. Two brothers, Clifford and Stuart Pearlman, launched Lum's, which specialized in "beer-steamed" hot dogs, in Florida in 1971. However, the chain closed quietly over the years, and the last one was shut down in 1994. For nearly four decades, countless kids growing up on the West Coast of the United States and Hawaii must have felt pretty special and lucky if they got to have their birthday party at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour. Tweeter was a high-end electronics chain that began in Boston in 1972, and eventually had more than 100 locations in 18 states. And by the early 2000s, all the Beefsteak Charlie's restaurants that remained had shuttered. 2. All of them were once prosperous and popular, and all of them are gone. The menu at All-American Burger included one item: their signature All American burger. As the chain opened more and more restaurants, especially in bigger cities, customers began objecting to the tone-deaf marketing. The remaining locations were all converted into Hardee's, and Burger Chef said goodbye for good. if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { } ); The chain was sold several times over the years, and filed for bankruptcy in 2008. Snack foods, insta-meals, cereals, and drinks tend to come and go, but the ones we remember from childhood seem to stick with us. Cypress Landing. Horn & Hardart isn't just a restaurant chain that has completely disappearedit's a restaurant concept that's almost extinct in the U.S.: the automat. A classic restaurant opened in 1951 by Carl Rosenfield, the business closed in 2008 and the building was demolished in 2010. Despite the rustic exterior, Red Barn was known for being ahead of its time when it came to the food it served. Customers could order char-broiled burgers, bar-b-que sandwiches, homemade soups, entrees like hickory smoked ham steak or clam strips, or eggs, pancakes, and French toast. The chain marketed an all-you-can-eat salad bar plus unlimited beer, wine, and sangria. Despite revamped menus and an attempt to modernize, the chain was never able to fully return to its glory days and all Red Barn operations ceased in 1988. It was founded in 1976 by Norman E. Brinker and offered a variety of American cuisine, with an emphasis on seafood dishes. Once a major presence in many east coast regions, the chain's long, slow slide began in 1977, according to Chuck the Writer, when the death of its founder, Donald Valle, led to money issues that imperiled the business. Bid a fond farewell to these roadside friends. On the other hand, for every steakhouse chain that's open for business today, there are many that have cooked up their last porterhouse, T-bone, or filet mignon and have closed their doors forever. Throughout its history, Burger Chef was considered an industry innovator. One restaurant I loved was Korean Beauty on 66th st and 118th ave. Starting with a small shop in Indiana in 1954, Burger Chef eventually grew to over 1,000 locations and rivaled fast food giant McDonald's. if( 'moc.sihttae.www' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { By 1986, Gino's was no longer in operation. The page helps keep the listings accessible and not "Orphaned Pages"NOTE: See our Talk Page for notes on editing and adding entries to "Gone, But Not Forgotten" Please add entries in their appropriate category in alphabetic order (ignoring A, The, etc) and using . Aditya R. Edmonton, AB; 303 friends 404 reviews Boooooom Box . It was an unusual business model from the start: York Steakhouse was owned by the cereal manufacturing company General Mills, while the restaurants themselves were operated in a cafeteria style instead of with traditional sit-down service. Although it started strong, the chain faced stiff competition from the likes of KFC, Popeyes, and Boston Chicken (now known as Boston Market). Alright, if we're going to talk about a long history, the Valle's Steak House unseats Hilltop. About 1,000 employees were left. And by the early '90s, Chuck E. Cheese became the name of all locations. In 1987, the chain sold to Bombay Palace Restaurants, which filed for bankruptcy just two years later, The Daily Meal reports. Over the next decade, it saw huge expansion, which unfortunately was cut short by the '70s economic crisis. It has been updated to include new information. The prestigious hot spot closed in 1965, and although there were talks of it relocating, owner Sherman Billingsley died shortly after. Gas prices soared and travel plummeted, slashing into the company's profits. During the 60's, 70's and the 80's, too the Stony Point restaurant, Villa Villa was an outstanding restaurant serving excellent food and with wonderful service, wrote Doris-Renee Weiner.. (Also, don't confuse the defunct steakhouse chain with the online butcher Mr. Steak, by the way there's no relation. About 25 Chicken Delights are operating today, in central Canada and the New York City area. Space Dust. The restaurants housed an authentic Cowboy styled atmosphere with saloon doors, stag horns, wood walls, yellow and brown uniforms for the staff and red and white checkered table clothes. The exclusive New York City bar, owned by Bernard Shor served steak and baked potatoes among other things, but the crowd was the real attraction. Unfortunately, most Roy Rogers restaurant locations were sold or closed during the 1990s and 2000s because they could not compete against other fast food chains. Chock full O'Nuts weathered the Depression by offering cheap food and cheap coffee, which was so popular that Black started to sell it in grocery stores in the early 1950s. Founded in Southern California in 1936, only five Bob's Big Boys remain in operation today. But the name was re-franchised in 2003, and there are still some Roy Rogers in Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The eatery was not without controversy though, as the name is a derogatory slang word used towards African Americans. The first Bud's in Lake Worth was at 928 N. Dixie Highway. At the peak of their popularity G.D. Ritzys had 95 locations, however these days all but 6 locations have closed. Korean Beauty on 66th st and 118th ave amp ; Bar, it saw huge expansion, filed. 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