Fun little story. My mom met my dad at Winky's. She was a waitress and was serving him a milkshake. She tripped and spilled it all over him. He was smitten.
That’s a nice story. But now, as someone who watches a lot of science lectures, I can’t help but think how maybe you wouldn’t exist at all had your mom not tripped. Think of all the people who never existed because of something not happening.
One restaurant I remember when I was a child growing up, which I believe is no longer around is Bonanza; which specialized in steaks and had a salad bar.
The first fast food restaurant my parents ever took our large family to was Carrols in North Syracuse. For a tight budget, you couldn’t beat it and it was so exciting for all us kids off a farm. Two kids could eat for a dollar. How cool it was.
Every time my Uncle Shorty would pickup my mom and I at the Greyhound bus station in Watertown, NY, he would take us to Carrol’s restaurant for lunch before heading to his house in Lowville, NY.
Growing up in a very rural area in the 60s, fast food restaurants seemed quite exotic and required considerable travel. The closest we got was the A&W root beer stand in Brodhead, Wis. (served by carhops). Going there was a special treat, usually given as a reward for baling hay all day. It's funny how such a seemingly insignificant thing can evoke such strong (and happy) memories.
We had a & w in our town also something similar was dog and suds they had a Texas burger that was so good it had Chilli on it. We would get one before we went to the drive in across the highway, boy were those were the days
We had a A&W here in Minnesota that was round it was brick and it had a fireplace in the middle of the store I remember eating bacon cheeseburgers when I was a kid with root beer classic place
Yes. I went to an A& W in Rawlins, Wyoming June 3, 1966 and their fish sandwich and frosty mug of root beer was so good I still remember that visit nearl 60 years ago.
Walgreens and Woolworths had restaurants in their stores. Great sandwiches and malts. I worked at the Woolworth pizza counter. Very popular. Goldblatts stores made famous in A Christmas Story had a popular restaurant and deli
Back in the late 70's I used to love eating deluxe cheeseburgers at Woolworths food counter when I went shopping with my mother. For some reason that was my favorite burger and fries and I always remember how much I looked forward to eating lunch there.
Yes!! I Loved Woolworth's grilled cheese and fries. Then we'd shop there and I'd get a nice toy. Maybe some colorforms or a Batman and Robin figure with a build in plastic parashoot. Man, fun times!!!
Yes me too ! All the way into the very early '90s whenever I shopped at Woolworths with my mother or grandmother we always had lunch there. Their burgers & fries were great but my fave was the fried chicken. All their food was good. I miss Woolworths
Arthur Treacher’s fish & chips, Ponderosa & Bonanza Steak house, Happy Chef These are all I can remember now. Thanks for a great video! I just love your channel. I love watching about things from the past. Thank you for all your hard work!!! It is greatly appreciated.
I was thinking of them too! Best root beer floats ever! There aren’t any local to me anymore but surprisingly there’s still 21 locations in my state, looks like they’re still operating in 37 states. That made me happy, knowing they’re still around. Now I wanna do a mini road trip to the nearest one and get a dose of nostalgia 😊 The other I thought of was Skippers, I loved that place and used to go for a weekly date night with my bf at the time back in the late 90’s. Now there’s only a few left in my state but they’re all several hours away. In contrast Washington seems to have a bunch left. Not sure if they’re elsewhere as the location search function on their website requires a zip code to search a 300 mile radius. Now thst I realize how far out of reach they are I’m craving some fish n chips 😅
A&W’s still exist. Probably why they aren’t on this listing. Some are combined with KFC’s/Taco Bell because they are owned by the same corporation now. There are still standalone A&W’s too. At least in California.
Or dog and suds. Dog and suds had way better root beer than A&w. It was smoother and thicker. And they're hot dogs were fantastic. I always got the pedigree pup. That was a hot dog with everything on it but chilli.
Burger Chef was a treat when me and my older brother were little. We would stop by after attending the local library for their Summer Reading program. That was a great time for us, since it was a reward for reading...
Chi-chi’s was so good back in the 80’s. They kinda fell off a bit in the 90’s and had a nice menu change with their twice grilled burrito. I have many fond memories of that place.
Seeing Carrols brought back the memories from 50 years ago when I'd walk to our Carrols on route 22 in Somerville n.j.to have lunch rather than eat in the high school's cafeteria. That was from '71 to '74 and seems like only yesterday. Thanks for a neat video!
I remember eating at Carrols a few times as a child during that time period. The one in Rochester, NY and the one on Ridge Rd. in Greece where we lived.
@4tuneagent My family ate out once a week and usually at Howard Johnson’s most of the time I ordered the clams. Which Howard Johnson’s did you work? I was a server at Howard Johnson’s in Frederick Maryland and it was converted to Bobs Big Boy
@@robertbauers2210I worked at the Midway plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which was by Exit 11 at Bedford, PA in 1976- 77.. not too far from Frederick, just up 270 to Breezewood and one exit east.
I remember driving cross country with my parents in the 50’s on two lane highways before the Interstate systems came about , and you had to eat at little eateries and you never knew what kind of food was available.When Howard Johnsons came about you strained your eyes looking for one where you knew you would get good food, ice cream and a clean place to sleep.
With me, it was in the 60's and traveling back and forth from Virginia to Michigan with my parents when their vacations came around. We would always stop at a Howard Johnson's, each way of the trip, so it brings back great memories
John - I loved to go to Howard Johnsons or HoJo as it was called back then. My husband didn’t eat any fish except the fried clams there. Last time we ate in one was 1995!!! Seems that I also remember that their scoops of ice cream were t round but sort of like a pyramid shape but had a little flat top. Great memories😄😄👍👍👍
Bull. Howard Johnson a does not serve a baked potato. This was told to my 6mo. Pregnant Mother who was shocked that the waitress acted like baked potatoes were not a thing you would order at the classy Howard Johnson's. It was the most creatinest stupid thing I ever heard anyone say Period.
Thanks. I like others remember road trips with my parents in the 1960's. We would stop at HOJO's motels & I always had fried chicken with vanilla ice cream. The ice cream came in a metal silver dish that was cold, I can taste it now, 60 years later. My parents always teased me, 'don't you want to try anything else, but I never did.
My family always stayed at Howard Johnson's when on vacation. Their fried clams were always my favorite! So many burger joints come and go. Not a whole lot you can do to change the basic hamburger. I remember a lot of these from when I was a kid. Wish some were still around now.
My husband doesn’t eat any kind of fish/seafood - except for HJ fried clams. I haven’t a clue why😄. But it’s been probably over 25 years since we’ve eating at one. Wish they ere still around!
I just went to a Stuckeys a year ago, just south of town. I remember them from my childhood but I really didn't remember going inside one. Mainly I remembered my mom bringing home those pecan roll logs. It was unimpressive. Most of the candy was rebranded, and nothing there was really memorable. Not worth the trip. I'm assuming they kept the name but little else.
@@kempmt1 I don't remember seeing that. If they did, it either wasn't prominently displayed or it wasn't memorable. That sounds like something they would need to make in-house, and not just re-brand something made by Hershey's as a Stuckey's product. The whole place felt very phoned in and gave me zero chills of nostalgia. It was disappointing. I don't know what I expected, but this failed my expectations.
I really miss Steak and Ale, what a nice place to eat, crab bisque, steaks done to order, small salad bar, bread. My wife and i went there a few times before they went bankrupt.
My dad and his friend worked for Steak and Ale in the mid 1970s installing various telecom equipment in their corporate offices in Dallas right before Pillsbury purchased it.
Man, Howard Johnson's was THE place to stop on the highway in the 60's and 70's. They even started selling their mac & cheese in grocery stores it was so good.
Right. Now it seems to be Cracker Barrel. Like JoJo's, there's one at nearly every expressway off ramp here. I just loved playing those little wood and peg puzzles at the Ho Jo tables. Used to get so aggravated at the get it down to one peg game
Shoneys were great…and sadly Bennigens was taken out by the Steak & Ale debacle. They were owned by the same holding company. Both were great but just couldn’t keep up with the changing environment. The 2008 crash was the last straw.
I loved the Ho Jo restaurants when I was a kid. They were pretty much the only restaurants on the Pennsylvania Turnpike back then. A couple times a year, we’d take the Turnpike to visit my great grandparents in rural Pennsylvania. We always stopped at a Ho Jo for lunch. My dad and I usually got the fried clams. They were also the only place that had self-flushing toilets. To a little kid in the mid 1960s, these things were almost magical. They weren’t as common as they are today 😊
Farrell's out west only brings one terrible memory. 50 years ago a jet plane crashed on takeoff from a Sacramento air show. It crossed a road at the end of the runway and exploded into a Farrell's on a Sunday afternoon. 23 people were killed -mostly children. Always known as "The Farrell's Crash".
I had no idea Beefsteak Charlie's was a chain. In fact, I had completely forgotten about it until reading your comment. I only knew the one a few miles from my childhood home.
The one diner type place I recall was Sambo's. I was very young in my 20's ( 50 years ago) and I worked as an apprentice carpet boy. My boss would always get breakfast there with me entail. He always ordered a Sanka with his breakfast. The food was quick and cheap. They even gave out wooden nickels that you could redeem for a free coffee. They are collectable and I still have a few in my coin collection. The racial aspect of the name was the chains undoing.
We had one in my hometown also. We didn't really go there much. The building is still there, but it was remodeled and turned into a Perkin's, and now it's a Denny's. I really liked Perkin's, the Denny's there is meh.
There was a Bob’s Big Boy in my hometown. I loved going there as a kid. One year as a prank, seniors at the high school I would eventually attend stole it and encased it in concrete. When I got to high school the restaurant had already closed but some of the staff that were there when it happened “leaked” details surrounding the incident to the student body in an effort to discourage us from doing something similar.
There was a Shakey’s pizza parlor in Lake Charles, Louisiana that we would go to when visiting relatives. I moved there in 1991, but it had already closed. Around 1994 I went to California and there was one in Brea. I believe it’s still there. I think I read that there are some in the Philippines.
if you go to the one in Los Angeles and use stem cells on it you can get another Shakey's Pizza in the adjacent lot which you can then take home to your hometown
My favorite was Ground Round. There are only a few of these places left, but I can fondly remember shucking peanuts they served before every meal, and just casually tossing the husks onto the floor. I think there was some type of lawsuit that stopped the practice and then they only served popcorn.
I miss those days. The tortilla soup and balloons they’d hand out. Was a magical place as a kid. I went to one that existed in 2017 it was in Midwest, the quality has not wavered one bit.
When I was in high school, we would go to the ground round after a movie, drink strawberry daiquiris (usually one, two tops) eat potato skins, and listen to a nice live cover singer or duo. Good times!
I used to go to Burger Chef every Saturday morning with my mom to get their cheeseburgers that were wrapped in a plastic sandwich bag (think fold-lock top). We still talk about that quite often.
Hi Rhett... I had a couple of birthdays at Farrells. They also had a extremely large sundae called a pig trough. It was all the kinds of ice cream with all of the sauces, bananas, whip cream and cherries. It was spectacular. 🍨
I had birthday parties at Farrell's as well. I lived in Dallas and we went to the location in Town East Mall. I had almost forgotten about Farrell's - so glad to revisit those memories!
My first job was waitressing at a Farrell's in the later 90s. I remember when someone finished the pig trough I would have to get a busboy to bring out the big drum so I could make an announcement and present the customer with a special ribbon, haha! It was a fun place to work.
I remember eating at Showbiz, Wag's, Bob's Big Boy, Howard Johnson's, Steak & Ale, Chi-Chi's. All were pretty good places to eat. Do you guys remember eating at K-Mart? I'd shop with Mamaw and we'd sometimes eat there. Great memories - I wish I could go back!
The K-Mart in Massillon, Ohio had a great deli counter with sub sandwiches & ham & cheese, ect. It was good food with good prices, for that era. The Woolworth store at the mall had a excellent lunch counter.
I went to ChiChis on one of the last days it was open it was a great experience. One of my fondest memories of going to a restaurant. We had these deserts with Kohala coffee liquior in them and our waitress was so nice.
I remember going to Farrell’s in Sacramento, CA several times as a kid in the late 70s and early 80s. It was a popular place to celebrate birthdays, end of baseball season, etc. They had a piano that played by itself, and I think the staff would come out and sing to you on your birthday.
That was probably the one where the plane from the Executive Airport crashed into the restaurant and folks died there in that accident. Was said to put the restaurant out of business in the area. Don't know. I loved Farrells. Leatherby's (unrelated as far as I know) tried hard to reproduce that feel.
@@lindawoody8501 That Farrell’s was located on Freeport blvd, and the crash happened in 1972. I’m not sure what street the Farrell’s I went to in the late 70s and early 80s was. I read that at one time there were 4 different Farrell’s locations in Sacramento.
In Michigan, the Big Boy franchise was owned by Elias Brothers. There are still several independent (no Elias Brothers tag) BB restaurants scattered throughout Michigan.
A lot of Frisch's Big Boys still going in Ohio and a few in Indiana too. There are none close to me but whenever I get out that way gotta get a big boy and fries! Still one of the best burgers for me!
I had a birthday party at Showbiz when I was little! I thought it was a Chuck E. Cheese but I remember the animatronics and it was definitely in the 80’s because I was twelve in 1992. Probably was the Irving Texas location because we lived pretty close. Glad I watched this 😊
@@shakarussanders9911 the go ol days lol. Which everyone says about the time they grew up. The 70’s seemed like they were pretty great. And I know the 90’s were awesome, but not as cool as the 80’s 😎
We had a Showbiz Pizza in our town and I always thought "chucky cheese" was one of the mascots there. Didn't realize until years later that it was a different company that merged.
Dad was military and while moving from base to base we stopped at six of these chains. That was the only time we ever eat fast foods. Ate at a lot of truck stop restaurants, but only if there was a lot of trucks parked outside. Some of the best tasting food I ever had. Stayed in a lot of Best Western motels as most were pet friendly then and we always had a dog. Up at five and on the road after breakfast. Lunch at a fast food place. Dinner at a truck stop around five and at the Best Western by seven. Clean and in bed by nine. Next day same thing again until we reached the next base. Usually about a two or three day trip. No 4 lane highways then mostly one lane each way sometimes two lanes. No city bypass roads either. A familiar sentence was…we’re heading into town so you kids better be quiet to your dad can concentrate..
I grew up with the likes of Burger Chef and Sambo's. I remember how Sambo's had the little book or comic strip that talked about how a little boy forced a tiger to Run around a tree and got turned into butter. But of course, I also remember how Chip's Ahoy had a little comic strip on the back of Cookie-Man, and Toast'em double side puzzles came in Pop Tarts back in the day.
I remember getting ice cream at Bresler’s 33 Flavors. My favorite color has always been purple and they actually made a hard to acquire Concord grape ice cream. I loved it!
My very frugal grandmother loved Bob’s Big Boy and it was the one place she treated the entire family to dinner out “because it’s cheap and you don’t have to tip”. Well, you really did need to tip there so when we finished my father always slipped a few bucks under the dishes when grandmother wasn’t looking. 😂
Aww the memories! I miss some of those, never heard of a few of them but have eaten at several of them. There is still a Bob's Big Boy near my sister-in-law's home in KY. I still own a Farrell's mug I got in Indianapolis while visiting family as a teenager. Thanks, Rhett! Enjoyed this very much.
There was a Bob’s big boy that was built in Pacific Grove/Monterey California back in the late 1980s it was very popular ..we were all excited when we saw the “big boy “logo going in on the corner I think now it is just a basic mom and pop restaurant.
Howard Johnson started in Quincy (KWIN-zee) MA. Among the toll roads with Howard Johnson's at every service area upon opening were the Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Turnpikes (Midwest roads also, mentioned already). The restaurants weren't converted to motor lodges, those were constructed as additions.
I haven't heard of Bob's Big Boy, but we had a restaurant called Kipp's which had the Big Boy in the front lawn of the restaurant. We also had a Roy Rogers that later became Luke's Hamburgers near the Houston Galleria. It was funny that Luke's used the same furniture that Roy Rogers used.
Yep - I remember Shoney’s Big Boy. And Shoney’s is still around - they split from Big Boy years ago. There are still about 100 Frisch’s Big Boy restaurants in the Midwest. Although Frisch’s uses tartar sauce on the Big Boy burger. Weird.
There was a Roy Rogers in my town in the late 80s. Wendy's took over. Roy's had the best chicken nuggets. One restaurant you missed is Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips.
@@trixie9777 It's funny Arthur Treacher's went out of business but they made a comeback in the late 90' through the aughts. Don't know if they're still around though.
I worked for Steak and Ale Corp in their accounting dept. I opened and processed the daily receipts package from the individual restaurants. This was in 1980 in Dallas. Since I didn't earn enough money to live on, I also worked at the restaurant in North Dallas as a seating hostess on Friday nights. The corporate office had all kinds of free foods in the break room, we worked 4 ten hour days. It was interesting, and once one of the restaurant s sent in a whole bunch of cash. I just walked the entire package into my managers office and we counted it together. A week later they offered me a promotion, but I had decided to move to Fort Worth. So I did.
When Steak & Ale first came to Virginia, their name was illegal because it mentioned an alcoholic beverage, so their locations here were called Jolly Ox. In those years (1970's), they had great king crag legs and to-die-for mushroom sauce.
I worked the kitchen at a Steak & Ale in SW Ohio in the mid to late 70's. I remember the refrigerated semi that would roll in, maybe once a week with all that wonderful beef. I assumed they came all the way from Texas.
I'm from Baltimore, and I was a devout Colts fan until they moved to Indianapolis in 1984. Gino's was one of my favorite restaurants. There are at least two re-established Gino's restaurants left in Baltimore and the surrounding area.
What a great trip down memory lane, thank you so much! My mom used to work at a Royal Castle in Miami when we came from Cuba, she would have us dropped off at Royal Castle once a week after school so we can wait for her and eat our dinner there, the hamburgers were so good and best orange juice ever, squeezed fresh from Florida oranges, super sweet and refreshing (sigh) great days.
I grew up in a small town in the 70s. We didn't get a McDonalds until the late 80s and didn't get a Burger King until the late 90s. We had a Dairy Queen and a Kentucky Fried Chicken, along with a couple local restaurants but we had one other chain establishments and I miss it to this very day and that was Burger Chef. I truly loved that place. Every Friday, we would get dinner from there. A Fun Meal for my Sister and me. It was my absolute favorite part of the weekend. Till one day when we went to get dinner and things had changed. It was no longer a Burger Chef, it was now a Hardees. I was crushed and actually started crying. My Mom says I was inconsolable for the rest of the night. I will forever have a big and soft spot in my heart for Burger Chef and will always miss it.
There was a Burger Queen that had a bee as their logo in the early 80's and before that The Blue Circle in the Knoxville Tennessee area, I'm unsure how big the restaurant chain was but sure was delicious! Enjoyed your video!
hey! i just wrote a comment about that Burger Queen. i think it was on magnolia, near the old holiday inn my family stayed in, when we first moved to town
Some of these defunct restaurants bring back wonderful memories from my youth on Long Island, New York (1976 - 1986). Wag's was a favorite lunch stop on my Saturday visits at the Roosevelt Field shopping mall in Garden City. Loved their patty melts! Chi-Chi's, near the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa, was a Sunday lunchtime favorite after church services. Loved their chicken chimichangas!
Stuckey's was an Interstate staple in the 1960s and 1970s. On the trip to Virginia Beach the first one was on I-70 south of Breezewood. They franchised the Big Boy hamburger. Eat 'n' Park, Frisch's, and Elby's sold them. There was a Big Boy comic book that was only sold in restaurants and only with the hamburger meal.
I remember seeing Stuckey's along the I-95 to Florida, but more as a gift shop than a restaurant. Of course it has been almost 40 years, so memories fade.
Rhett, I really enjoyed your 15 Forgotten Fast Food Chains, video. I'm familiar with some of the fast food restaurant chains, but some I've never heard of. There was a fast food chain in my area called "Holly Farms," that served the best potato wedges, I've ever eaten, they primarily sold chicken, that was very good, too. Have a fantastic weekend. Take care 🐎
The still shot at 5:37 really hit home for me. I grew up going to that Dee's. The store in the photo was located at 70th South and Highland Drive for you Salt Lake locals. That particular location became a "Hardees" in the 1980's.
Bennigan’s, Ponderosa, and Sizzler! Farrell's was a favorite place when I was a teen, but I had to drive 45 minutes to get to one at either Springfield Mall (delco Pa) or Lancaster PA. I then moved to Baltimore and we'd hit the one in Golden Ring Mall every Friday night in 1981. Developed a crush on a cute redheaded waitress named Theresa there. Good times!
There are still several Dee’s operating in the Salt Lake City area. While it’s grown into more of a “Denny’s” concept, they are still part of the same original chain. Several locations contain original menu boards from those early spots. Legend has it that their clown served as the inspiration for Ronald McDonald.
Kenny Rogers' Roasters was featured in a Seinfeld episode, when Newman and Kramer became addicted to its fried chicken and tried to keep it a secret from Jerry. The best line from that episode was Newman's (while chomping at a drumstick): "It's the wood that makes it good."
At the 21-second point, the Red Barn hamburgers! I remember that from my childhood. Thank you for the videos of vintage times, it has been wonderful and informative.
I am from the Netherlands, I remember a chain called freetime. They set up branches nearby McDonalds locations and failed as a result. I ate at freetime once, in Paris where they were pretty huge. They had a big restaurant at la defense, I remember not liking it. I had a cheeseburger, it was really bland except for the cheese which tasted of garlic butter or something. The only reason I finished the meal, is that I was on a budget. Which left me still hungry as the portions were quite small. If it weren't for the good company I was in, it would've been a bad memory, but we had a few good laughs at the whole situation.
Hey Rhett, You really hit the memory bank on this one. I remember and have eaten at quite a few of these. Wags, Red Barn, Big Boy, My wife's father worked for Dee Anderson. I used to get a .15 cent hamburger and a chocolate shake for a whopping .41 cents. Including tax. There were so many flavors of ice cream at Farrels. Great place. As for pizza, Godfathers, Shakies, and Round Table were great as well. I remember Minnie Pearls. Chi Chi's and Pancho Villas were very good Mexican restaurants. Thank you my friend for making me hungry for these old places.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories as well as a few others that weren't mentioned. Godfather's seems to be making a tiny comeback here in Oklahoma but they are being placed in Love's gas stations which I'm not the craziest about. I did really love Farrell's/ We had one in a mall and it was super popular. I never understood why it went away. That Poncho Villa is the one that sort of had a cafeteria feel in the line when you ordered isn't it? And then they had the little flags you raised when you wanted more? If that is the same one they used to be all over the placed and they were really popular too.
@@RhettyforHistory You know, the one that I'm thinking of was spelt different. Poncho Villas. As in the Mexican bandit. There you didn't wait in line. Or that I remember. I remember being seated when you walked in. They had the best Tex-Mex food. That's interesting about Godfathers pizza. Thank you for the information. Take care, Rhett.
There are still 2 Godfather's Pizza restaurants in Springfield, Illinois. But the food does NOT taste as it did back in the 1980's. I used to work at one of these Godfather's. The pizza was great, back then. 😢🍕🥰
Another one that might still have a few existing locations is Stuckey's. Not so much a restaurant, but had take-out snacks and a huge gift shop, complete with toys that would make a young kid beg. It was always fun stopping there, and became a family tradition. They were most famous for their various pecan pies and candies.
@@symptomoftheuniverse4149 I'm not sure what TV show you saw Stuckey's but I remember at least 6 others between OKC and Dallas in the early 70s. All of those original buildings were either rebranded or vacant by 1985. The one in Marietta wasn't in existence then. There was one across the street and one in Springer. The Springer location was back to being cattle pasture long ago. Still good memories, nothing more. Of course so is playing behind the back seat and back glass in the old cars.
In the 1970s I remember a fast food chain called Chutes. Their gimmick was to have a drive-thru similar to a bank's drive-thru with several lanes. Your food was then shot out to you through a pneumatic tube (like a bank). It was short-lived. It probably got too messy because they couldn't keep the Cokes in the cups. 😆
"The Times Union reports that the last remaining Howard Johnson's in America, a 70-year-old restaurant located in Lake George, New York, did not open for business over the Memorial Day weekend and the property's lease is listed for sale online. The restaurant appears to have last opened its doors in March 2022"
@@nadiabrook7871 All We Ever Here That Is Popular With You Brits Is Fish And Chips. Fish Like Flounder And Sole Is Really Good When Breaded; But Do You Have A CHOICE On Which Type? And I Assume Your CHIPS Means Slices Of Potatoes Like Our French Fries. However SURELY You Have Fast Food Hamburgers And Hot Dogs Too???
Howard Johnson’s was the best when I was a kid! I always got the fried clam strip dinner, and even had a HoJo birthday party at least once. It was my family’s go to stop for dinner on day trips, and I think we often stayed there when traveling as well.
I have fond memories of eating at Panchito’s with my family in my youth. They had several locations in San Antonio Texas. It was a buffet and was also neat and dear to our hearts. Thanks for the great video. Keep it up please.
I had fried ice cream for the first time at Chi-Chi's, when I talk about it now I get weird looks but that was an awesome dessert. I'm pretty sure my family was the only family who visited their location in my city because nobody remembers it and they were always empty when we went. This was back in the 90's, I really enjoyed it there.
Chi Chi's was generally pretty packed in Huntsville, AL back in the day. I remember the fried ice cream, and also the margaritas. I have a 30+year history of despising tequila, but those margaritas were FABULOUS. About 2 of them and you'd be walking sideways. I about half-recall some sort of shrimp fajita dish that was really really good, too. Pile of tortillas, shrimp and veg with some sort of sauce. I loved Chi Chi's.
From what I've heard, One of the other reasons Minnie Pearl's Fried Chicken failed was there was no consistent recipe for the restaurants, it varied from restaurant to restaurant. When I was a child ,we alawys paseed one on our family car trips to Florida, we could never convince our parents to stop there.
My brother and I frequented Chi-Chi's and loved when they had their buffet dinners. Everything on the plate got a layer of queso sauce. There were two fast food restaurants no longer around and extremely loved and missed by our family were Goody's hamburgers and Aunt Jemima's Kitchen. The latter was turned into Calico's Kitchen and this would be our family's IHOP-like stop for breakfast on the way back from NY to NJ. Goody's was THE most loved of the two. Even if we ate dinner at my grandparents' an hour before, we'd always be asking for Dad to pull over at Goody's for hamburgers/cheeseburgers. Great memories.
I moved to the US from the UK in the early 80’s, so I’m not familiar with a lot of these places except Kenny Rogers and a few others. I was in a Denny’s this morning and they had some photos on the wall of how the old restaurants looked. It must have been an exciting time in the 50’s and 60’s when a lot of places opened. I wish we still had $0.75 cent hamburgers.
Love your post. Grew up in the Midwest. We had a couple of chains we always loved and fortunately there are still some locations that remain. The first is Maid-Rite, started in 1926, serves loose meat hamburgers and root bear. Uniquely, great. The second, Mr. Quick, started in 1965, were present in our town before McD’s. Thanks for sharing!
I loved Bob's Big Boy, I went there on a lot of High School and also Farrell's. I miss them as the food was good and fairly cheap. I also miss Steak and Ale. Chi Chi's is were I met my late wife
Liked Chi-chi’s we would have our office parties there, in Mainz-Kastel Germany on base. One of the party owners of the on base franchise was retired LTC Uwe Grube, and had previously worked for him when he was in command of the department of DoD that I worked for.
I worked at a Bob's Big Boy in Springfield, Va for a little while in the mid 80's--and there was a Chi-Chi's next door. Man--that place was always jumpin'!
They still exist in 37 states! Have to go a bit farther to reach them now tho as there’s not as many but getting a delicious root beer float is still possible 😊 I’m gonna have to do a road trip to the nearest one soon while they’re still around because they were always one of my favorites
Thanks for this video. I remember Chi-Chi's and Showbiz Pizza Place fondly. Here are more restaurant names from the past: Bishop's Buffet (they had an amazing chocolate silk pie); Po'Folks (apparently six restaurants still operate, all in Florida); Rax (five restaurants remaining), Country Kitchen (18 restaurants left).
Po Folks was always a treat in the 80s if you drove down South like Kentucky or Tennessee. There used to be a random one in California, but its closed now.
The one that I'm thinking of that you missed was Rax. I used to work at Rax in the 80's. There used to be hundreds of Rax restaurants across the United States. Now there are just a few of these restaurants left. Think of Rax as an Arby's with a salad bar.
I went to college in Oberlin, OH starting in the late 1990s, and there was a Rax just outside of the town center. I'd never heard of it before, and I gather the chain was already in terminal decline by that point, but I really loved them.
Liked the story, I especially loved Carrols as a restaurant. When I was little my goal was to get big enough to have the Carrols club burger. It had a huge three layer bun, two burger patties, shredded lettuce, a tomato, pickles,and thousand island dressing. It was a mess to eat. It had a ring of light cardstock around it to hold it together. When you got it you were on your own. I finally had one when I was around eight in 1968, it was more than I ever dreamed of. Okay I was a real foodie kid. I do miss the Carrol's burger joint. The Burger King that replaced it just can't compare. Nor Mc Donald's that came later. Great video!
Nickerson Farms & Farmer's Table used to be pretty big in the midwest during the 1970's, as was Stuckey's in the deep south. And let's not forget that Ramada Inn and Holiday Inn pioneered having restaurants in their hotels long before most other chains. Nod to Shoney's breakfast bar, Shakey's Pizza, and Godfather's Pizza.
Great stroll down memory lane - growing up, first job, dates, traveling, etc. Restaurants are a very tough business to stay successful in over the long haul!
The last Howard Johnson's restaurant closed in February 2022. There is still an open, functional Chi-Chi's in Ozark, Alabama. You missed Mrs. Winner's.
Chi-Chi’s is a brand of some type of Mexican food that is available in the frozen food area of many grocery stores. Hormel makes some Mexican products with the name Chi-Chi’s.
Hi Rhett . I used to love to go to Chi-Chis . They had great food. I was partial to their Cancun and they had the best happy hour . Their complimentary bean and cheese dips were great with their margaritas. I still miss them this day.😪
Chi Chi’s was my absolute favorite! I loved their frozen raspberry margaritas and chimichangas. That’s my order at just about any Mexican restaurant to this day.
I worked in nuclear power plants back in the '80s. While in Oswego New York, it was always a treat to go into Syracuse to Chi-Chi's. Food was wonderful.
Howard Johnson's had a two-layer scenic chocolate lollipop that my parents would never buy me but my grandparents would. Apparently no photos of them on the internet. I checked Google Maps and was pleased to see that the Toluca Lake, CA Bob's Big Boy is still open!
I only knew one of these establishments. Farrells. Would go there when I was little for as you stated getting my birthday ice cream an they would make you feel so awesome! Yet also have a memory of a place called Sambo’s. Maybe they were only in the west, idk. Just they disappeared.
Before McDonald's moved into my city we had Carrols and I loved their food! The Club burger was great and their shakes were so thick it was hard to suck them up the straw! I missed them when they died out. Never did like McDs either. I and some friends used to do breakfast at one of our local Big Boys. This one had a breakfast buffet which was just great.
I remember some of these. I miss Howard Johnson's Icr-Cream Sundays and floats (they had 2 cookies wedged into each side) and in the floats a cookie ontop (this place and Friendly's were my favorite places to get ice-cream).
What about Stuckeys restaurants that were rest stops along most US highways? There was a Stuckeys on US 20 west of Rockford Illinois. It closed several years ago in the 1980s I think.
There is also a Stuckeys on US 13N in Virginia. It has a sign saying it’s the “farthest north Stuckey’s”. I believe it’s near one of those Eastern shore towns. I usually stop there on my way back from the Outer Banks.
Farrells and Bob's Big Boy were two huge staples in my childhood. Birthday parties at Ferrell's - getting to shop in the candy store too! Occasional family dinners at Bob's. Had my first "big girl" meal there which included a salad! I was so excited, but I finished the salad and had no more room for my dinner. LOL! Also, I adored their hot fudge cake dessert. :) Good memories indeed.
A Big Boy restaurant is opening in Germantown, WI in July! People are excited, there's alot of nostalgia in these older chains. I LOVED Supburpia Sub shops in the 70's and there's one in Wauwatosa WI but I haven't tried it yet. Word is that the original owner refuses to allow anyone to use his original recipes for the dressings/sauces on the subs and they don't taste the same. Also, there are VERY few A&W restaurants in WI.
Fun little story. My mom met my dad at Winky's. She was a waitress and was serving him a milkshake. She tripped and spilled it all over him. He was smitten.
That’s a nice story. But now, as someone who watches a lot of science lectures, I can’t help but think how maybe you wouldn’t exist at all had your mom not tripped. Think of all the people who never existed because of something not happening.
Awwww... That's toooooo cute 😍...
Sounds like you’re also a Pittsburgher too!
And ...sticky😄
adorable! yayyyyy for Romance!
One restaurant I remember when I was a child growing up, which I believe is no longer around is Bonanza; which specialized in steaks and had a salad bar.
Was it is Denver?
@@terrytitus5291 - Oh no. It is in my hometown of Benton, IL. It is long gone, but not forgotten in my mind. They were big in the MidWest.
I remember Bonanza! Maybe it was just an IL thing:)
We had them in Michigan as well!
Had them in ohio too
The first fast food restaurant my parents ever took our large family to was Carrols in North Syracuse. For a tight budget, you couldn’t beat it and it was so exciting for all us kids off a farm. Two kids could eat for a dollar. How cool it was.
Watertown NY, by Ames.
If this comment had said Rochester rather than Syracuse, it would have been mine.
Every time my Uncle Shorty would pickup my mom and I at the Greyhound bus station in Watertown, NY, he would take us to Carrol’s restaurant for lunch before heading to his house in Lowville, NY.
My brother worked at a Carrols just outside of Scranton Pennsylvania .
Growing up in a very rural area in the 60s, fast food restaurants seemed quite exotic and required considerable travel. The closest we got was the A&W root beer stand in Brodhead, Wis. (served by carhops). Going there was a special treat, usually given as a reward for baling hay all day. It's funny how such a seemingly insignificant thing can evoke such strong (and happy) memories.
We had a & w in our town also something similar was dog and suds they had a Texas burger that was so good it had Chilli on it. We would get one before we went to the drive in across the highway, boy were those were the days
We use to eat at an A&W on vacation, was fun. As a small girl I would eat at Red Barn, had great salads.
We had a A&W here in Minnesota that was round it was brick and it had a fireplace in the middle of the store I remember eating bacon cheeseburgers when I was a kid with root beer classic place
My husband used to work at the A&W in Monroe.
Yes. I went to an A& W in Rawlins, Wyoming June 3, 1966 and their fish sandwich and frosty mug of root beer was so good I still remember that visit nearl 60 years ago.
I also remember eating at Woolworth’s and Kmart. Kmart had the best sub sandwiches. Woolworth’s had great malts.
Kmart another great American institution that is gone 😞
Oh my goodness, yes !!! Loved going there for just a sub sometimes.
@@foxtrot312 There are still KMarts. Just visited one in St. Thomas USVI.
Woolworth had the best ice cold cokes!
I used to love Kmart subs.
Walgreens and Woolworths had restaurants in their stores. Great sandwiches and malts. I worked at the Woolworth pizza counter. Very popular. Goldblatts stores made famous in A Christmas Story had a popular restaurant and deli
Grant's pharmacy also had a diner counter.
Kmart had a eatery too.
@@driversseat523 yes. The French fries there were really good.
Yep, 5 & 10 stores as well as drug stores had soda fountains and lunch counters. Most department stores did too.
Back in the late 70's I used to love eating deluxe cheeseburgers at Woolworths food counter when I went shopping with my mother. For some reason that was my favorite burger and fries and I always remember how much I looked forward to eating lunch there.
I remember Rexall drug store food counter. Burgers were delicious there too!
@@trixie9777 there were so many places like that back in the day...I wish I could travel in time just to eat one of those cheeseburgers.
Same here, except it was a Kresge's - forerunner to K - Mart. Good times!
Yes!! I Loved Woolworth's grilled cheese and fries. Then we'd shop there and I'd get a nice toy. Maybe some colorforms or a Batman and Robin figure with a build in plastic parashoot. Man, fun times!!!
Yes me too ! All the way into the very early '90s whenever I shopped at Woolworths with my mother or grandmother we always had lunch there. Their burgers & fries were great but my fave was the fried chicken. All their food was good. I miss Woolworths
Arthur Treacher’s fish & chips, Ponderosa & Bonanza Steak house, Happy Chef
These are all I can remember now. Thanks for a great video! I just love your channel. I love watching about things from the past.
Thank you for all your hard work!!! It is greatly appreciated.
Rishi Beauty
My wife and I loved going to the Ponderosa Steak house and the Westerner Steak house. They were great.
Used to have a Ponderosa here as well,was in Muskegon,MI
@@whiterabbit-wo7hw I was just a baby when my family went. The thing I remember are the trays. they were like a yellowish & trapezoid shape
@@whiterabbit-wo7hw I loved both of those restaurants, too! 💔😢
I never realised the ponderosa was a chain. I was a teen when I last went to the one on Long Island
Surprised that A&W Drive-Ins weren't mentioned... That used to be a huge chain...
I was thinking of them too! Best root beer floats ever! There aren’t any local to me anymore but surprisingly there’s still 21 locations in my state, looks like they’re still operating in 37 states. That made me happy, knowing they’re still around. Now I wanna do a mini road trip to the nearest one and get a dose of nostalgia 😊
The other I thought of was Skippers, I loved that place and used to go for a weekly date night with my bf at the time back in the late 90’s. Now there’s only a few left in my state but they’re all several hours away. In contrast Washington seems to have a bunch left. Not sure if they’re elsewhere as the location search function on their website requires a zip code to search a 300 mile radius. Now thst I realize how far out of reach they are I’m craving some fish n chips 😅
A&W’s still exist. Probably why they aren’t on this listing. Some are combined with KFC’s/Taco Bell because they are owned by the same corporation now. There are still standalone A&W’s too. At least in California.
It's still around
A&W are well represented where I am. There are as many here as there are McDonald's.
Or dog and suds. Dog and suds had way better root beer than A&w. It was smoother and thicker. And they're hot dogs were fantastic. I always got the pedigree pup. That was a hot dog with everything on it but chilli.
Burger Chef was a treat when me and my older brother were little. We would stop by after attending the local library for their Summer Reading program. That was a great time for us, since it was a reward for reading...
Burger chef I loved
Burger Chef was my 1st job in high school. I liked them better then Burger King.
Chi-chi’s was so good back in the 80’s. They kinda fell off a bit in the 90’s and had a nice menu change with their twice grilled burrito. I have many fond memories of that place.
Loved their fried ice cream!
that placed used to be crazy busy in the 80- 90`s....like a 2 hour wait..had a food poisoning incident in Cincinnati and closed in the 90`s
Magarita Tuesday's yes I remember
its really sad, because the place had the best Kitsch of all the restaurants. Really wish it could come back.
Loved Chi Chi's . Started going downhill when they changed the menu repeatedly
Seeing Carrols brought back the memories from 50 years ago when I'd walk to our Carrols on route 22 in Somerville n.j.to have lunch rather than eat in the high school's cafeteria. That was from '71 to '74 and seems like only yesterday. Thanks for a neat video!
I remember eating at Carrols a few times as a child during that time period. The one in Rochester, NY and the one on Ridge Rd. in Greece where we lived.
There was few Carrols restaurants here in Finland also . Big Carolina burger was my favorite . Good times
My family loved going to Howard Johnson's after church. They had a large number of ice cream flavors and us kids were always glad to go.
And the clam strips.
@@ScottIrvine01 Yess.. I used to make them when I worked there as a teenager.. damn, they were good..
@4tuneagent My family ate out once a week and usually at Howard Johnson’s most of the time I ordered the clams. Which Howard Johnson’s did you work? I was a server at Howard Johnson’s in Frederick Maryland and it was converted to Bobs Big Boy
@@robertbauers2210I worked at the Midway plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which was by Exit 11 at Bedford, PA in 1976- 77.. not too far from Frederick, just up 270 to Breezewood and one exit east.
@@robertbauers2210 I meant West..
I remember driving cross country with my parents in the 50’s on two lane highways before the Interstate systems came about , and you had to eat at little eateries and you never knew what kind of food was available.When Howard Johnsons came about you strained your eyes looking for one where you knew you would get good food, ice cream and a clean place to sleep.
With me, it was in the 60's and traveling back and forth from Virginia to Michigan with my parents when their vacations came around. We would always stop at a Howard Johnson's, each way of the trip, so it brings back great memories
John - I loved to go to Howard Johnsons or HoJo as it was called back then. My husband didn’t eat any fish except the fried clams there. Last time we ate in one was 1995!!! Seems that I also remember that their scoops of ice cream were t round but sort of like a pyramid shape but had a little flat top. Great memories😄😄👍👍👍
That's why the roof was orange, it stood out. You couldn't miss a HoJo's.
Bull. Howard Johnson a does not serve a baked potato. This was told to my 6mo. Pregnant Mother who was shocked that the waitress acted like baked potatoes were not a thing you would order at the classy Howard Johnson's. It was the most creatinest stupid thing I ever heard anyone say Period.
Thanks. I like others remember road trips with my parents in the 1960's. We would stop at HOJO's motels & I always had fried chicken with vanilla ice cream. The ice cream came in a metal silver dish that was cold, I can taste it now, 60 years later. My parents always teased me, 'don't you want to try anything else, but I never did.
I fondly remember Bob’s Big Boy from my childhood. Great food and cool comic books!
An older friend from Ohio said they had Frisch’s Big Boy in Cincinnati. It sounded like the same concept as Bob’s
I remember their super-thick shakes, had to eat them with a spoon.
In Oklahoma we had kip's big boy
@@mickeynugent5675it is the same. The Frisch's family franchised the restaurant for the region.
wasnt it in Austin Powers movie travelling in space?
My family always stayed at Howard Johnson's when on vacation. Their fried clams were always my favorite! So many burger joints come and go. Not a whole lot you can do to change the basic hamburger. I remember a lot of these from when I was a kid. Wish some were still around now.
I knew it by Ho-Jos! 🤗😁
My husband doesn’t eat any kind of fish/seafood - except for HJ fried clams. I haven’t a clue why😄. But it’s been probably over 25 years since we’ve eating at one. Wish they ere still around!
Howard Johnson's was always a struggle for me - fried clams or patty melt, fried clams or patty melt - it was TOUGH to decide.
There was one restaurant called ‘Stuckey’s” that we made stops at when we visited some friends in Missouri
no most of them are lions den porn stores along the highways lol
I just went to a Stuckeys a year ago, just south of town. I remember them from my childhood but I really didn't remember going inside one. Mainly I remembered my mom bringing home those pecan roll logs.
It was unimpressive. Most of the candy was rebranded, and nothing there was really memorable. Not worth the trip.
I'm assuming they kept the name but little else.
@@protorhinocerator142 did they still have the Captain Stuckey Hand puppets? Captain Stuckey and Suzuki Saturn are two my brother and I remember.
@@kempmt1 I don't remember seeing that. If they did, it either wasn't prominently displayed or it wasn't memorable.
That sounds like something they would need to make in-house, and not just re-brand something made by Hershey's as a Stuckey's product.
The whole place felt very phoned in and gave me zero chills of nostalgia. It was disappointing. I don't know what I expected, but this failed my expectations.
Stuckey is still around in the deep south. Not many but still around.
I really miss Steak and Ale, what a nice place to eat, crab bisque, steaks done to order, small salad bar, bread. My wife and i went there a few times before they went bankrupt.
My dad and his friend worked for Steak and Ale in the mid 1970s installing various telecom equipment in their corporate offices in Dallas right before Pillsbury purchased it.
Man, Howard Johnson's was THE place to stop on the highway in the 60's and 70's. They even started selling their mac & cheese in grocery stores it was so good.
Miss Ho Jo's big time!
Miss those clam strips and corn toasties!
Right.
Now it seems to be Cracker Barrel. Like JoJo's, there's one at nearly every expressway off ramp here.
I just loved playing those little wood and peg puzzles at the Ho Jo tables. Used to get so aggravated at the get it down to one peg game
You can thank Jacques Pepin. 😂
@@loriea1785 yuck! But thank y'all for share your memories :D
In the South, it was called Shoney's Big Boy... Bennigan's was one of my favorite places that closed down. Two Pesos was also a beloved hang out.
I remember Shoney's in the 80s.😁 When I lived in Michigan before we moved to Texas they had Kip's Big Boy.
I remember a hot dog play called Shoneys Coney Island
Shoneys were great…and sadly Bennigens was taken out by the Steak & Ale debacle. They were owned by the same holding company. Both were great but just couldn’t keep up with the changing environment. The 2008 crash was the last straw.
A few years ago I came across a Bennigan’s in the Dallas airport. Darn near wept with joy!
@@mistyreed4558 Hallelujah! Hope you had a spinach dip and mozzerella sticks for me!
I loved the Ho Jo restaurants when I was a kid. They were pretty much the only restaurants on the Pennsylvania Turnpike back then. A couple times a year, we’d take the Turnpike to visit my great grandparents in rural Pennsylvania. We always stopped at a Ho Jo for lunch. My dad and I usually got the fried clams. They were also the only place that had self-flushing toilets. To a little kid in the mid 1960s, these things were almost magical. They weren’t as common as they are today 😊
I remember those little magnet dogs I got at a HO JOs on the Pa Turnpike early 60s 😊
I'm so glad you mentioned Farrel's (We had one here on Long Island). I also remember Beefsteak Charlie's and Arthur Treacher's.
we never ate food at ferrels...just went for the ice cream
Farrell's out west only brings one terrible memory. 50 years ago a jet plane crashed on takeoff from a Sacramento air show. It crossed a road at the end of the runway and exploded into a Farrell's on a Sunday afternoon. 23 people were killed -mostly children. Always known as "The Farrell's Crash".
I used to eat lunch at Arthur Treacher's in Manhattan, where I went to high school. The food was delicious. Sad to see it go.
I had no idea Beefsteak Charlie's was a chain. In fact, I had completely forgotten about it until reading your comment. I only knew the one a few miles from my childhood home.
@@trimule I've heard of that awful disaster on a RUclips channel called Fascinating Horror. Around 5-8 people of a single family died there.
The one diner type place I recall was Sambo's. I was very young in my 20's ( 50 years ago) and I worked as an apprentice carpet boy. My boss would always get breakfast there with me entail. He always ordered a Sanka with his breakfast. The food was quick and cheap. They even gave out wooden nickels that you could redeem for a free coffee. They are collectable and I still have a few in my coin collection. The racial aspect of the name was the chains undoing.
We also had a Sambo in Denton Texas in the 70's I used to go there. I think it closed in the early to mid 80's.
We had one in my hometown also. We didn't really go there much. The building is still there, but it was remodeled and turned into a Perkin's, and now it's a Denny's. I really liked Perkin's, the Denny's there is meh.
Sambo's is now Denny's.
Sambos was awesome!
Oh, wow..! I forgot all about the wooden nickels. So, glad you still have some of them .👛💰☕☺️
There was a Bob’s Big Boy in my hometown. I loved going there as a kid. One year as a prank, seniors at the high school I would eventually attend stole it and encased it in concrete. When I got to high school the restaurant had already closed but some of the staff that were there when it happened “leaked” details surrounding the incident to the student body in an effort to discourage us from doing something similar.
They stole the Big Boy several years ago and put it in front Fairfield high school outside of Cincinnati… funny
I miss Shakey's Pizza Parlors. I understand there are some in California left or reopened. Like to here the story on their downfall.
There was a Shakey’s pizza parlor in Lake Charles, Louisiana that we would go to when visiting relatives. I moved there in 1991, but it had already closed. Around 1994 I went to California and there was one in Brea. I believe it’s still there.
I think I read that there are some in the Philippines.
They are still arround in Los Angeles. Very popular with Latino community 👌
shakeys is a bigger player in the philppines than pizza hut. i was shocked. they are nicer too
Omg, I loved Shakey's pizza.
if you go to the one in Los Angeles and use stem cells on it you can get another Shakey's Pizza in the adjacent lot which you can then take home to your hometown
My favorite was Ground Round. There are only a few of these places left, but I can fondly remember shucking peanuts they served before every meal, and just casually tossing the husks onto the floor. I think there was some type of lawsuit that stopped the practice and then they only served popcorn.
Lot's of found memories of the Ground Round. People were slipping and falling on the peanut shells.
I miss those days. The tortilla soup and balloons they’d hand out. Was a magical place as a kid. I went to one that existed in 2017 it was in Midwest, the quality has not wavered one bit.
That sounds cool!!!
My brother's and sister worked at the ground round I'm warren ohio on 422 .
When I was in high school, we would go to the ground round after a movie, drink strawberry daiquiris (usually one, two tops) eat potato skins, and listen to a nice live cover singer or duo. Good times!
I used to go to Burger Chef every Saturday morning with my mom to get their cheeseburgers that were wrapped in a plastic sandwich bag (think fold-lock top). We still talk about that quite often.
Big Shef and Super Shef were much better than mcdonalds
I worked there in 1974. The bags (over time) would make the hamburger soggy
I worked at Burger Chef in the 1970's.
Hi Rhett...
I had a couple of birthdays at Farrells. They also had a extremely large sundae called a pig trough. It was all the kinds of ice cream with all of the sauces, bananas, whip cream and cherries. It was spectacular. 🍨
I had birthday parties at Farrell's as well. I lived in Dallas and we went to the location in Town East Mall. I had almost forgotten about Farrell's - so glad to revisit those memories!
Pig trough 😂
Me too!
My first job was waitressing at a Farrell's in the later 90s. I remember when someone finished the pig trough I would have to get a busboy to bring out the big drum so I could make an announcement and present the customer with a special ribbon, haha! It was a fun place to work.
I loved Farrell's! Anyone remember Lum's hotdogs steamed in beer? Roy Rogers roast beef ?
I remember eating at Showbiz, Wag's, Bob's Big Boy, Howard Johnson's, Steak & Ale, Chi-Chi's. All were pretty good places to eat.
Do you guys remember eating at K-Mart? I'd shop with Mamaw and we'd sometimes eat there. Great memories - I wish I could go back!
I do! They used to have a submarine sandwich i loved!
The K-Mart in Massillon, Ohio had a great deli counter with sub sandwiches & ham & cheese, ect. It was good food with good prices, for that era. The Woolworth store at the mall had a excellent lunch counter.
My mom worked 7 days a week, but on Sunday afternoon we would go pick up necessities at K-Mart. Our big treat was eating in the cafeteria.
Wow I'd forgotten about the lunch counter at kmart wow that was so long ago.
I do. I can not tell you what year it was, but it was before I started going to college; which was in 1983.
I went to ChiChis on one of the last days it was open it was a great experience. One of my fondest memories of going to a restaurant. We had these deserts with Kohala coffee liquior in them and our waitress was so nice.
I remember going to Farrell’s in Sacramento, CA several times as a kid in the late 70s and early 80s. It was a popular place to celebrate birthdays, end of baseball season, etc. They had a piano that played by itself, and I think the staff would come out and sing to you on your birthday.
Even The Profit couldn't save them from themselves.
We had a similar place called
Happy Joe's. Gone also.
That was probably the one where the plane from the Executive Airport crashed into the restaurant and folks died there in that accident. Was said to put the restaurant out of business in the area. Don't know. I loved Farrells. Leatherby's (unrelated as far as I know) tried hard to reproduce that feel.
@@lindawoody8501 That Farrell’s was located on Freeport blvd, and the crash happened in 1972. I’m not sure what street the Farrell’s I went to in the late 70s and early 80s was. I read that at one time there were 4 different Farrell’s locations in Sacramento.
I remember eating at Sambos quite a bit when I was a kid. I still have a couple of keepsakes from there.
Howard Johnson's was a big deal to me as a kid. Gives me memories of family vacation. I loved the pistachio ice cream.
👍
In Michigan, the Big Boy franchise was owned by Elias Brothers. There are still several independent (no Elias Brothers tag) BB restaurants scattered throughout Michigan.
One of them is in Manistique, right on US-2 across from Lake Michigan. Whenever I visit my dad I drag him over there for burger, fries, slaw & soda...
one in London Kentucky, was 2 year ago anyway , last time i was around there
Marquette MI got one Big Boy still working. 😌
A lot of Frisch's Big Boys still going in Ohio and a few in Indiana too. There are none close to me but whenever I get out that way gotta get a big boy and fries! Still one of the best burgers for me!
There are several in Nevada.
I had a birthday party at Showbiz when I was little! I thought it was a Chuck E. Cheese but I remember the animatronics and it was definitely in the 80’s because I was twelve in 1992. Probably was the Irving Texas location because we lived pretty close. Glad I watched this 😊
I remember going to Showbiz when I was a kid too! I think it was the one in Irving as well! You're a 80s kid just like me!😊
I loved showbiz pizza
@@shakarussanders9911 the go ol days lol. Which everyone says about the time they grew up. The 70’s seemed like they were pretty great. And I know the 90’s were awesome, but not as cool as the 80’s 😎
We had a Showbiz Pizza in our town and I always thought "chucky cheese" was one of the mascots there. Didn't realize until years later that it was a different company that merged.
@@manda.watching.RUclips Good ol days indeed!😄
Dad was military and while moving from base to base we stopped at six of these chains. That was the only time we ever eat fast foods. Ate at a lot of truck stop restaurants, but only if there was a lot of trucks parked outside. Some of the best tasting food I ever had. Stayed in a lot of Best Western motels as most were pet friendly then and we always had a dog. Up at five and on the road after breakfast. Lunch at a fast food place. Dinner at a truck stop around five and at the Best Western by seven. Clean and in bed by nine. Next day same thing again until we reached the next base. Usually about a two or three day trip. No 4 lane highways then mostly one lane each way sometimes two lanes. No city bypass roads either. A familiar sentence was…we’re heading into town so you kids better be quiet to your dad can concentrate..
I grew up with the likes of Burger Chef and Sambo's.
I remember how Sambo's had the little book or comic strip that talked about how a little boy forced a tiger to Run around a tree and got turned into butter.
But of course, I also remember how Chip's Ahoy had a little comic strip on the back of Cookie-Man, and Toast'em double side puzzles came in Pop Tarts back in the day.
I remember getting ice cream at Bresler’s 33 Flavors. My favorite color has always been purple and they actually made a hard to acquire Concord grape ice cream. I loved it!
My very frugal grandmother loved Bob’s Big Boy and it was the one place she treated the entire family to dinner out “because it’s cheap and you don’t have to tip”. Well, you really did need to tip there so when we finished my father always slipped a few bucks under the dishes when grandmother wasn’t looking. 😂
They still exist,
They still have big boys in Chelsea Michigan
The original one is still in Burbank, very popular with the old timers...
Sambo's was better.
Best Bleu Cheese dressing on the planet was from Bobs Big Boy!
Aww the memories! I miss some of those, never heard of a few of them but have eaten at several of them. There is still a Bob's Big Boy near my sister-in-law's home in KY. I still own a Farrell's mug I got in Indianapolis while visiting family as a teenager. Thanks, Rhett! Enjoyed this very much.
That's Frisch's Big Boy. Similar, but different.
There was a Bob’s big boy that was built in Pacific Grove/Monterey California back in the late 1980s it was very popular ..we were all excited when we saw the “big boy “logo going in on the corner I think now it is just a basic mom and pop restaurant.
@@thecustardguys Yeah...we have a couple still in SoCal (Downey and Norco) as well. Not the same.
Howard Johnson started in Quincy (KWIN-zee) MA. Among the toll roads with Howard Johnson's at every service area upon opening were the Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Turnpikes (Midwest roads also, mentioned already). The restaurants weren't converted to motor lodges, those were constructed as additions.
I forgot all about Farrell's Ice Cream. Wow...A boatload of nostalgia just hit me in the face.
Does that hurt?
Had birthday parties there in the seventies I almost forgot about it too great memories though 😃
Me too. Do you remember the really loud siren they'd use on a birthday. Scared little kids and made them cry.
I went their as a kid while on Vacation in California.
@@user-sw4qd2up2s Escondido California. Epic
When I was a youngster the family would go to Sambos for Sunday brunch.. I remember my dad buying me a toy tiger that was Sambos mascot.
I haven't heard of Bob's Big Boy, but we had a restaurant called Kipp's which had the Big Boy in the front lawn of the restaurant. We also had a Roy Rogers that later became Luke's Hamburgers near the Houston Galleria. It was funny that Luke's used the same furniture that Roy Rogers used.
In the South, our Big Boy was at a place called Stoney’s.
Yep - I remember Shoney’s Big Boy. And Shoney’s is still around - they split from Big Boy years ago. There are still about 100 Frisch’s Big Boy restaurants in the Midwest. Although Frisch’s uses tartar sauce on the Big Boy burger. Weird.
There was a Roy Rogers in my town in the late 80s. Wendy's took over. Roy's had the best chicken nuggets. One restaurant you missed is Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips.
I was thinking the same about Arthur Treacher’s!
@@trixie9777 It's funny Arthur Treacher's went out of business but they made a comeback in the late 90' through the aughts. Don't know if they're still around though.
Loved Roy Rogers. There was one on Pitts campus when went there in the 80s. Great chicken.
My favorite fast food! Arthur Treachers was the best!🐟🍟
@@RobertWilke Only the flagship survived...for now.
I worked for Steak and Ale Corp in their accounting dept. I opened and processed the daily receipts package from the individual restaurants. This was in 1980 in Dallas. Since I didn't earn enough money to live on, I also worked at the restaurant in North Dallas as a seating hostess on Friday nights. The corporate office had all kinds of free foods in the break room, we worked 4 ten hour days. It was interesting, and once one of the restaurant s sent in a whole bunch of cash. I just walked the entire package into my managers office and we counted it together. A week later they offered me a promotion, but I had decided to move to Fort Worth. So I did.
When Steak & Ale first came to Virginia, their name was illegal because it mentioned an alcoholic beverage, so their locations here were called Jolly Ox. In those years (1970's), they had great king crag legs and to-die-for mushroom sauce.
I worked the kitchen at a Steak & Ale in SW Ohio in the mid to late 70's. I remember the refrigerated semi that would roll in, maybe once a week with all that wonderful beef. I assumed they came all the way from Texas.
I'm from Baltimore, and I was a devout Colts fan until they moved to Indianapolis in 1984. Gino's was one of my favorite restaurants. There are at least two re-established Gino's restaurants left in Baltimore and the surrounding area.
I remember a Denny’s type place called Sambo’s when I was a little kid in the 70’s. The hashbrowns were awesome!
We had one in Albuquerque NM in the late 60s.
Yes! There was a Sambo’s briefly in Nashua NH. Quickly changed the name to “Season’s”or something….
They became No Place Like Sam's also just called Sam's.
I know that Sambos was owned by former Utah Jazz owner, Sam Battistone.
They renamed it to "Sam's" to be more "politically correct".
Wow, many of those vintage road signs were beautiful… like works of art in themselves.
What a great trip down memory lane, thank you so much! My mom used to work at a Royal Castle in Miami when we came from Cuba, she would have us dropped off at Royal Castle once a week after school so we can wait for her and eat our dinner there, the hamburgers were so good and best orange juice ever, squeezed fresh from Florida oranges, super sweet and refreshing (sigh) great days.
I grew up in a small town in the 70s. We didn't get a McDonalds until the late 80s and didn't get a Burger King until the late 90s. We had a Dairy Queen and a Kentucky Fried Chicken, along with a couple local restaurants but we had one other chain establishments and I miss it to this very day and that was Burger Chef.
I truly loved that place. Every Friday, we would get dinner from there. A Fun Meal for my Sister and me. It was my absolute favorite part of the weekend. Till one day when we went to get dinner and things had changed. It was no longer a Burger Chef, it was now a Hardees. I was crushed and actually started crying. My Mom says I was inconsolable for the rest of the night.
I will forever have a big and soft spot in my heart for Burger Chef and will always miss it.
Used to love the fun meals!
LOVED A GOOD BIG CHEF. BETTER THAN A BIG MAC.
There was a Burger Queen that had a bee as their logo in the early 80's and before that The Blue Circle in the Knoxville Tennessee area, I'm unsure how big the restaurant chain was but sure was delicious! Enjoyed your video!
hey! i just wrote a comment about that Burger Queen. i think it was on magnolia, near the old holiday inn my family stayed in, when we first moved to town
There was one in my home town, London, KY when I was a kid. It later became a Drothers but they didn't last long.
Some of these defunct restaurants bring back wonderful memories from my youth on Long Island, New York (1976 - 1986). Wag's was a favorite lunch stop on my Saturday visits at the Roosevelt Field shopping mall in Garden City. Loved their patty melts! Chi-Chi's, near the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa, was a Sunday lunchtime favorite after church services. Loved their chicken chimichangas!
Stuckey's was an Interstate staple in the 1960s and 1970s. On the trip to Virginia Beach the first one was on I-70 south of Breezewood.
They franchised the Big Boy hamburger. Eat 'n' Park, Frisch's, and Elby's sold them. There was a Big Boy comic book that was only sold in restaurants and only with the hamburger meal.
We used to stop at Stuckey's while traveling. My mom loved the peanut logs they sold.
@@shannondore Yes! Their Peanut Logswere the best! We picked up quite a few of them on our trip down I95 to Florida back in the 70's...
I remember seeing Stuckey's along the I-95 to Florida, but more as a gift shop than a restaurant. Of course it has been almost 40 years, so memories fade.
Stuckeys world famous pecan pie .
I knew I was far from NY when I started seeing all the Stuckey's signs.
Rhett, I really enjoyed your 15 Forgotten Fast Food Chains, video. I'm familiar with some of the fast food restaurant chains, but some I've never heard of. There was a fast food chain in my area called "Holly Farms," that served the best potato wedges, I've ever eaten, they primarily sold chicken, that was very good, too. Have a fantastic weekend. Take care 🐎
Once upon a time Holly Farms was big enough to sponsor a NASCAR team.
The still shot at 5:37 really hit home for me. I grew up going to that Dee's. The store in the photo was located at 70th South and Highland Drive for you Salt Lake locals. That particular location became a "Hardees" in the 1980's.
I loved Farrell's, back in the 70's. Lots of fun, definitely a great time. Always left with a smile.
Bennigan’s, Ponderosa, and Sizzler! Farrell's was a favorite place when I was a teen, but I had to drive 45 minutes to get to one at either Springfield Mall (delco Pa) or Lancaster PA. I then moved to Baltimore and we'd hit the one in Golden Ring Mall every Friday night in 1981. Developed a crush on a cute redheaded waitress named Theresa there. Good times!
Had many of b'days at Farells and saw many a blockbuster movies at Golden ring mall movies in the 80's
Yeahhhh Bennigans I forgot about them!!!
Yes Bennigans. I always ordered the Monte Cristo.
There is still a Bennigans in Borger, Texas.
Golden Ring mall your a OG lol 😂
There are still several Dee’s operating in the Salt Lake City area. While it’s grown into more of a “Denny’s” concept, they are still part of the same original chain. Several locations contain original menu boards from those early spots. Legend has it that their clown served as the inspiration for Ronald McDonald.
Kenny Rogers' Roasters was featured in a Seinfeld episode, when Newman and Kramer became addicted to its fried chicken and tried to keep it a secret from Jerry. The best line from that episode was Newman's (while chomping at a drumstick): "It's the wood that makes it good."
Bad chicken 🐔 !! Mess you up!!!
Kenny's was awesome 👍😎 loved that place.
Newman, you wouldn't eat broccoli if it was deep fried in chocolate sauce!
@@The_Conspiracy_Analyst I wouldn't either - and I like both broccoli and chocolate.
There was a KRR store in Santa Barbara for years. I never got around to trying it before that store closed down.
At the 21-second point, the Red Barn hamburgers! I remember that from my childhood. Thank you for the videos of vintage times, it has been wonderful and informative.
Red Barn: The Big Barney & The Barn Buster!!!😋
I am from the Netherlands, I remember a chain called freetime. They set up branches nearby McDonalds locations and failed as a result. I ate at freetime once, in Paris where they were pretty huge. They had a big restaurant at la defense, I remember not liking it. I had a cheeseburger, it was really bland except for the cheese which tasted of garlic butter or something. The only reason I finished the meal, is that I was on a budget. Which left me still hungry as the portions were quite small. If it weren't for the good company I was in, it would've been a bad memory, but we had a few good laughs at the whole situation.
Hey Rhett,
You really hit the memory bank on this one.
I remember and have eaten at quite a few of these.
Wags, Red Barn, Big Boy,
My wife's father worked for Dee Anderson. I used to get a .15 cent hamburger and a chocolate shake for a whopping .41 cents. Including tax.
There were so many flavors of ice cream at Farrels. Great place.
As for pizza, Godfathers, Shakies, and Round Table were great as well.
I remember Minnie Pearls.
Chi Chi's and Pancho Villas were very good Mexican restaurants.
Thank you my friend for making me hungry for these old places.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories as well as a few others that weren't mentioned. Godfather's seems to be making a tiny comeback here in Oklahoma but they are being placed in Love's gas stations which I'm not the craziest about. I did really love Farrell's/ We had one in a mall and it was super popular. I never understood why it went away. That Poncho Villa is the one that sort of had a cafeteria feel in the line when you ordered isn't it? And then they had the little flags you raised when you wanted more? If that is the same one they used to be all over the placed and they were really popular too.
@@RhettyforHistory
You know, the one that I'm thinking of was spelt different. Poncho Villas.
As in the Mexican bandit.
There you didn't wait in line. Or that I remember.
I remember being seated when you walked in.
They had the best Tex-Mex food.
That's interesting about Godfathers pizza.
Thank you for the information.
Take care, Rhett.
There are still 2 Godfather's Pizza restaurants in Springfield, Illinois. But the food does NOT taste as it did back in the 1980's. I used to work at one of these Godfather's. The pizza was great, back then.
😢🍕🥰
@@angeladay1534
Seems like that's the way things go when the business is sold to others. It goes down hill in most cases.
Herman Cain!
Farrells was a real blast! In high school, we had a cast party after a play closed, and it was one hell of a grand time!!
Another one that might still have a few existing locations is Stuckey's. Not so much a restaurant, but had take-out snacks and a huge gift shop, complete with toys that would make a young kid beg. It was always fun stopping there, and became a family tradition. They were most famous for their various pecan pies and candies.
I think they still exists, no?
I know at least one still exists in Marietta OK. It's not like we remember. But it still has the delicious pecan log.
I think I saw a piece on ‘ Locale Bites’ show, and there is one . Jim is right. I never heard of it until I saw it on tv.
@@symptomoftheuniverse4149 I'm not sure what TV show you saw Stuckey's but I remember at least 6 others between OKC and Dallas in the early 70s. All of those original buildings were either rebranded or vacant by 1985. The one in Marietta wasn't in existence then. There was one across the street and one in Springer. The Springer location was back to being cattle pasture long ago. Still good memories, nothing more. Of course so is playing behind the back seat and back glass in the old cars.
@@jimlongino8420 Yeah, I will go look for it, it was a woman, her family started Stuckey, and she wants to expand again.
In the 1970s I remember a fast food chain called Chutes. Their gimmick was to have a drive-thru similar to a bank's drive-thru with several lanes. Your food was then shot out to you through a pneumatic tube (like a bank). It was short-lived. It probably got too messy because they couldn't keep the Cokes in the cups. 😆
There is a Arbys in the town I grew up in in the Midwest that has chutes like that, they still use them.
A simple solution would have been to simply sell sodas in cans.
One chain I remember, growing up, was Tastee Freeze. Great ice cream. I think there are a few of them left, in the Mid-West.
Tastee Freeze with the giant cone on the building. One was right down the street from my high school. 😊
Ahhhh! Tastee Freeze!
"The Times Union reports that the last remaining Howard Johnson's in America, a 70-year-old restaurant located in Lake George, New York, did not open for business over the Memorial Day weekend and the property's lease is listed for sale online. The restaurant appears to have last opened its doors in March 2022"
Yep. It made our local news. Live about an hour away from there. So the Howard Johnson segment could use a correction.
Being a Brit, I haven't heard of any of the forgotten fast food chains!! Thanks for the tasty history lesson, Rhett!! XXXX 💗👍🍔🍟
There is a show on the History Channel called "The Food That Built America". It provides a fascinating look into the stories behind the names.
@@spaceflight1019 Thanks for the info. I'll be sure to check it out!!
@@nadiabrook7871 , happy to be of help. You'll learn about how the Big Mac came to be and why it's Frito-Lay and not Lay-Fritos.
Not even Arthur Treacher's? 🐟
@@nadiabrook7871 All We Ever Here That Is Popular With You Brits Is Fish And Chips. Fish Like Flounder And Sole Is Really Good When Breaded; But Do You Have A CHOICE On Which Type? And I Assume Your CHIPS Means Slices Of Potatoes Like Our French Fries. However SURELY You Have Fast Food Hamburgers And Hot Dogs Too???
Howard Johnson’s was the best when I was a kid! I always got the fried clam strip dinner, and even had a HoJo birthday party at least once. It was my family’s go to stop for dinner on day trips, and I think we often stayed there when traveling as well.
I have fond memories of eating at Panchito’s with my family in my youth. They had several locations in San Antonio Texas. It was a buffet and was also neat and dear to our hearts. Thanks for the great video. Keep it up please.
I had fried ice cream for the first time at Chi-Chi's, when I talk about it now I get weird looks but that was an awesome dessert. I'm pretty sure my family was the only family who visited their location in my city because nobody remembers it and they were always empty when we went. This was back in the 90's, I really enjoyed it there.
Loved Chi-Chi's when I lived in Minnesota!
🌮🍨💖
It always was packed in our area unless you went mid-afternoon on a Sunday.
Some Mexican joints have feoed icecream, however some cheat and just roll the icecream ball in crushed cornflakes.
They were cheap and decent food.
Chi Chi's was generally pretty packed in Huntsville, AL back in the day. I remember the fried ice cream, and also the margaritas. I have a 30+year history of despising tequila, but those margaritas were FABULOUS. About 2 of them and you'd be walking sideways. I about half-recall some sort of shrimp fajita dish that was really really good, too. Pile of tortillas, shrimp and veg with some sort of sauce. I loved Chi Chi's.
From what I've heard, One of the other reasons Minnie Pearl's Fried Chicken failed was there was no consistent recipe for the restaurants, it varied from restaurant to restaurant.
When I was a child ,we alawys paseed one on our family car trips to Florida, we could never convince our parents to stop there.
My brother and I frequented Chi-Chi's and loved when they had their buffet dinners. Everything on the plate got a layer of queso sauce.
There were two fast food restaurants no longer around and extremely loved and missed by our family were Goody's hamburgers and Aunt Jemima's Kitchen. The latter was turned into Calico's Kitchen and this would be our family's IHOP-like stop for breakfast on the way back from NY to NJ. Goody's was THE most loved of the two. Even if we ate dinner at my grandparents' an hour before, we'd always be asking for Dad to pull over at Goody's for hamburgers/cheeseburgers. Great memories.
You can buy their Salsa in grocery stores.
Doesn't chi chis mean boobies??? lol
I remember Calico Kitchen, they had on on RT 46 near Willow Brook mall in NJ. Good food all around.
We had a Carroll's in our neighborhood growing up. It was great!
I was a kid during the 1970s but I remember Carrols very well as they had a competing version of the Big Mac that tasted good!
I remember BIG BOB'S PLACE. SO MANY FAST FOOD STORES WERE HERE TO GIVE GOOD FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT. Thanks for showing them.
I moved to the US from the UK in the early 80’s, so I’m not familiar with a lot of these places except Kenny Rogers and a few others. I was in a Denny’s this morning and they had some photos on the wall of how the old restaurants looked. It must have been an exciting time in the 50’s and 60’s when a lot of places opened. I wish we still had $0.75 cent hamburgers.
Love your post. Grew up in the Midwest. We had a couple of chains we always loved and fortunately there are still some locations that remain. The first is Maid-Rite, started in 1926, serves loose meat hamburgers and root bear. Uniquely, great. The second, Mr. Quick, started in 1965, were present in our town before McD’s. Thanks for sharing!
I loved Bob's Big Boy, I went there on a lot of High School and also Farrell's. I miss them as the food was good and fairly cheap. I also miss Steak and Ale. Chi Chi's is were I met my late wife
Aww....that's awesome
Thank, you, I miss her terribly but I was lucky to have her
I didn’t realize these places were closed. I worked at Bob’s Big Boy as a teenager.
I'm glad you waited around and she finally showed up, or you may never of had a wife!
@@davejones5745 Yes,. I have thought of that too. I was very lucky
I'd forgotten about chi-chi's... That was such a huge story at the time.
Good marqueritas
Always had the fried ice cream for dessert. Yum.
They gave you nice helpings and it was an outing that girls from were I worked always went on Fridays for drinks and food..
Liked Chi-chi’s we would have our office parties there, in Mainz-Kastel Germany on base. One of the party owners of the on base franchise was retired LTC Uwe Grube, and had previously worked for him when he was in command of the department of DoD that I worked for.
I worked at a Bob's Big Boy in Springfield, Va for a little while in the mid 80's--and there was a Chi-Chi's next door. Man--that place was always jumpin'!
I used to like to go to A&W , I still have one of the mugs. Ive had it over like 40 years now! Holy crap.
They still exist in 37 states! Have to go a bit farther to reach them now tho as there’s not as many but getting a delicious root beer float is still possible 😊 I’m gonna have to do a road trip to the nearest one soon while they’re still around because they were always one of my favorites
Thanks for this video. I remember Chi-Chi's and Showbiz Pizza Place fondly. Here are more restaurant names from the past: Bishop's Buffet (they had an amazing chocolate silk pie); Po'Folks (apparently six restaurants still operate, all in Florida); Rax (five restaurants remaining), Country Kitchen (18 restaurants left).
Po Folks was always a treat in the 80s if you drove down South like Kentucky or Tennessee. There used to be a random one in California, but its closed now.
Po' Folks is same company as Ryans Buffet. I do not know if that brand is still around but it was about 10 years ago at least in Tennessee.
The one that I'm thinking of that you missed was Rax. I used to work at Rax in the 80's. There used to be hundreds of Rax restaurants across the United States. Now there are just a few of these restaurants left.
Think of Rax as an Arby's with a salad bar.
I remember Rax. My dad liked to go there when I was a kid.
Rax had THE best mocha shake and their roast beef sandwiches were superior to Arby’s at the time.
I went to college in Oberlin, OH starting in the late 1990s, and there was a Rax just outside of the town center. I'd never heard of it before, and I gather the chain was already in terminal decline by that point, but I really loved them.
used to go to farrels on my birthday when i was a kid, good times.
Liked the story, I especially loved Carrols as a restaurant. When I was little my goal was to get big enough to have the Carrols club burger. It had a huge three layer bun, two burger patties, shredded lettuce, a tomato, pickles,and thousand island dressing. It was a mess to eat. It had a ring of light cardstock around it to hold it together. When you got it you were on your own. I finally had one when I was around eight in 1968, it was more than I ever dreamed of. Okay I was a real foodie kid. I do miss the Carrol's burger joint. The Burger King that replaced it just can't compare. Nor Mc Donald's that came later. Great video!
Nickerson Farms & Farmer's Table used to be pretty big in the midwest during the 1970's, as was Stuckey's in the deep south. And let's not forget that Ramada Inn and Holiday Inn pioneered having restaurants in their hotels long before most other chains. Nod to Shoney's breakfast bar, Shakey's Pizza, and Godfather's Pizza.
Thank you for posting this. Great memories. Charley Brown's was a favorite of mine. Now defunct as well.
Great stroll down memory lane - growing up, first job, dates, traveling, etc. Restaurants are a very tough business to stay successful in over the long haul!
The last Howard Johnson's restaurant closed in February 2022.
There is still an open, functional Chi-Chi's in Ozark, Alabama.
You missed Mrs. Winner's.
Chi-Chi’s is a brand of some type of Mexican food that is available in the frozen food area of many grocery stores. Hormel makes some Mexican products with the name Chi-Chi’s.
Hi Rhett . I used to love to go to Chi-Chis . They had great food. I was partial to their Cancun and they had the best happy hour . Their complimentary bean and cheese dips were great with their margaritas. I still miss them this day.😪
My husband and I had our 1st date at a Chi-Chis in Charleston South Carolina.
That was my favorite restaurant. I was so upset they had to shut down.
Never had dinner there but got trashed and chipc and salsa a few times
Chi Chi’s was my absolute favorite! I loved their frozen raspberry margaritas and chimichangas. That’s my order at just about any Mexican restaurant to this day.
I worked in nuclear power plants back in the '80s. While in Oswego New York, it was always a treat to go into Syracuse to Chi-Chi's. Food was wonderful.
Howard Johnson's had a two-layer scenic chocolate lollipop that my parents would never buy me but my grandparents would. Apparently no photos of them on the internet. I checked Google Maps and was pleased to see that the Toluca Lake, CA Bob's Big Boy is still open!
I only knew one of these establishments. Farrells. Would go there when I was little for as you stated getting my birthday ice cream an they would make you feel so awesome! Yet also have a memory of a place called Sambo’s. Maybe they were only in the west, idk. Just they disappeared.
Before McDonald's moved into my city we had Carrols and I loved their food! The Club burger was great and their shakes were so thick it was hard to suck them up the straw! I missed them when they died out. Never did like McDs either.
I and some friends used to do breakfast at one of our local Big Boys. This one had a breakfast buffet which was just great.
I remember some of these. I miss Howard Johnson's Icr-Cream Sundays and floats (they had 2 cookies wedged into each side) and in the floats a cookie ontop (this place and Friendly's were my favorite places to get ice-cream).
Thanks for all the fun videos! I really appreciate!!
What about Stuckeys restaurants that were rest stops along most US highways? There was a Stuckeys on US 20 west of Rockford Illinois. It closed several years ago in the 1980s I think.
There is also a Stuckeys on US 13N in Virginia. It has a sign saying it’s the “farthest north Stuckey’s”. I believe it’s near one of those Eastern shore towns. I usually stop there on my way back from the Outer Banks.
I just went to a Big Boy earlier this year in Kentucky.
All you can eat breakfast for like 10 bucks.
Farrells and Bob's Big Boy were two huge staples in my childhood. Birthday parties at Ferrell's - getting to shop in the candy store too! Occasional family dinners at Bob's. Had my first "big girl" meal there which included a salad! I was so excited, but I finished the salad and had no more room for my dinner. LOL! Also, I adored their hot fudge cake dessert. :) Good memories indeed.
Farrell’s was the best place to have a birthday party when I was a kid
A Big Boy restaurant is opening in Germantown, WI in July! People are excited, there's alot of nostalgia in these older chains. I LOVED Supburpia Sub shops in the 70's and there's one in Wauwatosa WI but I haven't tried it yet. Word is that the original owner refuses to allow anyone to use his original recipes for the dressings/sauces on the subs and they don't taste the same. Also, there are VERY few A&W restaurants in WI.
Aren't these Marc's Big Boy, not Bob's?