Long Gone Regional Chains

I miss Burger Chef, here in VA.

What A Burger still exists in other places, but I haven't tried any when I was passing through.  They're gone from VA though, as far as I know.

A seriously local joint I dearly miss for their greasy pizza is Bella Italia in Southside Plaza (Richmond).  Even today, if a place HAPPENS to be named Bella Italia I will stop for a slice.

In 1970, There was a LUM'S just a little east of Trenton, NJ on Route 33 going toward the fair grounds.

There was a place called the Beef Coral in Vineland, NJ, in the late 60's It was on Delsea Drive, RT. 47, & Butler Ave. The building is still there. It's been Mr. Roberts Used Cars since the early 70's. I believe that the Beef Coral was a chain Burger restaurant. Were there others? 

Back in the late 70's and early 80's we used to enjoy the Prime Rib served at Victoria Station. VS was designed to look like a bunch of railcars pushed together. They served pretty good Beef. I believe my last visit to them was during the 84 Olympics in L A. We stayed at a motel on PCH near Hawthorne (in Torrance). The VS was right around the corner. Somehow I managed to get a dozen 'dinner for two on the house' coupons. We paid the bar-bill and for a dessert if we got one, but the Oysters Rockefeller and the entree of Prime Rib etc(King-Cut Medium Rare) were covered by the coupons.  We ate good on that trip..and in the time before the Olympics, in both Indy and Louisville! I think the coupons were from 3M, included when we bought a large supply of videotape from them.(before cassettes!)
  I wish we had a Victoria Station around here now. That was a decent place to enjoy a dinner.

I was a regular at Steak n' Egg on Saturday mornings in Miami/West Miami. I remember the hashbrowns cooked inside a metal ring. Seen that somewhere else, perhaps Waffle House. There was a Steak N' Egg attached to the HOliday Inn (latest known name, Red Roof) just e. of the Miami Airport on Le Jeune. As of a year or so ago, there is/was the shell of one along U.S. 1 in Ft. Lauderdale by what I would know as the Bethany Presbyterian Church, name updated to Ocho Rios or soemthing like that.

i saw an article in the last few years that said that the last Wolfie's closed down. In was in a northern Miami suburb

I was looking for some articles in back issues of magazines, and came across two re. Horn & Hardart. One was a proposal to turn the N.Y.C. stores into a chain of gay night clubs. That didn't happen. The other article said that the remaining locations were converted in to Burger Kings. I used to work on Broad St. in downtown Phila. 1976-1979, had an H&H at the corner. No automat, just a lunch counter. What was that, Broad and Walnut? Right across from Bellevue Stratford.

Big Boy’s is the product, Elias Brothers was is the regional franchiser. They went bankrupt in the 1990's but there were other Big Boys, such as Westland, not owned by them who stayed open. There were Big Boys in western Mich., I remember eating at one in the 1974-75 time period in Grand Rapids. They had competition from Mr. Fable’s and other hamburger joints.
            Also during that same time period some pizza joint on Buchanan (s.w. side of G.R.) between Burton and 28^th St. appropriated a Big Boy statue, changed the color, added a mustache, and changed his platter to a pizza.
            As I recall, there were 2 different Big Boy franchisees in the Atlanta area when I lived there 19887-88.
            According to a Page One Wall Street Journal article, Shoney’s originated as a Big Boy franchisee in Alabama and Georgia, but the owner got tired of paying franchise fees and went out on his own. That explains why their menus are so similar. The name “Shoney” is a corruption of the original owner’s name. He sold his interests shortly after setting up the chain.
 

York Steak house - you reminded me, I used to LOVE the one in Jackson, Mich. on US-12/Michigan Ave. It's another thing that died in the 1990s.

roadrash


Not sure if these have been mentioned or not (and no I'm not going to go back and read every page to find out), but some regional chains I miss are:

Gino's
Roy Rogers
Jack's of Lombard Street
Morty's Chicken N Ribs
(original) Hardee's
Shakey's Pizza
Pappy's Pizza

Gino's was Baltimore-based started by a former football player. They have a write-up in WIkipedia. In the phila. area, both Gino's and Roy Rogers were converted to Wendy's. Hardee's is still around in Kansas City. They are owned by Carl, Jr's. Carl's has the logo of the yellow happy five pointed star at a slight angle on a red background which is used for Hardee's in K.C. In S.e. Michigan, almost all of the Hardee's were owned by one guy and he, too, defected to Wendy's. The only survivor that I knew of was in the Berkley area. But a few Hardee's could be found in Flint and along I-69 between Lansing and Flint.

ConeyIslandLou

[id=quote font="arial, helvetica"]quote: Originally posted by Ashphalt


Maybe not regional, but short-lived: Johnny Unitas' Quarterback Club. A casual sit-down if I recall. Building had half a football on the roof as a dome. The one on Post Road in Warwick, RI eventually became Gregg's, nearly an institution.

I suppose that Broadway Joe's and Mickey Mantle Fried Chicken would follow in the same catagory: Failed Sports Celeberty Chains.

Has ANYone here EVER go to one of the two?? There couldn't have been more than a couple of each.....The only two athletes who ever made a go out of self-named fast food were Gino Marchetti (Gino's),and Tim Horton (guess!).

Me, I patronized the Broadway Joe's in Lake Worth, Fl. in the 1968-72 time period once and perhaps twice. It was located in the "front" of the Publix on Lake Worth Rd. in their parking lot, long since knocked down. The staff wore Joe Namath's jersey. I wouldn't call his chain a failure 'cause the N.F.L. shut him down, dragged him in to court over something and the court ruled against him. He had to give up his burger chain and his proposed chain of night clubs.

HollyDolly


Don't think there are any Furr's Cafeterias around here as Luby's Cafeterias are headquatered in San Antonio. There was a Woolworth's lunch counter in the old Wonderland Mall,now known as CrossRoads Mall.I ate there a few times.
I used to love the lunch counter at Joske's Department Store at the Las Palmas Shopping Center on the south side.Momma would get her hair done there,and we would eat there sometimes.My favorite was the enchildas.

In Kansas CIty the three Furr's became Bishop's, and then closed down. Heard that the closest one was in Topeka, about an hour west of here. Never investigated.

Brad_Olson


I'm not sure how prevalent they were in the Midwest but I believe there were 2 "Stuart Anderson's Cattle Company" restaurants in Des Moines IA in the '70s and '80s (Fleur Drive and Merle Hay Road IIRC). First place I ever had beef ribs, and once my brother and I kept drinking all the glasses of water on the table just to watch the reaction of the server who had to refill them every time he walked past. I don't think we ate a lot that time...

Later the Merle Hay location became Crimmins Cattle Company and it's been several other ventures since.

Brad

In 1987 three Stuart ANderson's American Grills opened up in the Detroit area of Michigan. Perhaps the same thing that you're referring to? I remember that they had rabbit on the menu and their seasoned fries didn't go over well with my stomach. I left the area and returned in 1989, and they were gone by then.
 
B.T.W., I remember Black Angus but don't know if I ever ate there

mland520


[
A&W restaurants still flourish, but only north of the border. In fact, if you buy a bottle of A&W in Canada, the label shows a carhop with a tray. Down here, I've heard that there are some A&W restaurants which share space with another franchise, but I've yet to find one.



A&W is now owned by the Long John SIlver/KFC/TacoBell family of fast food restaurants- they are all over te place here in Dallas- stil the best Root Beer float in town!

ALso in Kansas City. There's one such joint operation on Antioch Rd. in the Northland.
ALso, A&W does some 50's nostalgia joints. I used to eat at one in the Weslant (Mich.) Mall 2000- to 2001 time period.

94t^h Aero Squadron is part of Specialty Restaurants, which also has several versions of WW2 aviation themed eateries, some ship based eateries like the Moshulu in Philadelphia (seen in the movie The Godfather II) and formerly the Landsdown (former railroad ferry) in Detroit, and other schemes. You can get a full list from their web site.
            They have a good idea with the headphones so that you can listen in to the tower, but they squander it by putting most of such aviation eateries at Mickey Mouse airports. The 94^th at Miami and the one in W.P.B. are counterexamples. A waiter at the 94^th in Miami told me that the whole wait staff used to listen in when the Concorde landed or departed.

Earlier in this thread I wrote about the lousy meal that I had last year at the Del Taco in the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn. Last week I drove past the place for the first time in months and saw that it was already out of business. Apparently a sizable number of their customers were as unimpressed with the food as I was.

southjerseymichigan
Me, I patronized the Broadway Joe's in Lake Worth, Fl. in the 1968-72 time period once and perhaps twice. It was located in the "front" of the Publix on Lake Worth Rd. in their parking lot, long since knocked down. The staff wore Joe Namath's jersey. I wouldn't call his chain a failure 'cause the N.F.L. shut him down, dragged him in to court over something and the court ruled against him. He had to give up his burger chain and his proposed chain of night clubs.

I thought that was called Bachelors 3. Or is that another one Joe started?

SteveB9


This thread has really slowed, but since I am new here I will put in a few things and see if I get any responses. First, does anybody remember a chain named "Bavarian Alpine Inn"? There was one of these in Atlanta, around Cheshire Bridge, in the late '60s early '70s. They served beer, and great big thick juicy hamburgers.
Second, what happened to the Coco's chain? There was one in Chamblee, GA that I ate at a couple of times a week all through the early and mid '80s, but it closed. I know it was owned by a company called Far West Services.
Finally, the oldie. Back in the '60s there was a least one burger place in downtown Atlanta named Morrisons. Nothing at all to do with the cafeteria, this was a gungy looking place, but the hamburgers were (in my memory at least) among the best I have ever had.
Maybe Ort will be familiar with this last one.

 
Curious... Was that "Morrison's" anywhere near Marietta St.? Was it a small, white building; almost diner-like?

southjerseymichigan


94t^h Aero Squadron is part of Specialty Restaurants, which also has several versions of WW2 aviation them..... The 94^th at Miami and the one in W.P.B. are counterexamples.

 
The one in West Palm Beach was on the other side of the airport and called the 391st Bomb Group.  It was built in the early 80s and as far as I know its still open.

sonjaab

southjerseymichigan


94t^h Aero Squadron is part of Specialty Restaurants, which also has several versions of WW2 aviation them..... The 94^th at Miami and the one in W.P.B. are counterexamples.

 
The one in West Palm Beach was on the other side of the airport and called the 391st Bomb Group.  It was built in the early 80s and as far as I know its still open.

It looks like the one in WPB closed around Oct 2008.

south jersey michigan

BeefBurger


Does anyone remember the chain Steak N Egg Kitchen? they were tiny places open 24 hr that probably sat around 20 customers..I remember one in ft lauderdale and seeing some around the DC area

I was a big fan of Steak n’ Egg, my favorite Saturday morning joint when I lived in Miami. In Feb., 2009 went looking for the one I used to hang out at in West Miami on the w. side of some major north-south street, just s. of 8^th. Not only was it gone, several blocks had been redeveloped including an Italian restaurant that I used to eat at.
            There still was the shell of one in Ft. Lauderdale, on the U.S. 1 frontage of Bethany Presbyterian Church’s (now called Ocho Rios Community Church or something like that) old sanctuary.
            There used to be a Steak n’ Egg at the Holiday Inn (now an Econolodge or something like that) on the e. side of Le Jeune across from the Miami Airport. In the 1990’s it was remodeled into another restaurant. When I stayed there again in Sept., 2007, I believe that the restaurant was gone.
            B.T.W., there was a Steak n’ Egger, similar name but different, on the n.e. corner of 28^th St. and Madison in Grand Rapids (Mich.) in the 1970’s.

I'd forgotten about Steak 'n Egg Kitchen.  I used to frequent the one in Miami Springs just north of MIA airport.
 
I found this article online from 1987:
 
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_v21/ai_5219243/
 
I guess the new owners killed it.

Carolina Bob


Earlier in this thread I wrote about the lousy meal that I had last year at the Del Taco in the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn. Last week I drove past the place for the first time in months and saw that it was already out of business. Apparently a sizable number of their customers were as unimpressed with the food as I was.

Out here in AZ, Del Taco is going strong. The food & Prices are good for a fast food Chain. Much better than Taco Bell!

I just finished reading the whole thread.
 
Beefsteak Charlies
 
That was a great spot for the gang I hung out with in the 1980's.  All-you-can-eat shrimp, salad and ribs accompanied by all-you-can-drink beer, wine, sangria or soda for about $11.  I used to go to the one on NW 36 Street in Miami Springs across the street from Eastern Airlines.  It was known as Cheapsteak Barley's to some of us!
 
Steak & Brew
 
A favorite spot for a Big Date when I was a teenager living in Rye, NY.  The local Steak & Brew was in the Korvette's shopping center on US-1 in Portchester.
 
Brown Derby
 
I was stuck there on my birthday in 1978 eating dinner with one of the senior engineers from Sperry Rand whom I accompanied to Tallahassee on business.  I was determined not to let the staff know it was my birthday, so they would not bring cake with a lit sparkler and singing waiters.
 
LUMS
 
Those bad kitchen practices may have been restricted to the NOVA/DC franchisee.  The certainly were steaming/simmering/boiling/whatever the hot dogs at the one on the SE corner of South Dixie Highway & North Kendall Drive in what is now Pinecrest, FL.  When I stopped in at what we thought was the last LUMS in Davie, FL, in November 2008 I was served a pretty sorry excuse for a hot dog.  If that was indicative of their cooking and service in general, it is no wonder it closed.
 
Ranch House
 
I remember those from around town in the 1980's.  All I remember is that they had Heinz 57 sauce on the tables, in addition to the usual kechup.  I think this was one, now heavily remodeled:
 

 
Victoria Station
 
There was one on NW 36 St across from the airport in the 1980's that I used to frequent.  Very popular at the time, with the intimate seating in the RR cars.  There also was one in the Dadeland Mall, which was well-known to guys accompanying the gals on shopping expeditions.  It had the only bar in the mall!  "Honey, I'll wait here for you."
 
Wag's
 
After getting married in 1989, and into the early 1990's until Hurricane Andrew in 1992, we used to breakfast often at the Wag's at about 19701 South Dixie Highway in what is now Cutler Bay.  We felt it was better than the nearby Denny's.
 
L&N Seafood
 
I heard that it was related to the Ruby Tuesday's chain.  We ate at the one at the Fall's shopping mall one (1) time.  My wife became very ill, and could not bear the idea of ever returning.  Not to mention that the adolescent staff had a gang of their friends visiting and cutting it up on the other side of the low barrier dividing the booths.

OK.  Time to wake up the thread again.

Adjudicator


OK.  Time to wake up the thread again.

WHY????
Everything's been long gone!!

L&N Seafood had the tastiest biscuits; they even sold the mix for home use.  Does anyone know if the mix (or the recipe) is still available?

The Big Yellow House. Gray roast beef and bland food. My grandfather, he of the ever present ulcer and bland diet, loved the place and insisted on treating local family members to dinner back in the seventies.

A chain not missed on this end.

I mentioned this on another thread but it probably belongs here. In the early 70's there was a sub shop near Fenway Park in Boston called the "The Hawk" named after and I assume owned by Redsox player Ken Harrelson. I think there were multiple locations in the area. I was first introduced to a sandwich called the "steak bomb" there and really loved that concoction. Anyone recall that place?

I worked as a waitress at Lum's in Miami Beach on Collins Ave aprox 1980. I got the job because on my first visit there as a customer, my waitress said something very strange to me (mentally strange and off the wall) and I informed the manager. It was pretty obvious he couldn't keep her after that so I told him I was looking for work and he hired me.
I was green as a waitress but it was something I wanted to master. I was a vegetarian and don't really remember the beer hot dogs at all. I had my first taste of grits there, I also remember the fresh squeezed orange juice which the waitresses prepared to order and it could really slow us down during breakfast rush which wasn't good for tips. We got a new young cook who was super slow and our tips went down to nothing. Our wages were aprox $1.50 an hour because of sub-minimum wage for tipped employees.

One day a man came in when it was crazy busy and he wanted a cup of coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice to go. I was so busy and hesitated. He flashed a $5 bill and I stopped in my tracks and we laughed and I prepared his order first and made the other tables wait.

The next week he came in again to order the same thing and I told him not to tip me, he was so much fun and that previous $5 was more than enough.

When I packed up his order he asked me if I shared tips (no) and then he insisted I take a bill which I put in my pocket without looking at it. We waved and smiled and I didn't have a chance to see the bill until later. It was $100! 

Sweet and happy memory. I never saw him again. I'm guessing he gambled and won on Jai Alai. That week the clutch gave out on my VW bus and the repair cost exactly $100.

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Congratulations on your LONG thread!
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Anyone have stories of Uncle John's Pancake House? My Dad was VP there during the Sixties.

Also Foster's Freeze? There was a Foster's Freeze near our house in So California for decades but it's gone now.

Foster's Freeze!  Did you live near Sepulveda and Washington?  

My father used to take me there all the time when I was a small child.

It hurt when they built a motel on the grounds and it closed.

The Big Yellow House?  Heard it was horrible and never went. Now I wish i had just once. I'm not part of the history.