Oh yes! We had a huge KMart with a large restaurant and everyday there was always a waiting line. It was doing great until the company decides they needed a 'new' store and moved from the original location then the restaurant wasn't incorporated into the new one. Broke my heart! Food was stellar. We also had a G.C. Murphys with a restaurant next to Hills Department store. Again, food was absolutely great. I always ordered the Murphy Burger platter, a cheeseburger anyway, fries and homemade coleslaw! Now, try finding a a good burger platter like that, now it's just thrown together and shoved out a window. Oh, I miss the good ole days.
It’s so bittersweet watching these videos. I think of all the hard work that many people did while working at places like these. And now they are just memories. So many lives touched by these seemingly innocuous bits of our American culture.
Awesome memories of HoJos. As kids we always ordered hot dogs off the kids menu. And of course Dad always let us order ice cream for dessert Leaving, Dad would buy a box of the Salt Water Taffy on the way out. We always had a wonderful meal at HoJos. 💖
Jacques Pépin- he moved to the US in 1959 and after working in New York's top French restaurants, refused the same job with President John F. Kennedy in the White House and instead took a culinary development job with Howard Johnson's.
@@buickinvicta288 yes, indeed! I heard Jacques speak about this in an interview. It was he who developed the recipe for those fried clams we all loved!
Howard Johnson's had many motels attached to the resturaunt. And in Texas and Oklahoma in the late 50's and throughout the 60's and 70's, there was a roadside company much like HJ called Stuckey's. They had a candy store inside, much like today's Buc-ees.
HoJos was my 1st job as a dishwasher. They had many locations on the Pa. Turnpike, where I worked. You could order most anything on their menu except for Clams or more expensive items during your lunch break. They still do have Motels left. I have A HoJo's Restaurant in HO scale on my train layout which is 1970s themed layout. Instant recognition of their Orange & Aqua colors.
I ate/worked at many of these restaurants. How sad that they went the way of small chain business. The big companies swallow up the little ones in every form…restaurants, department stores, banks and more.
What a great job you do on these videos. Very well researched and presented. I am hoping you are recovering from Hurricane Ian. It was wonderful that you were making videos again so quickly.
I have found memories of a lot of these. Steak and Ale especially. 28 years ago, I proposed to my wife in a Steak & Ale at the Morrow, GA location. I had taken her there for her birthday and not only I had the staff sing to her, but they were part of the way I proposed to her too. Ahhh, the memories...
Ponderosa, Bonanza and L&K are just a few others that have gone down over the years. I'm not sure about Bonanza but, Ponderosa still has a few locations still open. L&K was a regional chain that, much like Howard Johnsons, often had a motel of the same name on the property with it.
Let’s not forget the upper cut Steak House T.C. Peppercorn’s! Loved eating there to and, don’t forget Rustler’s, I ate at all of them as well as Duff’s! Mostly on Friday nights and, the weekends!
There are so many now-defunct restaurant chains here n the States that they could do several of these videos and still have a few more that people remember that were left out.
Ponderosa, Bonanza and, I believe, the York Steak House chains all had the same ownership for the last few years. Most of the Ponderossa steakhouses in my home area of Akron, Ohio, save for one, were all owned by a single franchisee…who got into legal trouble and all but that one restaurant got closed down within the same week. Last I knew, the lone Ponderossa is still in operation. We used to have a couple York and Bonanza restaurants but they closed down much earlier than Ponderossa did around here. I also remember Red Barn fondly. We had Big Boy chain but not Bob’s. They were LuJan’s. Now they’re all gone. Frisch’s operates several Big Boy restaurants in the Kentucky/Southwestern Ohio area. Another popular one around here was L&K though I don’t know how widespread they were. For a while, we even had Shoney’s and Casey’s though not for very long. Chichi’s was pretty good until they ran into all their troubles.
Oh for the days of Howard Johnson’s! Loved working the counter. If you didn’t have customers you could snitch a bite of icecream. Loved their peach shortcake sundae. Big shortcake in the silver icecream dish, single scoop of vanilla icecream, ladle of peaches and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. The strawberry shortcake was awesome too. Sometimes if you were working with the right manager you could have one for dinner!
Ground Round 100 percent. To this day, I still remember the smell in that place... kinda like almost-burnt, but still great beef, with a touch of buttered/toasted bread. I honestly, as a kid, LOVED Ground Round. My other lost favorite from the time, having been born in Philly, was Seafood Shanty. Damn, I loved their king-crab legs, but they are long gone. As is their chocolate mousse pie.
@@justmejenny7986 Most of the Ground Round locations in Syracuse are Tully's now. I have been to the one in Cicero and the one in Fairmount several times the last few years.
0:07 Red Barn (1961-1988) 0:48 Chi-Chi's (1975-2004) 1:34 Walgreens Wag's (1970's-1991) 2:14 Sambo's (1957-2020) 3:08 Hot Shoppes (1927- 1999) 3:55 Showbiz Pizza (1980-1992) 4:43 Steak and Ale (1966-2008) 5:31 Howard Johnson's (1920's-2022) 6:19 Bob's Big Boy (1938-) 7:12 York Steak House (1966-)
WOWWWWWW brought back memories of CHI CHI's on Dixie Highway in Louisville, KY with my family! Seems like restaurants used to have so much more CHARACTER! Everything often feels so minimalistic today.
Yes, so many restaurants feel cold and industrial anymore, not my style at all. Bring back the newspaper clippings on the walls and Knick knacks on the shelves. Bring back the character!
@@nadineskye7050 Even fast food restaurants like McDonald's still had SHAPE and CHARACTER in the 80's / 90's. Today's your average McDonald's is a gray rectangle in structure.
@@KentKaliber I still remember my local McDonalds in the 90s, the planters hanging above each booth, and the senior photos from the local high school on the wall. It felt relaxing and homey.
Chi-Chi's brand name still lives on with their chips and salsa available at supermarkets coast-to-coast. And I remember the HoJo's at the end of the strip at Nantasket Beach in Hull MA. It was tradition for every family to stop there for ice cream cones after a day at the beach, an indelible memory for anyone who went there in the '50s, '60s and '70s.
Great video! I'm lucky enough to be near a Bob's Big Boys here in Downey, California, love them, they are the original double decker hamburger and super tasty. 🥰
Of these family restaurants profiled here the one I miss most is Howard Johnsons.The fried clams basket & vanilla ice cream made long road trips B4 the motorhome a better experience and ate @ the local ones when Dad&Mom felt like it.😋
OMG!!! What memories of a time gone by but forever cherished. Look at those VERY low menu prices! We will NEVER see them again. I remember well Bob's Big Boy, Red Barn and Sambo's where I grew up in San Jose, CA. I also have fond memories of the Woolworth's stores in San Jose and their long lunch counters. The aromatic smells of food in those stores were heavenly. Thanks RR for sharing these nostalgic memories with all of us. 😎
I ate at Steak & Ale many times. Individual rooms with privacy. Very classy. We also ate at Gallagher's steak house. I really miss Bennigan's. In Houston, Wyatt's Cafeteria was extremely popular and growing up we ate at Wyatt's very often.
We grew up going to Wyatt's after church. (I'm sure it helped that not only did they have a location near my childhood church, but one of the elders was on the board of directors.)
I was the clam schucker and a dessert maker for my first job when I was 16 at Gallagher's Steak House- at the end of the night the chef would give us workers prime rib!
I just got back from Bob's Big Boy 1 hour ago! It's right down the street from my home in Burbank, CA. 6:47 I have been going there since I was a baby in the 1960's with my parents and to this day it is still great! Best Hot Open Faced Turkey and Chili Spaghetti in the world! Thank God this location will never close because it is declared a historical landmark and it is always packed. Tourists from around the world come to take a picture in front of the Big Boy statue and every Friday night there is a car show in the parking lot. I can walk there in 3 minutes from my house.
@@joerichardwad1645 Now they've got enough artificial ingredients to make food look great for weeks and weeks. Nothing's quite so appetizing as extended shelf life.
I believe Sambo's was bought out by Bakers Square (or was there another iteration before that happened?). Or perhaps they just took over the Sambo's locations. Baker's Square is another one of those long-gone coffee shops that I miss. Thanks for the video, as always! EDIT: From Bakers Square's Wikipedia page I learned that there are still some Bakers Square restaurants, just not here in California. "Bakers Square entered the California market when its parent company acquired the Sambo's chain in October 1984. Many Sambo's locations were converted to Bakers Square restaurants and the ones that weren't were sold to other chains, including Denny's."
Baker's Square has a sister restaurant called Village Inn. The same delicious pies can be had at either. I discovered this after leaving Michigan (BS) for Florida (VI) in 2007. Village Inn has some less appealing menu items and quality issues but the pies are still great.
The era of the dining culture was a halcyon time for the average Americans, one which went down in culinary legend. I thank you for the walk down memory lane for those of us who were able to enjoy some of these mouth watering delights which are no longer with us.
What wasn't mentioned about Howard Johnsons was that they were acquired by Marriott mainly because they had hotels, which he spun off. When the hotel chain went bankrupt, some of the staff at the corporate locations + most of the franchisees banded together and bought the Howard Johnson's name. Today, that company is known as Wyndham and they still operate a few Howard Johnson lodges.
Wags is so special to me lunches with my mom and more importantly a two hour conversation with the love of my life when we reconnected in our early twenties after our tumultuous teenage years
People forget these places went under for a reason. They may try to resurrect them but they will find themselves in one of the most crowded, cutthroat consumer marketplaces of all time. There are literally restaurants on every street corner with more being built every day. It's already to the point of absurdity and they go out of business as fast as new ones appear.
Being a college student in Los Angeles in the early 70's, Sambo's was an affordable restaurant for us. I remember even their menu's had characters from the children's books.
I lived in Columbus Ohio in the late 70s and I remember Yorks steak house in the mall there. Beef tips in brown mushroom gray and desert was a great meal for a good price. That was the same time Dave Thomas opened Wendy's downtown by the COSI museum.
My folks moved to Santa Barbara in the late 50's. Loved getting 'Tiger Butter' on my Pancakes. And yes, I grew up with the Story about this boy who out smarted the Tigers. HoJo's was a treat when we were on road trips.
Your channel and content, as well as Rhetty for History" have given all of us that needed touch of nostalgic bliss needed when modern life becomes tough. I personally want to thank you for all your wonderful videos.
I also loved Chi-Chi's and had no idea why the business folded. my brother and I would always catch a movie in the same mall as the Chi-Chi's and we capped every viewing with a trip there. Our favorite was the buffet. Back when I could go three plates at a buffet (one, today), I would pour queso sauce on almost everything I popped on my plate. And as I remember, the food was delicious.
That Howard Johnsons menu brought back many childhood memories. And I never understood their calling hot dogs 'Frankforts' so always assumed we were in a really 'classy' place.
Great video. I grew up in the Columbus, Ohio area and still live here. When I was a kid Northland Mall was a very popular indoor mall and I remember the York Steak House that was in it. I didn't know there were any left until watching this. I believe we still have some Frische's Big Boy restaurants around here. Don't know what relation they are to Bob's Big Boy, but they have the same mascot.
What, no LUMS?!?!?! 😀 Thank you so much for these wonderful nostalgic videos. I remember some of these restaurants in Springfield, IL in the 1970's and in the western suburbs of Chicago in the 1980s and 1990s. Good times....
I liked Lums chili dogs, not quite as good as A&W's, but still pretty darned good. I miss having a Big Boy, (Elias Bros.), in Michigan too. York Steakhouse in the Lansing Mall was good, like Ponderosa.
Bill Knapp's had 60 locations in 5 states. I would say it's most unique feature was it had it's own commissary that served all locations, with a private fleet of trucks.
I loved that whatever your age was, on your birthday, was the percentage discount on your dinner. The owner's kids tried to make it more hip and trendy (change of color scheme, more casual attire, etc.); that either killed it or coincided with it's downfall. Mid-Michigan still gets some baked goods at various shops and convenience stores under the original label.
Kip's Big Boy was the place to go in Dallas in the late '60's and early '70's. The restaurant was connected to the Big Boy chain and had the same mannequin/statue outside the restaurant.
That photo of the closed Steak and Ale was from Cherry Hill New Jersey. I went there on a couple of occasions and the food was good but everything was Ala Carte. You had to pay extra if you wanted mushrooms or sautéed onions. Sour cream for the baked potato, extra. Hot Shoppes was great and so was the Howard Johnsons. I rarely go out to eat anymore. Cracker Barrel is my only go to place now.
I had my 11th birthday party at Shakey's Pizza. The entire place sang to me and I tried to get through their birthday sundae. Didn't quite make it, but I'll never forget that birthday!
I loved them, if there was something on the buffet table they didn’t have and, you wanted, they would go back in the kitchen and, cook it for you! They did that for me one time, very impressive when, a buffet style restaurant is willing to do that for a customer!
Great video! Spent much time as a kid at Bob's Big Boy. Being a kid from So. CA. I also l loved Sir George's Smorgasbord and Marie Calendar's restaurants. Great food in both places. Sadly missed.
It was a Ryan's Buffet up the street when I was a teenager. With a country boy appetite and being away from home cooked food . I definitely got my money's worth every time.
I miss Bob's BIG Boy! 😢 I went to CSULB in Long Beach, CA and Bob's was our late night hangout! One time we "kidnapped" one our dorm friends, tied his arms up, put a pillowcase over his head... and took him to Bob's for his birthday breakfast! But first we postioned him out front of the restaurant, facing the street, right next to the giant Bob's statue, and took pictures, while singing "Happy Birthday"! He was so embarrassed after he took the pillowcase off his head inside the restaurant, as everyone was looking at him! 🤣 Great memories...
I remember Howard Johnson's in the early 'sixties. They had a fried fish night; fried sole, french fries and coleslaw, all you could eat. Waiters would walk around with carts, going by your table to ask if you wanted more. Ah, the days gone by.
One of my favorite places to eat when I was young was Shakeys Old Time Pizza in Peoria, Il. Awesome place. We also had a Lums restaurant that was very good. Whenever I travel, I make it a point to always stop at a Steak n Shake. I love them. Many good memories of all of these places.
I will always remember the Sambos in Santa barbara.A group of 4 starving college students coming back from San Fran conference were broke.......just enough for gas!They saw us sharing a refillable coffee and instead of throwing us out.....they brought us all pancakes.We were forever grateful.Chucky Cheese was a nightmare for parents...lol.Much preferred Bullwinkles for cost and comfort!
The first Steak and Ale was less than a couple miles from my house in Dallas and we used to go to the first Chili's when it opened on Greenville. They were completely different than now quality wise. Both of those restaurants were the best examples by far.
Thank you for sharing some fond memories of restaurants gone-by. While we never had a lot of these in Canada I do remember eating at some of them when we vacationed down in the United States. I love your channel especially when I`m feeling a bit nostalgia!
My dad worked as a contractor for the Steak and Ale corporation in the mid 1970's. He put in a lot of telephone equipment for the company. He met Norman Brinker at the corporate office. I believe it was off of Hilcrest in Dallas.
I started watching your videos accidentally. I was cruisin' RUclips and saw your videos. I watched one and was hooked. I love your channel. I am 69 years old. I grew up in southern California. I was born in Long Beach in 1952 and grew up in Surf City. I can relate to many, many, many of the things you show. It is a joyful trip down Memory Lane. Again, I love your channel. Oh, my favorite decade was the 70s.
I think there were 2 locations, one in Goleta and the other in downtown Santa Barbara. Sambo's was a treat for the whole family after church. I cried once because I thought the whipped butter was really made out of tigers. Wonderful memories and delicious food.
Red Barn was converted to a gift shop here in SYRACUSE. It was called Hafners Red Barn . It too closed many years ago. I loved that place. So much fun to get unusual gifts there .
Enjoyable video. There are multi Bobs Big locations, however. Thank you for the Howard Johnson’s mention. I loved Howard Johnson’s as a kid and remember being served a birthday cake there with tons of lollipops stuck into it. Maybe 1972.
Anyone else remember the stained glass lamp shades in Applebees? I was heartbroken when they got rid of those, now AB looks like any generic chain restaurant inside…
I grew up eating at the original Bob's Big Boy. Collecting the comics and some of the toys. Getting introduced to chile Spaghetti and hot fudge sundaes for dessert. Great memories with family and girlfriends.
My first job was a hostess at TJ Big Boys in Syracuse area. They are all gone now. Loved their breakfast buffet, loganberry drink, strawberry pie and hot fudge cake.
I enjoyed the video, but now I’m kinda sad. I have great memories of Howard Johnson’s … motels and restaurants. My dad would take me to Howard Johnson’s Tiffin Inn on my birthday when I was young, and I’d get an adult dinner with salad and everything. I miss those days. I also remember Steak and Ale … lots of high school dates there. Time sure flies.
I,live in Detroit,Michigan. I remember the CLOCK Fine Food Restaurants,(a local Detroit area Restaurant Chain),Ella's Brothers Big Boy,Red Barn when Red Barn became a Fast Food Restaurant,and Sambo's. I,the good old days eating out and the food isn't as good as it used to be.
There was a clock restaurant in Doraville GA. At that time GM had an assembly plant in the same town.That location is transitioning now - To Become NBC studios in Atlanta metro - Doraville GA.
Little Black Sambo was one of my favorite children's book when I was young. The version I had was that of a Black family, not Indian complete with racist illustrations. I, of course, didn't understand that when I was a kid, all I cared about was that Little Black Sambo liked pancakes as much as I did.
Howard Johnsons hold a special place in my heart. Every once in a while, maybe three or four times a year, my Dad would siddle up up to me as I was about to catch the bus and ask "You feel like playing hooky today?" I, of course, would say yes, and we'd go to the zoo, or to a ball game or something. But no matter what we did, we always went to HoJos for lunch, and we always got the fried clams. I only went to Sambos a half dozen times or so, usually on the annual family trip to Florida, but I remember the pancakes were very good.
I ate at Chi-Chi's, Howard Johnson (once at every rest stop on the Mass Pike), and York's Steakhouse. Enjoyable videos. Here in MA we had a great restaurant chain in the Red Coach Grill.
There was a York Steak House in Dartmouth MA in the 70's and 80's. It was always packed. I can hardly believe it went out of business. Everyone I knew loved that place. It was sort of like a buffet, except you paid for what you took. You didn't order a meal. You'd take a tray and take plates of what you wanted and then pay at the end. It was fast, inexpensive, and you didn't have to wait for a waitress or leave a tip. I wish it were still there. I hate when I go to a restaurant and wait to get seated, wait for the waitress, wait for the food, wait for the waitress to bring the bill, and then have to leave a tip. York cut out all that waiting and had great food at a low price.
Thankfully I live in Columbus and still enjoy those amenities except I do leave a tip for the person bringing my food to the table and making sure we have everything we need😊
Good heavens, we LOVED Sambos when I was a kid! In my twenties, I moved to Santa Barbara and was so happy to see there was still a restaurant left. Also, I remember going to Bob's Big Boy in Burbank many times in the late '80s ... there is still one not far from me in Mentone. Great video, and thank you!
The Chuck-E-Cheeses in my hometown frequently have fights between different families who have brought their kids there for a birthday party. Police are called constantly.
Ranch House Restaurant was awesome during the 1960’s. I think it was mostly a chain in Florida. Great food at a reasonable price! I still have cravings for their house salad dressing! If anyone knows how to replicate it, please comment!
Does everybody remember when Kmart used to have a restaurant attached to the store itself?
yes. Remember Sky City and J.M. Fields They had a little restaurant in the store.
Ours had one inside the store, more like a small grill.
YES!! IN ESCONDIDO CA, WE HAD A GREAT CAFETERIA!
Oh yes! We had a huge KMart with a large restaurant and everyday there was always a waiting line. It was doing great until the company decides they needed a 'new' store and moved from the original location then the restaurant wasn't incorporated into the new one. Broke my heart! Food was stellar. We also had a G.C. Murphys with a restaurant next to Hills Department store. Again, food was absolutely great. I always ordered the Murphy Burger platter, a cheeseburger anyway, fries and homemade coleslaw! Now, try finding a a good burger platter like that, now it's just thrown together and shoved out a window. Oh, I miss the good ole days.
I remember when Kmart was still in busses
It’s so bittersweet watching these videos. I think of all the hard work that many people did while working at places like these. And now they are just memories. So many lives touched by these seemingly innocuous bits of our American culture.
It's hardly bitter.
@@jonhohensee3258it’s bittersweet.
@@thecapone45 Bitter is part of bittersweet.
Love looking at the old menus! Wow those prices!
Awesome memories of HoJos. As kids we always ordered hot dogs off the kids menu. And of course Dad always let us order ice cream for dessert Leaving, Dad would buy a box of the Salt Water Taffy on the way out. We always had a wonderful meal at HoJos. 💖
I have fond memories of HoJo's in Royal Oak Michigan. My grandparents took my mom and us kids there regularly...and I always got the fried clams.
Jacques Pépin- he moved to the US in 1959 and after working in New York's top French restaurants, refused the same job with President John F. Kennedy in the White House and instead took a culinary development job with Howard Johnson's.
When I was a kid in the 70's we always stopped at HoJos on road trips, my dad and I got the fried clams every single time. Those were the days!
When our family went to HoJos, it was usually for breakfast.
@@buickinvicta288 yes, indeed! I heard Jacques speak about this in an interview. It was he who developed the recipe for those fried clams we all loved!
These are such great memories....of my life! Thank you!
Howard Johnson's had many motels attached to the resturaunt. And in Texas and Oklahoma in the late 50's and throughout the 60's and 70's, there was a roadside company much like HJ called Stuckey's. They had a candy store inside, much like today's Buc-ees.
HoJos was my 1st job as a dishwasher. They had many locations on the Pa. Turnpike, where I worked. You could order most anything on their menu except for Clams or more expensive items during your lunch break. They still do have Motels left. I have A HoJo's Restaurant in HO scale on my train layout which is 1970s themed layout. Instant recognition of their Orange & Aqua colors.
I really like your nostalgic videos. Love seeing yesteryear and reminiscing. Thank you for taking the time to make them 😊
I ate/worked at many of these restaurants. How sad that they went the way of small chain business. The big companies swallow up the little ones in every form…restaurants, department stores, banks and more.
It's called cannibalization and you're exactly right. "Mom and Pops" are all gone or have been taken over by corporations.
And in each instance, the big company used the small chain as a "cash cow" until they killed it.
You forgot Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor which had food besides Ice Cream. It is totally gone the last one closed in Southern California.
Didn't Marcus Lemone buy it?
There's a video dedicated to it.
Remember getting a prize and the staff coming to the table after eating the Pig's Trough.
What a great job you do on these videos. Very well researched and presented.
I am hoping you are recovering from Hurricane Ian. It was wonderful that you were making videos again so quickly.
I have found memories of a lot of these. Steak and Ale especially. 28 years ago, I proposed to my wife in a Steak & Ale at the Morrow, GA location. I had taken her there for her birthday and not only I had the staff sing to her, but they were part of the way I proposed to her too. Ahhh, the memories...
Remember going to one in Middletown NJ
Great prime rib plus a very decent decent salad bar. I liked the ambiance too.
@@Matt_from_Florida I agree
What a cool story!😃👍✨💖✨
Ponderosa, Bonanza and L&K are just a few others that have gone down over the years. I'm not sure about Bonanza but, Ponderosa still has a few locations still open. L&K was a regional chain that, much like Howard Johnsons, often had a motel of the same name on the property with it.
Let’s not forget the upper cut Steak House T.C. Peppercorn’s! Loved eating there to and, don’t forget Rustler’s, I ate at all of them as well as Duff’s! Mostly on Friday nights and, the weekends!
There are so many now-defunct restaurant chains here n the States that they could do several of these videos and still have a few more that people remember that were left out.
Also Sizzler
Ponderosa, Bonanza and, I believe, the York Steak House chains all had the same ownership for the last few years. Most of the Ponderossa steakhouses in my home area of Akron, Ohio, save for one, were all owned by a single franchisee…who got into legal trouble and all but that one restaurant got closed down within the same week. Last I knew, the lone Ponderossa is still in operation. We used to have a couple York and Bonanza restaurants but they closed down much earlier than Ponderossa did around here.
I also remember Red Barn fondly.
We had Big Boy chain but not Bob’s. They were LuJan’s. Now they’re all gone. Frisch’s operates several Big Boy restaurants in the Kentucky/Southwestern Ohio area.
Another popular one around here was L&K though I don’t know how widespread they were.
For a while, we even had Shoney’s and Casey’s though not for very long.
Chichi’s was pretty good until they ran into all their troubles.
Oh... I love Ponderosa when I lived in Kansas City in the 70's.❤️
Oh for the days of Howard Johnson’s! Loved working the counter. If you didn’t have customers you could snitch a bite of icecream. Loved their peach shortcake sundae. Big shortcake in the silver icecream dish, single scoop of vanilla icecream, ladle of peaches and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. The strawberry shortcake was awesome too. Sometimes if you were working with the right manager you could have one for dinner!
For me growing up in White Plains, NY, Beefsteak Charlies and Ground Round were the "go to" family places.
Grew up in suburbs outside of Syracuse. Loved Ground Round.
My cousin was a cook at the GR on Central Ave in Yonkers
Ground Round 100 percent. To this day, I still remember the smell in that place... kinda like almost-burnt, but still great beef, with a touch of buttered/toasted bread. I honestly, as a kid, LOVED Ground Round. My other lost favorite from the time, having been born in Philly, was Seafood Shanty. Damn, I loved their king-crab legs, but they are long gone. As is their chocolate mousse pie.
@@justmejenny7986 Most of the Ground Round locations in Syracuse are Tully's now. I have been to the one in Cicero and the one in Fairmount several times the last few years.
Use to go to Ground Round for their Friday night fish fry.
0:07 Red Barn (1961-1988)
0:48 Chi-Chi's (1975-2004)
1:34 Walgreens Wag's (1970's-1991)
2:14 Sambo's (1957-2020)
3:08 Hot Shoppes (1927- 1999)
3:55 Showbiz Pizza (1980-1992)
4:43 Steak and Ale (1966-2008)
5:31 Howard Johnson's (1920's-2022)
6:19 Bob's Big Boy (1938-)
7:12 York Steak House (1966-)
Bill knapp
What about Lum's, Swiss Chalet, Duff's, Ground Round, and The New England Oyster House 🤔
Loved bobs big boy. Also shakeys pizza.
I miss the Ho Jo fried clams
WOWWWWWW brought back memories of CHI CHI's on Dixie Highway in Louisville, KY with my family! Seems like restaurants used to have so much more CHARACTER! Everything often feels so minimalistic today.
Yes, so many restaurants feel cold and industrial anymore, not my style at all. Bring back the newspaper clippings on the walls and Knick knacks on the shelves. Bring back the character!
@@nadineskye7050 Even fast food restaurants like McDonald's still had SHAPE and CHARACTER in the 80's / 90's. Today's your average McDonald's is a gray rectangle in structure.
Minimalistic = cheap to produce/buy. Cold atmosphere, created so customers would gobble their food & leave; not hang around (taking up space).
@@KentKaliber I still remember my local McDonalds in the 90s, the planters hanging above each booth, and the senior photos from the local high school on the wall. It felt relaxing and homey.
@@nadineskye7050 Not anymore! Now every fast food place is DEVOID of any local contest and has ZERO personality. I hate it !
I still have the postcards from Sambos and each one tells of the story of Little Black Sambo! Loved that story and how the tiger turned into butter!
The original Sambo books sold for $100.00 in the 90's.
That was my favorite one too! My book had a blue hand d cover ,
Yeah I had a sambo doll. Probably worth a few hundred by now it's gone 😂
It was innocent not offensive.
Worked at a Sambo's in Sedalia Missouri. Never had a single black customer.
Chi-Chi's brand name still lives on with their chips and salsa available at supermarkets coast-to-coast. And I remember the HoJo's at the end of the strip at Nantasket Beach in Hull MA. It was tradition for every family to stop there for ice cream cones after a day at the beach, an indelible memory for anyone who went there in the '50s, '60s and '70s.
Great video! I'm lucky enough to be near a Bob's Big Boys here in Downey, California, love them, they are the original double decker hamburger and super tasty. 🥰
Steak and Ale looks amazing. I really hope they bring it back
Me, too
Doubtful in an environment more friendly towards "upmarket" chains like Panera or Chipotle.
Best salad bar
Great steaks, bread, salad bar, lobster bisque, and mud pie. We miss it all.
I only got to eat at Stake and Ale once but it the food was outstanding. Nice atmosphere and reasonable prices too.
Of these family restaurants profiled here the one I miss most is Howard Johnsons.The fried clams basket & vanilla ice cream made long road trips B4 the motorhome a better experience and ate @ the local ones when Dad&Mom felt like it.😋
When I saw the Showbiz Pizza stage puppets, I was immediately transported back in time.... Sweet memories.
Me, too!
This was apparently the genesis for the Five Nights At Freddy's video game franchise, where the animatronics come to life and go on a killing spree
This brings back memories of my childhood
Howard Johnson’s Fish Fry on Fridays was soooo good. Hello from NJ.
OMG!!! What memories of a time gone by but forever cherished. Look at those VERY low menu prices! We will NEVER see them again. I remember well Bob's Big Boy, Red Barn and Sambo's where I grew up in San Jose, CA. I also have fond memories of the Woolworth's stores in San Jose and their long lunch counters. The aromatic smells of food in those stores were heavenly. Thanks RR for sharing these nostalgic memories with all of us. 😎
I ate at Steak & Ale many times. Individual rooms with privacy. Very classy. We also ate at Gallagher's steak house. I really miss Bennigan's. In Houston, Wyatt's Cafeteria was extremely popular and growing up we ate at Wyatt's very often.
There was a Wyatt's Cafeteria in Golden Triangle Mall in Denton, Tx for many years.
We grew up going to Wyatt's after church. (I'm sure it helped that not only did they have a location near my childhood church, but one of the elders was on the board of directors.)
I miss those two restaurants....
I was the clam schucker and a dessert maker for my first job when I was 16 at Gallagher's Steak House- at the end of the night the chef would give us workers prime rib!
I just got back from Bob's Big Boy 1 hour ago! It's right down the street from my home in Burbank, CA. 6:47 I have been going there since I was a baby in the 1960's with my parents and to this day it is still great! Best Hot Open Faced Turkey and Chili Spaghetti in the world! Thank God this location will never close because it is declared a historical landmark and it is always packed. Tourists from around the world come to take a picture in front of the Big Boy statue and every Friday night there is a car show in the parking lot. I can walk there in 3 minutes from my house.
Back in the day when good quality and quantity were still a thing.
Quantity maybe, but the food was toxic sludge.
Not including Chi Chi's, because of the largest hepatitis outbreak in US history?
@@joerichardwad1645
Now they've got enough artificial ingredients to make food look great for weeks and weeks. Nothing's quite so appetizing as extended shelf life.
@@joerichardwad1645 What was toxic about it?
Back when America was a God-fearing country.
Red Barn! Wow did that bring back memories!
RED BARN WAS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS WE HAD A FEW UP HERE IN CANADA . THE LAST TWO CLOSED IN TORONTO IN 1976
I believe Sambo's was bought out by Bakers Square (or was there another iteration before that happened?). Or perhaps they just took over the Sambo's locations. Baker's Square is another one of those long-gone coffee shops that I miss. Thanks for the video, as always!
EDIT: From Bakers Square's Wikipedia page I learned that there are still some Bakers Square restaurants, just not here in California. "Bakers Square entered the California market when its parent company acquired the Sambo's chain in October 1984. Many Sambo's locations were converted to Bakers Square restaurants and the ones that weren't were sold to other chains, including Denny's."
Baker’s Square had good food and excellent pies.
Baker's Square has a sister restaurant called Village Inn. The same delicious pies can be had at either. I discovered this after leaving Michigan (BS) for Florida (VI) in 2007. Village Inn has some less appealing menu items and quality issues but the pies are still great.
You are absolutely right Lauren
Baker's Square also took over the Poppin Fresh restaurants from the 80's.
How sad that Woke Culture destroys something like this out of pure anger. I read that story "Little Black Sambo," and there's nothing racist in it.
So many memories! I can’t believe this covers York Steakhouse. As a kid, I loved the hamburgers. Thanks for doing this video !
The era of the dining culture was a halcyon time for the average Americans, one which went down in culinary legend. I thank you for the walk down memory lane for those of us who were able to enjoy some of these mouth watering delights which are no longer with us.
Love these videos thanks for the hard work
I wish I had a time machine so I could visit some of these yummy looking restaurants!
Thank you for so many memories ❣️😊
I enjoy your videos so much. I thank you with all my nostalgic heart! 💜
What wasn't mentioned about Howard Johnsons was that they were acquired by Marriott mainly because they had hotels, which he spun off. When the hotel chain went bankrupt, some of the staff at the corporate locations + most of the franchisees banded together and bought the Howard Johnson's name. Today, that company is known as Wyndham and they still operate a few Howard Johnson lodges.
Wags is so special to me lunches with my mom and more importantly a two hour conversation with the love of my life when we reconnected in our early twenties after our tumultuous teenage years
I remember one waitress at Wag’s kicking us out because we were just sitting there talking & not ordering food!
Wags had a restaurant in Cherryvale Mall in Rockford Illinois. Never ate there but I remember it.
I so remember my mom would take us to K mart for school clothes and there was an eating area right in the middle of the store.
Just love this channel, research is excellent, and the narration really is top notch. Sure miss Sambo's, there once was 2 here that absolutely thrived
I would love to see Steak & Ale make a comeback. My husband and I loved it.
People forget these places went under for a reason. They may try to resurrect them but they will find themselves in one of the most crowded, cutthroat consumer marketplaces of all time. There are literally restaurants on every street corner with more being built every day. It's already to the point of absurdity and they go out of business as fast as new ones appear.
Oh yeah,excellent salad bar too.
Being a college student in Los Angeles in the early 70's, Sambo's was an affordable restaurant for us. I remember even their menu's had characters from the children's books.
Here in metro Detroit I loved going to Sambos.
@@MichaelSSmith-hs5pw Correct. Dems ruin everything.
I loved Sambo's 🥞
2:44 But it was "deemed insensitive", you know!
I loved Sambos! The walls were painted with scenes from the story/jungle.
Enchanting. And the food was good. The good old days.❤
I lived in Columbus Ohio in the late 70s and I remember Yorks steak house in the mall there. Beef tips in brown mushroom gray and desert was a great meal for a good price. That was the same time Dave Thomas opened Wendy's downtown by the COSI museum.
I lived in New Carlisle then and we used to go to the York's at Dayton Mall.
The last York's is located on West Broad St. across from what was Westland Mall.
My folks moved to Santa Barbara in the late 50's. Loved getting 'Tiger Butter' on my Pancakes. And yes, I grew up with the Story about this boy who out smarted the Tigers. HoJo's was a treat when we were on road trips.
One pizza chain not mentioned in this video, but I've seen on others, was Shakey's!!!
Always a good time on Friday nights.
Your channel and content, as well as Rhetty for History" have given all of us that needed touch of nostalgic bliss needed when modern life becomes tough. I personally want to thank you for all your wonderful videos.
I also loved Chi-Chi's and had no idea why the business folded. my brother and I would always catch a movie in the same mall as the Chi-Chi's and we capped every viewing with a trip there. Our favorite was the buffet. Back when I could go three plates at a buffet (one, today), I would pour queso sauce on almost everything I popped on my plate. And as I remember, the food was delicious.
Lots of fond memories of Howard Johnson’s 🥞🥓 while on summer road trips from Pittsburgh to the Carolinas.
That Howard Johnsons menu brought back many childhood memories. And I never understood their calling hot dogs 'Frankforts' so always assumed we were in a really 'classy' place.
In the UK, they are called frankfurters. In New York there was a dish called Franks and Beans.
In AZ, there was a restaurant called "Bill Johnson's Big Apple". It was an icon - the owner used to do radio shows from the place. R.I.P.
⚰️💥😱🙀
It's gone??? I loved that place.
Great video. I grew up in the Columbus, Ohio area and still live here. When I was a kid Northland Mall was a very popular indoor mall and I remember the York Steak House that was in it. I didn't know there were any left until watching this. I believe we still have some Frische's Big Boy restaurants around here. Don't know what relation they are to Bob's Big Boy, but they have the same mascot.
I think Bob's Big Boy is based in Michigan., Frisch's is based out of Cincinnati. According to Wikipedia, there are only 2 Bob's Big Boy in Ohio.
@Jason T...I remember York Steak House inside Manassas Mall in Virginia.
What, no LUMS?!?!?! 😀 Thank you so much for these wonderful nostalgic videos. I remember some of these restaurants in Springfield, IL in the 1970's and in the western suburbs of Chicago in the 1980s and 1990s. Good times....
I liked Lums chili dogs, not quite as good as A&W's, but still pretty darned good.
I miss having a Big Boy, (Elias Bros.), in Michigan too.
York Steakhouse in the Lansing Mall was good, like Ponderosa.
It's interesting when you see Flyers or newspaper ads saying specials only good for Sept, 1971.
At 53, a lot of your videos are right out of my childhood, and evoke some great memories. Thanks for putting these together. ✌️👍
Bill Knapp's had 60 locations in 5 states. I would say it's most unique feature was it had it's own commissary that served all locations, with a private fleet of trucks.
We had 2 or 3 Bill Knapp's in the mid Michigan area.
You can still buy those little chocolate cakes.
❤️ Bill Knapp great chicken , biscets , etc, etc metro detroit
@@arthuridis birthday cakes
I loved that whatever your age was, on your birthday, was the percentage discount on your dinner.
The owner's kids tried to make it more hip and trendy (change of color scheme, more casual attire, etc.); that either killed it or coincided with it's downfall. Mid-Michigan still gets some baked goods at various shops and convenience stores under the original label.
Kip's Big Boy was the place to go in Dallas in the late '60's and early '70's. The restaurant was connected to the Big Boy chain and had the same mannequin/statue outside the restaurant.
That photo of the closed Steak and Ale was from Cherry Hill New Jersey. I went there on a couple of occasions and the food was good but everything was Ala Carte. You had to pay extra if you wanted mushrooms or sautéed onions. Sour cream for the baked potato, extra.
Hot Shoppes was great and so was the Howard Johnsons. I rarely go out to eat anymore. Cracker Barrel is my only go to place now.
I grew up in Cherry Hill NJ - you had to have excellent food to compete with Ponzios diner -
Which is still a landmark.
How could you forget Shakey's Pizza Parlor? A chain WAY ahead of its time which is probably why it failed.
I had my 11th birthday party at Shakey's Pizza. The entire place sang to me and I tried to get through their birthday sundae. Didn't quite make it, but I'll never forget that birthday!
We had one in Decatur Illinois in the 1970s, they had the animatronic characters back then.
I loved it. Used to take all 4 of us on Sundays for either the pizza bar or one large pizza and a salad. In South Bend,In.
We had one here in Mobile Alabama. My family talks about it often but I missed it by a year or so lol.
The one in Virginia Beach was selling half raw chicken, it got into trouble too.
Howard Johnsons fried clams were always a treat.
The best fried clams!
I would like to thank you for producing this video. It brought back a lot of good memories.
Went to Lake George this past summer. Was looking forward to eating at Howard Johnson's only to learn we missed it by like 2 months.
I loved them, if there was something on the buffet table they didn’t have and, you wanted, they would go back in the kitchen and, cook it for you! They did that for me one time, very impressive when, a buffet style restaurant is willing to do that for a customer!
You would have been disappointed.. should’ve been the first Hojo to close!
Great video! Spent much time as a kid at Bob's Big Boy. Being a kid from So. CA. I also l loved Sir George's Smorgasbord and Marie Calendar's restaurants. Great food in both places. Sadly missed.
It was a Ryan's Buffet up the street when I was a teenager. With a country boy appetite and being away from home cooked food . I definitely got my money's worth every time.
I miss Bob's BIG Boy! 😢
I went to CSULB in Long Beach, CA and Bob's was our late night hangout!
One time we "kidnapped" one our dorm friends, tied his arms up, put a pillowcase over his head... and took him to Bob's for his birthday breakfast! But first we postioned him out front of the restaurant, facing the street, right next to the giant Bob's statue, and took pictures, while singing "Happy Birthday"!
He was so embarrassed after he took the pillowcase off his head inside the restaurant, as everyone was looking at him! 🤣
Great memories...
I remember Howard Johnson's in the early 'sixties. They had a fried fish night; fried sole, french fries and coleslaw, all you could eat. Waiters would walk around with carts, going by your table to ask if you wanted more. Ah, the days gone by.
One of my favorite places to eat when I was young was Shakeys Old Time Pizza in Peoria, Il. Awesome place. We also had a Lums restaurant that was very good. Whenever I travel, I make it a point to always stop at a Steak n Shake. I love them. Many good memories of all of these places.
I will always remember the Sambos in Santa barbara.A group of 4 starving college students coming back from San Fran conference were broke.......just enough for gas!They saw us sharing a refillable coffee and instead of throwing us out.....they brought us all pancakes.We were forever grateful.Chucky Cheese was a nightmare for parents...lol.Much preferred Bullwinkles for cost and comfort!
Subscriber from today love yor vide soooo nice and i wish i would have been lived in USA greetings from Sweden
The first Steak and Ale was less than a couple miles from my house in Dallas and we used to go to the first Chili's when it opened on Greenville. They were completely different than now quality wise. Both of those restaurants were the best examples by far.
Thank you for sharing some fond memories of restaurants gone-by. While we never had a lot of these in Canada I do remember eating at some of them when we vacationed down in the United States. I love your channel especially when I`m feeling a bit nostalgia!
My dad worked as a contractor for the Steak and Ale corporation in the mid 1970's. He put in a lot of telephone equipment for the company. He met Norman Brinker at the corporate office. I believe it was off of Hilcrest in Dallas.
I started watching your videos accidentally. I was cruisin' RUclips and saw your videos. I watched one and was hooked. I love your channel. I am 69 years old. I grew up in southern California. I was born in Long Beach in 1952 and grew up in Surf City. I can relate to many, many, many of the things you show. It is a joyful trip down Memory Lane. Again, I love your channel. Oh, my favorite decade was the 70s.
Bob's Big Boy was a great place with great food😋ROCK ON!!!!!!!🤘🏻🤙🏻✌🏻
Well, we still have Frisch’s Big Boys and, they recently down sized their menu and, it’s now, actually falling part and, the food isn’t as good!
When I saw my dad turn our old Impala into the Big Boy parking lot in Erie,Pa. I knew I was in for a great burger and fries treat.
Big Boy is still operating in Cleveland Ohio.
I think there were 2 locations, one in Goleta and the other in downtown Santa Barbara. Sambo's was a treat for the whole family after church. I cried once because I thought the whipped butter was really made out of tigers. Wonderful memories and delicious food.
I ❤ this channel
Red Barn was converted to a gift shop here in SYRACUSE. It was called Hafners Red Barn . It too closed many years ago. I loved that place. So much fun to get unusual gifts there .
I love Nostalgic stuff like this😃ROCK ON!!!!!!!🤘🏻🤙🏻✌🏻
So many memories in this video. Thank you.
Marysville, OH here, grew up in the Mansfield area though but I remember Red Barn!
Enjoyable video. There are multi Bobs Big locations, however. Thank you for the Howard Johnson’s mention. I loved Howard Johnson’s as a kid and remember being served a birthday cake there with tons of lollipops stuck into it. Maybe 1972.
Anyone else remember the stained glass lamp shades in Applebees? I was heartbroken when they got rid of those, now AB looks like any generic chain restaurant inside…
Applebees looked pretty generic back in the late 80's too. Sucked then, sucks now.
I do remember that in the 90s
In my experience, today Applebee's restaurants decor tends to feature local history/activities (including high school sports memorabilia/murals)
Twenty years ago, their burgers were great. Now, Applebees is in an advanced stage of suckiness.
I worked at Applebee's in 1998, and they were in the restaurant where I worked at the time.
I enjoyed this post. I loved the background music !!!
I grew up eating at the original Bob's Big Boy. Collecting the comics and some of the toys. Getting introduced to chile Spaghetti and hot fudge sundaes for dessert. Great memories with family and girlfriends.
Loved Bob's Big Boy fried chicken and strawberry pie!
@@dianabeurman364 Did not order those often but just as good. thanks for sharing
I remember many of these, and miss them all!! Thank you!!
My first job was a hostess at TJ Big Boys in Syracuse area. They are all gone now. Loved their breakfast buffet, loganberry drink, strawberry pie and hot fudge cake.
I enjoyed the video, but now I’m kinda sad. I have great memories of Howard Johnson’s … motels and restaurants. My dad would take me to Howard Johnson’s Tiffin Inn on my birthday when I was young, and I’d get an adult dinner with salad and everything. I miss those days. I also remember Steak and Ale … lots of high school dates there. Time sure flies.
I,live in Detroit,Michigan. I remember the CLOCK Fine Food Restaurants,(a local Detroit area Restaurant Chain),Ella's Brothers Big Boy,Red Barn when Red Barn became a Fast Food Restaurant,and Sambo's. I,the good old days eating out and the food isn't as good as it used to be.
Had Clock in the Lansing area too, along with a local diner chain, Connor's.
There was a clock restaurant in Doraville GA.
At that time GM had an assembly plant in the same town.That location is transitioning now -
To Become NBC studios in Atlanta metro -
Doraville GA.
@@glennmorris1807 I worked with several people who came from GMAD in Doraville.
I live 3 miles away from the last York Steakhouse, but I haven’t been there yet. Used to go to the one in Randall Park Mall!
Little Black Sambo was one of my favorite children's book when I was young. The version I had was that of a Black family, not Indian complete with racist illustrations. I, of course, didn't understand that when I was a kid, all I cared about was that Little Black Sambo liked pancakes as much as I did.
Spoken like a true alt right racist.
@@Arbbal Wut?
@@Cerulean0987 Someone's always going to do that.
It wasn’t racist.
James, I also loved Little Black Sambo.
I read it over and over.
Great job on this video! I miss Red Barn. Thanks for the beautiful trip down memory lane.
Howard Johnsons hold a special place in my heart. Every once in a while, maybe three or four times a year, my Dad would siddle up up to me as I was about to catch the bus and ask "You feel like playing hooky today?" I, of course, would say yes, and we'd go to the zoo, or to a ball game or something. But no matter what we did, we always went to HoJos for lunch, and we always got the fried clams. I only went to Sambos a half dozen times or so, usually on the annual family trip to Florida, but I remember the pancakes were very good.
I ate at Chi-Chi's, Howard Johnson (once at every rest stop on the Mass Pike), and York's Steakhouse. Enjoyable videos. Here in MA we had a great restaurant chain in the Red Coach Grill.
There was a York Steak House in Dartmouth MA in the 70's and 80's. It was always packed. I can hardly believe it went out of business. Everyone I knew loved that place. It was sort of like a buffet, except you paid for what you took. You didn't order a meal. You'd take a tray and take plates of what you wanted and then pay at the end. It was fast, inexpensive, and you didn't have to wait for a waitress or leave a tip. I wish it were still there. I hate when I go to a restaurant and wait to get seated, wait for the waitress, wait for the food, wait for the waitress to bring the bill, and then have to leave a tip. York cut out all that waiting and had great food at a low price.
Thankfully I live in Columbus and still enjoy those amenities except I do leave a tip for the person bringing my food to the table and making sure we have everything we need😊
This channel should have 1M subscribers…. It’s my top 5 favorites on RUclips 👍🏼
Good heavens, we LOVED Sambos when I was a kid! In my twenties, I moved to Santa Barbara and was so happy to see there was still a restaurant left. Also, I remember going to Bob's Big Boy in Burbank many times in the late '80s ... there is still one not far from me in Mentone. Great video, and thank you!
I'm old, I remember Most of them and I remember when T.
TV went off the air at a certain time, and no remotes!
The Chuck-E-Cheeses in my hometown frequently have fights between different families who have brought their kids there for a birthday party. Police are called constantly.
So entertainment for the adults as well as for the kids!
So many memories...open mic singing nights at Steak and Ale in Austin, late night Bob's Big Boy in LA. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Ranch House Restaurant was awesome during the 1960’s. I think it was mostly a chain in Florida. Great food at a reasonable price! I still have cravings for their house salad dressing! If anyone knows how to replicate it, please comment!
Thank you! I live in NH, I’ll try to google it.
There was a Ranch House in Charlotte, NC for a long time. We had a Christmas party there once. It finally closed about 10 years ago.
I enjoyed this. I remember Sambos, Steak and Ale, and I worked at Wags as a waitress in 1980. Thanks for the memories.