Long Gone Regional Chains

quote:

Originally posted by fdm813

In Southwest Virginia, Kenny's Hamburgers, Biff Burger, and Rays Hamburgers. The first two featured sauce burgers much like the ones at Pals in Tenn. Rays was a chain owned in part by the Petty family of Nascar fame. They had chile cheeseburgers with cole slaw. I worked at a Burger Chef through high school. That too is gone but will have a warm place in my thoughts. Great times!

My wife grew up in Roanoke VA and we were discussing if we could only duplicate the sauce that came on the burgers at Kenny's or Kelly's back in those days (1960's). I did see the recipe for Pal's sauce on one of the copycat sites. Does anybody remember Kelly's and did they too have a "sauce" on their 15cent (and later 20cent) burgers? This was a small regional chain in the '60's also. I think it was just in the southeastern U.S.
PS: Sorry if my post is somehow out of whack; I just joined and am not yet familiar with the routine here.

Well this thread has made think of a couple of old chains, Ray's and Godfather's. I remember Ray's used brown paper bags back when everyone else had the white ones. Godfather's I remember having what I thought was really good pizza. Ray's was located in Kinston NC and is a local sub shop now. Godfather's was in Wilmington NC and think they went out of buisness a few years ago. Any info on either now?

We had a Godfather;s Pizza locally for a while back in the early 80's, and at the time it was unheard of to put things like crabmeat on a pizza. I had my first crab pizza ever at Godfathers, and absolutely loved it.

Most, I remember their commercials.....DO IT!!!!!! The capo-like elderly figure would point out at his audience and essentially command you to eat at Godfather's pizza. Hilarious :-)

I lived in NYC for a couple of years, 1962-64. Two of my favorite places were Chock Full 'O Nuts for the hot dog and orange drink, and a hamburger joint called Prexy's. I don't think I've seen anyone mention Prexy's on this thread. Is it gone? (I haven't been to NYC in years.) I remember that the hamburgers were 65 cents, which was pretty expensive for 1962, even in New York. But they were great.
Frank

We've seen some Godfather's Pizza recently..Think it was here in Hoosierland, but now i will have to search the memory banks for the locations.

Are you sure you don't mean Nedick's for the hot dogs and orange drink?


Yes, I'm fairly certain that Chock Full o Nuts lunch counters had a hot dog and an orange drink that had pulp in it. Really good as best I can remember.
Frank

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.

quote:

Originally posted by 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.

Steve,
It was on Buford Highway - right on the Fulton/DeKalb County line, and "featured" Busch Bavarian Beer on draught. The place was at least in part owned by Anheuser-Busch Breweries! I think there were others in a good many other cities about the same time - circa 1962/63.
How I know the time frame is this: Ray Stevens, a native of Clarksdale (in Cobb County west of Atlanta) released a 45 entitled "Butch Bavarian (Sure Footed Mountain Climber World Famous Yodeling Champion)" on Mercury Records right after the place opened (it was touted as one of Atlanta's first true "singles' bars", by the way!). A-B enjoined Ray, whose record began with a yodeled intro like their period Busch Bavarian Beer commercial. So Ray, resourceful as ever, changed the title to "Butch Bubbarian" and later yet the record company amended it to "Butch Barbarian". I've got probably 40 Ray Stevens 45s, but I'm still missing that one, yodel-a-hee-hoo! - And, since the place did indeed serve food, and is a long gone restaurant, my digression is apropos... I s'pose.
Coco's I can't help you with. I remember the place, but never ate there.
Morrison's was on the ground floor of a parking garage at the corner of Spring and Marietta Streets. I used to wait out the rush hour traffic in there on warm days enjoying a milkshake.
Now - do you remember The Oogleblook? Or how about one I've mentioned elsewhere here, Joe Cotton's on Lee St., S/W in West End? Or, even more obscurely, Wingo's Restaurant on Campbellton Road, out near where DeLowe Drive crosses? A fellow I know's mother still lives a stone's throw from there; he went to D. M. Therrell High School.
Steve, I've got a list of obscure defunct Atlanta restaurants somewhere herein. See what all you can add to it.
Bon appetit!
Overstuffedly, Ort. Carlton in Athens, Georgia.
P. S. Y'all, I met this guy at The Normaltown Cafe'. He was chowing down with gusto akin to mine. He's a kindred spirit and we had ought to welcome him.

Ort; I think food and music are very similar, in that they both have the ability to take you back into your earlier days. Sometimes an oldie will come on the radio, and suddenly I am transported back to something I was doing in the 60s when I heard that song. This also happens with food. Sadly, though, most of today's restaurants are nothing like they were 40 years ago. Even if the name is the same, the food is not (remember how big BK's Whopper was in 1968?)
The only one of those restaurants I have heard of is Joe Cottons. Never went there, though.
Other things I remember - the Krystle on Marietta Street, with the doughnut machine in the window. Those were good doughnuts, too, particularly the chocolate covered ones. And Shoneys, up Forsyth towards the Rialto. That was NOTHING like the Shoneys of today.
A couple of others: Herrens, remember that? I never ate there, didn't have the money, but looked in the window. And, what about the cafeteria at the Peachtree Arcade?

Does anyone remember a restaurant chain called 'Round The Corner?

In the 1980's Memphis had two of them and they were great. They were pretty much a burger restaurant. If memory serves me correct, they must have had about 50 different burgers to choose from. The cool thing about the 'Round The Corner experience was that after you sat down at the table you browsed the menu and then picked up a phone to place your order. When it was ready, a light on the phone lit up and buzzed at you. You then made your way to the counter, paid for your meal and picked up your grub.

The place was actually pretty nice. The interior was much like that of an Applebee's.

I've tried finding information about this restaurant via the 'net but haven't found anything yet. I'm not even sure if it was a regional/national chain or if it was just in the Memphis area.

TJ

quote:

Originally posted by SteveB9

. And Shoneys, up Forsyth towards the Rialto. That was NOTHING like the Shoneys of today.

I thought I would pipe up here and tell this little tidbit about Shoney's. In the late 70's I was living in Atlanta and was working as an electricians helper. Our company had the electrical maintenance contract on most if not all Shoney's in the Atlanta area. We used to go to the one Forsyth regularly as there was always some piece of kitchen equipment on the fritz. We would joke about having to do the "Shoney's shuffle" as you had to kind of drag your feet across the kitchen floor to keep from slipping on the grease. We used to get a free meal if we wanted one on these service calls and believe me we took advantage of that. I honestly don't remember a whole lot about the food but it seems it was more burger and fry oriented than Shoney's today.

Charlie

Shoneys used to have the Big Boy burger, which was pretty big. They also had a stange looking salad, which was an entire quarter head of lettuce. Just a quarter chooped right off, with dressing poured over the whole thing. And of course, the strawberry pie! That was great - a crust, filled with whole strawberries in a glaze.

I'm not quite sure how far they ranged, but back in the mid eighties, we had the 25 Cent Hamburger Stand here in Albuquerque. This place was awesome, 25 cents not only got you a nice oatmeal burger (not sure if there was oatmeal in there but it sure seemed like it) but all the condiments at the bar. Pickles, diced onion, relish, mustard, ketchup and mayo were all avaliable. These burgers were just the right size for slamming four or 5 of them in a sitting. About the same size as yer average McD's hamburger these days. The frys were cheap as well and a group of 4 could order 2 large fries for like 6.25 with about 20 burgers. Plenty for all. This place was just awesone and always packed....they eventually raised their prices to 29 cents then 39 cents a burger...and finally the chain was bought out by weinerschnitzel(sp). Was so sad to see them go as I had survived on their food for well over a year age 11-12...I'll never forget that. Great memories

I grew up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. I can remember Gino's.
A great place called Top's. I'm not sure if that was a chain, but they had a great steak sandwich called The Maverick. It was a carhop kinda place.
Hot Shoppes, of course. The restaurant, not the cafeteria. My first job was as the "salad bar girl" at Hot Shoppes on Wisconsin Avenue. The Marriott corporate headquarters were right down the road from this Hot Shoppes and boy did we jump when Mr. Marriott came in to the restaurant!
Roy Rogers which I guess still exist sporadically in the area. We used to go there for lunch in high school and I'd get the Double R Bar burger. Yummmm. A cheeseburger with ham and barbecue sauce.

I'm hungry.

Regards,

Furgs

I just had to mention a Pacific Nothwest chain of which I have very fond memories. It was called Arctic Circle(nicknamed A.C. greasy in my crowd. It served cheap bugers(19-25 cents), broasted chicken and french fries with a sweet sauce to die for. They were located in most Oregon and southwestern Washington towns of over 10,000 people and there were a fair number along Portland strip-mall like thoroughfares. The last one I know about was in Portland and went out of business two or three years ago. Also remember a northwest chain called Herfy's with a clever jingle and a store in downtain Portland with a faux stained glass window of a cow. Anyone else here in the upper left coast remember these places?

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<div style="border: 1px #999999 solid; background-color: #DCDCDC; padding: 4px;">Originally posted by mb848

Does anyone from Massachusetts or the east coast have any recollection or memories of Neba Roast Beef? I believe it was a fast food chain from the 1960's specializing in roast beef. What happened to it? There is still an original building standing in Quincy, MA that once housed a Neba's. Very funky 60's modern architecture. It is now a pet shop. Hope to rekindle some memories!

I ate at one in Miami in 1969. I don't know whether it is true, but I was told NEBA stood for NEver Buy Arbys, and that it was started by a man who'd once been an Arbys partner.


Greetings, Saw your post. I was looking for info on "Mike - Neba" and found this site. I live in Glens Falls, NY. There is still an original building here. It is now called "Mr. B's Best Roast Beef" They serve the same food as the original. Just had one!!!

The original chain was owned by a man name Shwartz. His Son's name was Mike... Mike's-Neba" I used to work at the stores in Albany, NY At one time there were 9 stores in this region of NY alone. I am just gald that I can still enjoy the original taste!

Michael

There is still an Arctic Circle where I live in WA. I haven't been there... I have another local favorite, Zip's.

Growing up here and elsewhere in WA, the chains I can remember that I haven't seen in awhile:

Sea Galley
Pizza Haven
Sizzler

A&W sort of disappeared for a while, but there are a few spots around now. Not the old-fashioned drive in kind, new fast-food type spots.

Denny's seems to be disappearing too. I haven't been to a Denny's in I don't know how long, but you can always recognize a building that used to be a Denny's.

One survivor of a fast-food chain that once numbered 200 in the Midwest was Waylan's Ku-Ku. The lone survivor is on old Route 66 in Miami, Okla. It's a pretty good place and prosperous -- it has seasonal specials like fried green tomatoes and Philly cheesesteaks, plus good staples like burgers, frieds, malts, etc. It also hosts car cruises there every year. Look for the vibrant neon sign at night and the big cuckoo bird on top of the building.

Are there any Dog & Suds restaurants left? I see their root beer in some grocery stores, but I haven't seen an actual restaurant in probably 30 years.

in the mid-late seventies our family would make the drive from cleve., ohio to memphis, tenn., to visit family. i espcially remember stuckeys, and dutch barn, but also a place noone has mentioned call L&K. it was a truckstop type restaurant serving full meals as well as burgers and dogs. seems like there was more than one. i don't remember exactly where they were, i was just a kid and not paying attention. but i remember the food being greasy and good!! the best thing at stuckeys was the big wide thin piece of taffy you could buy. it was huge. does anyone else remember L&K ?? did anyone else get in trouble for slapping thier sibling with a big piece of taffy??? lol

About 15 years ago I ate at a Duff's in Gatlinburg Tn on the recommendation of a former employer who would go on and on about "get stuffed at Duff's". Never did like the idea of trying to "catch" my food as it spun around. We did discover a little cafe called Libby's, out side of Gatlinburg towards the south end of the park, we ate there several times that trip, the owners were so nice and would go out of their way to make our group of "northern" girls at home and learn about southern cooking. I wonder if they are still there?

Before McDonalds and Burger King came to town, I remember the 15 cent burgers at Wetsons. There was one right near the high school and was always a treat to stop in for a burger or shake to take with you on either the walk or bus ride home from JHS.

I noted Bill Knapp's brand chocolate cakes in a refrigerated display at the local Meijer's supermarket....

The restaurant is no more, but the chocolate cake lives on :-)

If anyone remembers "Griff's Burger Bar" in the KC area, there is still a Griff's across the street from Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia, Mo. I drove past there one day last week and saw a sign advertising 30-cent hamburgers. Large fries were 92 cents. The parking lot was pretty well full.

I stumbled onto this forum while doing a search about my grandaddy's cafeteria, the old Peachtree Arcade Cafeteria, in downtown Atlanta. I know that this is an old thread, but if there are any further remeniscences about the old place, I'd appreciate reading them. I never got to visit it as an adult, because it was torn down. I am a tiny bit obsessed with the history of the old place, and learning about it. I occaisionally run across an old Atlantian who speaks of it, but that is infrequent. Any further information would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
George III
(grandson of George, the original owner of the Peachtree Arcade Cafeteria).

quote:

Originally posted by SteveB9

Ort; I think food and music are very similar, in that they both have the ability to take you back into your earlier days. Sometimes an oldie will come on the radio, and suddenly I am transported back to something I was doing in the 60s when I heard that song. This also happens with food. Sadly, though, most of today's restaurants are nothing like they were 40 years ago. Even if the name is the same, the food is not (remember how big BK's Whopper was in 1968?)
The only one of those restaurants I have heard of is Joe Cottons. Never went there, though.
Other things I remember - the Krystle on Marietta Street, with the doughnut machine in the window. Those were good doughnuts, too, particularly the chocolate covered ones. And Shoneys, up Forsyth towards the Rialto. That was NOTHING like the Shoneys of today.
A couple of others: Herrens, remember that? I never ate there, didn't have the money, but looked in the window. And, what about the cafeteria at the Peachtree Arcade?

quote:

Originally posted by Adjudicator:

Anyone remember "Jack's Hamburgers"? I think there are still some left in the Birmingham, AL, area. I still remember their "jingle" from way back in '64 when I lived in Montgomery (AL) area. BTW, glad to see this (my) string still active & ongoing...

"You'll go back back back, to Jack Jack Jack's, for more more more!"

Jack's has been part of Birmingham since 1960. The chain kept Mickey D's at bay for a number of years. Even had a TV kiddie-show host named after it (Sgt. Jack).

After an ill-conceived expansion into Georgia, Mississippi and Florida in the late '70s, Jack's rebounded and is now just a Birmingham area restaurant. Bacon cheeseburger is pretty good. Website is www.eatatjacks.com

Here are several more "little chains that couldn't":

DANVER'S: a roast beef chain. Used to have locations all over the Mid-South (I think it was based out of Memphis). Dried up in the late '80s, and TMK the only remaining are Tupelo, Miss., Corinth, Miss., and at least one in Memphis. Tender and juicy ..... <sighhhhhh> ... everything Arby's isn't. Like Roy Rogers, only better. :-)

CEDRIC'S: fish-and-chips outfit in the '70s. Several locations in Alabama and Mississippi. An earlier poster made reference to having learned to love malt vinegar. My rite-of-passage with the stuff was at a Cedric's in 1977 (age 12).

THE KETTLE: Denny's-esque restaurant. For a time was supposedly owned by radical oil tycoon H. L. Hunt

COLEMAN'S "HOT PIT" BARBECUE: Based in Memphis, and had locations stretching from NW Alabama to SE Missouri to central Arkansas. I think there are still a couple in north Miss. still in operation. I believe Coleman's pioneered the "cole slaw on top of the pulled pork" school of BBQ. Another competing Memphis barbecue chain was Loeb's.

And others my decrepit brain recalls, most all from Alabama/Mississippi: Sherer's Drive-In ... Grady's (15c) Hamburgers ... Mug-N-Cone ... Burger-In-A-Hurry

Russell in Savannah, Ga.

I used to race Motocross with the Grady clan when i lived in Memphis.A ton of kids and all their bikes etc were painted a puke orange. Tupelo right? Went to Grady's once and it didn't come close to White Castle or Krystal. Pretty weird place...

In the Capital District of New York State there was a chain in the 1950's called Jeans Beans. They sold really good baked bean products.

I remember the Jiffy burgers. We had one here in North Carolina in the 60's. I remember that they were small burgers with limited condiments but they were a good little burger and were a very good price. My Dad would buy them by the bagfuls since the price was so good

quote:

Originally posted by clhawk

Does anyone remember the Jiffy chain and Jiffy burgers?