Top 20 Iconic Fast Food Chains That Dont Exist Anymore
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- These fast food restaurants have gone to the big food court in the sky. For this list, we’ll be looking at fan-favorite eateries that once seemed to be everywhere, but have now sadly left the building. Our countdown includes Mighty Casey’s, Geri’s Hamburgers, Doggie Diner, D’Lites, Red Barn, and more! What’s your most missed fast food chain? Let us know in the comments!
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What’s your most missed fast food chain? Let us know in the comments!
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sandy's
Friendly's
What about super markets that no longer exist
Horne's in the southeast, they just didn't have TV advertising.
I miss Rax
I remember the A&W drive in growing up. The pre-chilled mug of Root-Beer. The carhops and the tray that set on the window. The food was good and we loved the floats.
A&W is still around and I work there.
The one in Casper Wyoming closed about 5 yrs back, but they had all 4 of the he statues in front still.
I love A&W mostly for their burgers. For drink I'd just order Coke or orange soda. Root beer's not my thing but A&W still has other great things that but it on my list of favorites.
@@peterbarkley2648 Yeah, I don't care for root beer either but our burgers are really popular. I love our grilled chicken and cheese curds. The fish and shrimp is really good too.
They still have some
Burger Chef is the most missed in my book and brings back many a childhood memory, but I also remember Farrell's and Red Barn as well. Thanks for the stroll down a time forgotten when things were much better and life was much simplier.
Nearest Red Barn to me, growing up, was in Nashville...HUGE red barn, GREAT food...I was a passive kid about 'restaurant food' growing up, but if we were there to Christmas shop or go to the doctor, or 'anything big', I'd be protesting 20-miles out 'I want to go eat at Red Barn', more than once getting in trouble for it...broke my heart the day I had 'won the begging game', only to find it had closed down...all chain-link fenced off, and everything. Their burgers were THE BEST!
Dee Frash-I'm 56 years old, and remember Burger Chef in my hometown of Goshen, Indiana in the late 70s, before it vanished. The site on where it used to be is now a KFC.
@@kevinmiller6380 I grew up in South Bend but don't recall ever going to the one in Goshen.
I know what you just said were a few simple words. But what you said is very true. When I read your post I kind of pondered on it for a minute. And realized that life really was so much simpler then. S i g h
My comments to your post is way down there. I like what you said but my comments were supposed to be below your post. I don't know how to fix it so oh well.
I worked at Farrell's in WISCONSIN for over three years. Back then (in the 1970''s) there was literally a competition among high schools to get your friends to work there. You had to have a "B" average to be hired. I'd love to see any restaurant today trying to get enough employees if they enforced that clause anymore! And, as a waiter, you would make around $10- $12 a day it tips, which was a lot of money back then!
Sure was! I'd work at McD's 12 or 14 hrs in a week and my paycheck would be about 25 bucks after taxes. No tips.
Metro Detroit had a couple of Darrell's ice cream restaurant great birthday day restaurant ❤️/ great milkshake
I remember there being a Farrells at Woodfield Mall in IL. We loved it there. We loved the checkout area where there was tons of candy to purchase.
Farrell was a super great ice& milk shake place/ hangout / restaurant they had a couple in metro Detroit
Some other chains from yesterday were Ponderosa, York Steakhouse, Arthur Treacher's and Roy Rogers.
There's at least one ponderosa left in Claire Michigan
And Slizzler.
Lots of Roy Rogers in MD.
Roy Rogers ruled! They were waaaay better than Arby's. Their roast beef and hamburgers were the best. There were about five or less RR's in the early 2000's one being near Eastgate Mall in Cincinnati then it closed. I heard the Roy Rogers franchise was coming back.
You see Roy Rodgers all along the Pennsylvania turnpike. Every time I have to up there for work I always stop and get some of they chicken, which is pretty good I must say. That's saying something considering I live in the South and and we LOVE our fried chicken😎
I miss Chi-Chi's!!! I'm 54 and I'll be honest, I don't remember many of these. Interesting upload! 😊 Red Barn was a family affair on the weekends growing up. Good memories. Loved Burger Chef, too!!
Ha I used to work there...last one close we down in Wisconsin in 2003 I believe...deep friend ice cream..ha
I remember in 9th grade Spanish class our teacher took us on a field trip to Chi-Chi's because he wanted to show us what mexican food WASN'T! Regardless, Chi-Chi's was still a "fancy" restaurant in Cleveland/Orange region and we loved it's short lived mexican fair! And as a kid, Red Barn was THE BEST burgers hands down...as a kid!
@@christianromero6604 used to have one about a half hour drive from home, until 1998, here in western NY. Building still stands, and is being used, as a small roadside ice cream place, on route 20, in Westfield NY.
Regular stop for me and my wife, while out on the bike, heading back to Erie PA.
Whenever I say I used to eat at ChiChi's as a kid, Spanish speakers LOL. Later found out it implied breastfeeding. *Facepalm*
@@ai6894 , are you serious?!? OMG! LMAO 🤣🤣🤣
You left out Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips. And I remember a HoJo's at Nantasket Beach in Hull MA, which was a must stop after a day at the beach. It was right there at the end of the strip, just before the rotary that you took to head back home. We always went there for some ice cream cones just before we left. Damn, I miss those cones...HoJo's used to be the only restaurants you could find along the Mass Turnpike.
They should have gave a mention that the owner of Carol's changed all (except for one in Germany) their location's names to Burger King.
I Love Arthur Treachery's Fish and Chips as well as those lemon pies!!! I miss them!!!
They used to be a really good place to eat. Not fast food
Chichi was good if you wanted to lose weight came out as quick as it went in
There is a Nathan's Hotdog/Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips in the Orlando Airport. Never tried it though.
We had Burger Chef when I was a young kid in Beaumont, Texas, in the 1970s. I specifically remember the kids' meals--or rather the boxes. Some had board games on them--four different ones or so that you could collect, but each could also be played individually.
My favorite one was a baseball game that was kind of like the baseball pinball games at the time. The ball was cut out from the cardboard on the box, and the straw was put into the box and functioned as the bat! It's been over forty years, and I still remember that!
Burger Chef is special to me because it was the first restaurant I ever ate in with my own money that I got for my birthday. I remember there was a newly opened BC in Bellevue, Ky and I got a hamburger, fried and a coke for under 2 bucks and you could pile on the fixin's. I was 13 and I remember skipping home thinking "you really do get more to like at Burger Chef". They had a great marketing campaign too with Burger Chef and Jeff.
D'Lites needs a come back! Mojo didn't say much about it, so here's a backstory - Doug Sheley (Wendy's franchisee) decided to start a healthier fast food restaurant chain and Dave Thomas wasn't interested...so he found investors (NFL's Herschel Walker and Joe Montana among them) and opened his own restaurants. Yep, Hardee's bought them out, too! D'Lites is everything that's needed now; healthier fast food. They had whole wheat buns, sprouts and pitas, salad bars, baked potato skins with bacon and cheese, and they sold beer. Doug has since opened other restaurants, but we former employees ask that D'Lites be revived ;)
After the end of D'Lites the big 3 eliminated their healthier choices too. Wendy's salad bar, McLeans, Broiled Whalers, etc. all history. :((
D’Lites and Burger Chef could probably thrive today!
@@crankychris2”Broiled Whalers”?!
Burger Chef was very special to me as a kid in the late 1970's. I was one of seven kids in my family, and on Christmas eve, the local Burger Chef would stay open for us to eat in so my uncle could sneak in the presents under the tree. I remember those fun meals unknowing that they were the first kid's meals. What treasured memories.
I think Burger Chef could thrive today!
…But I don’t think I can talk, ‘cuz the chain was long gone by the time I was born.
Hardee’s is the guy she tells you not to worry about.
Had a Hardy's in Nevada, MO next to a movie theater. We'd watch a movie there and eat at Hardee's afterwards. That Hardee's burned down and the theater is closed now.
Hardee’s is still around in the Southeast
@@tyvulpintaur2732 same in Missouri, can still find them in some locations. I prefer them over McDonald's.
I started hating Hardee's for a while (the 80's and 90's) when they were having an identity crisis of sorts. They wanted to be McDonald's so they stopped charco-broiling their burgers. They wanted to be KFC so they started selling fried chicken. They wanted to be Arby's so in with the roast beef sandwiches. All the while their burgers became bland as hell. The only one I could eat then was the Big Deluxe because it had all the toppings to at least give it enough flavor to cover up the fried cardboard taste of the hexagonal patties. I was glad when they "got back to basics" again in early 2000's with the Thickburgers and flame broiling again. But the pairing with Carl's Jr. was a brand new identity crisis. Glad they split apart. I still think Hardee's has the best breakfast menu of any fast food chain.
Worked at a Hardee’s in Montana.
There is still on right off Interstate 90 Missoula
First time I had Hardee’s was back in the late 1970’s when they were flame broiled.
The also had the best fired chicken
Burger Chef is the one I remember. It had been about 25 years since I’d had a Burger Chef burger, but when I first had the chance to try an In ‘N Out burger, I remember immediately thinking that it tasted just like a Burger Chef burger to me (not a bad thing).
I'm really finding this ultra cool that so many are referencing Burger Chef! I really thought they were a local spot growing up even though they had commercials. lol I haven't had a "Big Chef" in about 36 years. Of course I don't remember what it tasted like, but however it did it was good to me. Ironically, my very first tax paying job was with McDonald's (1 month before Army boot camp. lol) 1986. The burgers back then were kinda' sorta' made fresh to orders coming in. Burger King still boasted their "flame broiling" in them days. Both were great, but we live in a different time now. Not the same! Last "Whopper" I had about a year ago was WHACK! It was like it was dropped on the floor and smashed by someone's foot! I now reside in southern Cali, and everybody swears by "In 'N Out"? Been there about 3-4 times since '94. I still ain't impressed. I do love their "old school" setup, and the enthusiasm of the workers, but I'm not impressed with their burgers. 5-Guys is my current #1 burger spot hands down!!!
No way. Burger Chef used a charbroiled. Much better!
I remember the name, signs and the commercials featuring Burger Chef and Jeff. I have no memory of how their food actually tasted though.
The fact that you could walk over to the "toppings" salad bar and put your own toppings on your burger at BURGER CHEF was simply the best!
@@michaelbuell3997Charbroiled? Like Burger King?
Thanks for reminding me about some great restaurants I missed growing up. Little Tavern, Farrell's, Red Barn, Burger Chef and Howard Johnson's when we would drive from MD to OH. The one restaurant I miss the most is Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips. My dad and I were just reminiscing about it the other day. I'm really surprised it didn't make the list. Thanks for the video!
When I was a kid? Burger Chef right down the road. Big Chef ruled. ❤
Absolutely!! The best for us kiddo's. 😊
I loved it because they had a buffet type fixings console. You could load up on the fixings you like such as pickles and tomatoes.
BURGER CHEF AND JEFF....!!!
Yep!
Still have one here in Cleveland, TN. Except it is called The Chef now. Same building for over 50 years
As a native New Yorker, I don't remember most of these places (with the exception of Howard Johnsons), but I do remember Arthur Treachers' Fish & Chips (loved their corn dogs and chips that looked like fat French fries), The Ground Round (popcorn as an appetizer to hold you over till your burger deluxe arrived), Beefsteak Charlie's (beer, wine, or sangria with steak dinner), and Zipp's (great ice cream place). I dont know if it was a chain restaurant, but I also loved Peachtree's.
I loved the Ground Round. Popcorn and peanuts before eating some good hamburger and French fries. Tossing the peanut shells on the floor. Watching cartoons. A great place.
Loved Beefsteak Charlie's. Used to get a burger and a pitcher of beer yummy
I'm a native New Yorker. I've been to several of these.
Are you from Syracuse ny
There was also Carrols restaurant, they had burgers, etc. I think they were bought out by Burger King.
I used to work a couple blocks from a Red Barn, the Barnbuster was a great sandwich. Came very close to working at Burger Chef, they had a unique tasting sauce on their burgers
Yes! The Barney Buster had a unique sauce that really made it.
Still have an old Red Barn building in Logansport, Indiana. The last time I noticed it was a Dry Cleaner place...
Car sales place.
I remember the Red Barn, Burger Chef and Auther Treacher's back in the 70's. They are building a medical center where Red Barn once stood.
I grew up on Burger Chef...loved it even more then McDonald's or Burger King. I refuse to go to Hardee's because they bought out The Chef
The chef ruled !! I believe it was first chain to offer Bacon Burgers ! Had toasted buns and char grilled burgers also ! Everybody stoled their ideas 💔
And it was never the same after!!!
I think I subconsciously hold a grudge against Hardy's for taking over Burger Chef. I've always avoided Hardee's. I probably haven't eaten at Hardee's more than 5 times in my life if that.
I was waiting for a mention of Roy Rogers. 🤠 .... I think most were converted to Rax roast beef chain.
I always loved the kids meal, the chocolate cookie was my prize.🐶🙂😺
Taco Bell bought not only the Pup 'n Taco locations, but also those of a very fine over-the-counter Tex-Mex chain called Zantigo's. When I headed for Zantigo's one night in the '80s and saw it was now a Taco Bell, I got that "nothing good ever lasts" feeling. I have never gotten over the loss of Zantigo's.
They also bought Taco Charley's
Closest thing that fake President Biden's been to the US southern border is a DC Taco Bell
I ate at Zantigo's twice. It was really good. 😄💖🎉
Zantigo was run over by Taco Smell and couldn't use it's own recipes for a certain amount of years. They are back open here.
..god, all of these chains must have been in the Northeast, Midwest, or West Coast..I have not heard of or seen ANY of them..not even the ones people are adding to the list, like this "Zantigo's"..
Winky's failed because Ray Kroc and McDonalds essentially followed Winky's into towns all over western Pennsylvania. Once Winky's was a success, McDonalds would move in next door or within a block usually a year or so later.
Thinking back, Winky's food was better, but they went crazy adding menu items trying to out flank McDonalds.
Kroc was a Slimeball.
Walmart must follow that method
@@plawson8577 Probably, but he was a rich and shrewd slimeball! He knew how to make it work.
I remember Burger Chef. Good food and plenty of it. Gone but not forgotten.
Cheap too, so cheap a thirteen year old could afford it.
We used to have a Howard Johnson's down here in Palm Beach County, right by the ocean on the South East corner of US1 and Donald Ross in Juno Beach. It was a hotel and a restaurant. That place was always packed full people. Sadly due to the financial crisis of the 2000s, it closed it's doors forever.
There used to be one by the Lake Worth Beach, also.
There used to be one off of I-95 and Okeechobee Boulevard West Palm Beach Florida.
There was a HoJo's in Dublin, then someone shot a police officer I cant recall the lurid details) but the shooting had caused customer traffic to 💢not come back.
HoJo was Extremely Racist and Discriminatory. Holiday Inn drove the Restaurant chains out of business in the 70s.
I believe there is one Howard Johnson's restaurant still open someplace.
As a Canadian kid in the '70s I remember getting food and toys (hand puppets) at Burger Chef! The other one that I loved that I'm surprised isn't on this list is Shakey's Pizza.
Shakey's is still around. I've been to a few.
@@TallSilhouette even here in the Philippines which where i am had Shakey's
i was thinking about their failed attempt to fast food chains over 20 😢
Shakey’s was a real place? I thought it was just a fictional place in South Park
@@THANATOS-PRIME yup Shakey's is real
Back in the 70s our mom would take us to burger chef after church. I started loving vegetables at this place. Ordered a double burger and they would ask you with or without. Always said without and would stack layers of veggies. The good ole days in San Marcos tx. Thanks Mom.🌹
Yes!!! I have such fond memories of our parents taking us to Burger Chef after church. Made sitting through those long fire and brimstone services worth it all!!
You failed to mention Sbarro,a pizza placed in malls, they had great stuffed pizza and the spaghetti and meatballs were excellent. A few months ago, I went to eat there and it was gone, I asked what happened to Sbarro and they said that they just closed.
I used to eat there always. I think the one in the mall near me went out less than 10 yrs ago. I haven't been there in 5 yrs, it might have still been open. In the food court.
I remember going there to my local mall back in the '90s that was some good ass food especially the stuffed pizza. I remember trying out the stuffed spinach one it was delicious shame that place doesn't exist anymore
Sbarro Pizza seems to have moved to airport terminals. I remember seeing them in several airports recently while traveling.
I go to the Philippines once in a while and they have Sbarro there. First time I saw it at a mall , I went nuts and ordered a mix of everything LOL
That's because they still have em we have a couple out here they just stopped where YOU are
Anyone remember Ponderosa?
Yes it's the Cartrights home
@@tamathawalden2037 the restaurant
As of last summer (2021) there was still a Ponderosa in the Wisconsin Dells. Haven't checked this year.
There was one in Newport, Ky that closed in 2011. They used to all over greater Cincinnati.
@@bloppysloppy4057 I loved the Ponderosa we had in Roselawn. Miss that place. The last one we had was in the Tri County area. May have closed down
Farrells was excellent. The pig trough was a huge square dish. I think it was free if you could finish it. You waited in line while standing in an old school penny candy store section.
Birthdays 🎁 Ruled their !!!
There was 2 by me in California (Buena park and brea).. both recently closed down. I never got a chance to go I’m bummed out
Napoleon gobbled down the Pig in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.
❤️ farewell great birthday restaurant & ice cream restaurant & great milkshake
I miss Shakey's Pizza, at least the 60s/70s version. I know there are still a few dozen in California, but that's 1500 miles away... It was the first pizza buffet I ever saw, you could watch them making pizza through a window, and they always had a guy at the piano playing ragtime. What a fun place that was.
💯👍
I miss Shakey's Pizza too!!!
And get this....back in the 90s I and a friend traveled to Acapulco Mexico and ate at a Shakey;s Pizza there!! No banjo playing sing a longs like when I was a kid in Illinois and the meat on the pizza was , well...shakey.
Yes, with straw all over the floor
I didn't think anybody else remembered Wetson's. As a kid, it was always such a treat to get a cheeseburger & fries (soft, IIRC) at the one in Pine Brook, NJ. Now it makes sense why it was replaced with a Nathan's. We also had a Gino's nearby, and Howard Johnsons seemed to be everywhere. So nostalgic.
Funny story, my hometown had a red barn at one point. They shut down, and a liquor store moved in. The Beverage Barn. They kept the building style, sign style, but sold liquor. Using the same building, signs, etc and they’ve now become a successful chain of liquor stores that continue using that style of barn and sign lol.
Good business model that used existing 'goodwill,' buildings, etc. rather than going into major debt as a start up.
Hmm, most of the old closed Red Barns I've seen were Adult Theaters, usually along interstates or US highways.
I actually remember Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor. My family and I went to one when I was a kid. For years, I could remember the place but never the name until now. I wish it was still around.
Wow, same here! Me and some friends went to Farrell's Ice Cream as kids on one of my friend's birthdays and had a great time. I couldn't remember the name of the place until this video.
There's a Farrell's in San Diego still 👍
@@coollady2179 " I made a Pig out of myself at Farrell's"
didn't an F-86 Sabre jet crash into one of those in the 1970's or something?..that's the only reason I have heard of them...
that 🍨🍦🥤🍔🍟 seems like what The Simpsons was trying to spoof in the mid 1990s.
Michigan had a few discontinued restaurant chains that are no longer in business:
1.) Elias Brother's Big Boy, which discontinued in 2007, and was renamed as just "Big Boy's". For decades, Elias Brother's were everywhere in Michigan & Canada, but by 2007, Elias Brothers retired the family name. Today, even dozen's of Big Boys are disappearing from Michigan. Even Soupy Sales, who sponsored the 1967 Gino's promo did some ads for The Elias Brother's in the 1970's (yes, he got a pie in the face in all of them.)
2.) Dogs N' Suds. Today, the root beer is still sold in small stores in bottles, but the restaurant chains are long gone.
3.) Maryland's Fried Chicken. There were very few locations in Michigan in the 60's & 70's, but today they are long gone.
4.) Lums & Red Barn restaurants are long discontinued in Michigan since the 1980's, and I miss them very much. There were also Winky's, Farrell's, Geri's, and Sambo's in Michigan, but they too are gone as well. May they R.I.P.. The last Burger Chef in Michigan was turned into a Hardee's on 9 Mile Road in Hazel Park. Today, it's the last surviving Hardee's chain in Michigan. All other Hardee's restaurants in Michigan became Tim Horton's, a chain from Canada.
In Michigan we had Hot N' Now, a drive thru White Castle clone. The buildings all looked like huge carry-out boxes and the burgers were dirt cheap. We used to call it "Rotten Chow" instead of Hot N Now! Ah, good, gluttonous memories!
Well explained and quite educational thanx that was an awesome window into your past🤣👍🏾💯
Top Ten Fast Food Restaurant Scandals that Ruined the Business
the finger in wendy's will always make me mad
The rat in KFC bucket
The cockroach in my Sub
Top 1 : inviting Gordon Ramsay to check out your restaurant
The guy who jacked off on pizzas🤦🏽♂️🤣
I remember Farrell's my favorite was the pig trough lol. I remember Sambo's also- they had great food- I miss them
I went with my family in New Jersey to a really nice ice cream parlor in 1976. Based on the physical layout being shown here, I believe it was Farrell's. It was great. On a different note: I'm surprised that the fast food chain Chicken Delight was not on this list. I remember their commerical - "Don't cook tonight, call Chicken Delight."
I remember that chicken slogan too. they were 3 miles from our house for takeout.
OMG! I haven't heard that name in close to 45 yrs!! We had a few of those back then in Jersey...
Heh-heh! They even had free delivery in our area. A local late morning DJ earned the nickname "Chicken" Browning because he aired half a dozen Chicken Delight commercials during his two hours.
During the 70s in the South, there was a chain called Judy’s that tried to compete with Wendy’s. I only ate there once and never returned, opting to stick with Wendy’s. A rumor went around, at least locally, that their burgers had horse meat in them. 😂 But that’s not the reason I chose not to go back. Wendy’s quality was much better.
General Flanders Georgia fried chicken
redbarn here in Canada had horse meat bugers.
@@jeffdubuque3755 🐴 🍔 😋
Here in Kentucky back in the 80's there was a chain called Druthers, but they haven't been around in year's. Not sure if they made it into the rest of the South🤔
@@grandspringdale1564 Not a round Chattanooga that I can recall. I could imagine their slogan was along the lines of “I’d drather go to Druther’s”. lol
I miss Burger Chef, Red Barn, Chi-Chi's, Howard Johnson's
When the hungries hit the hungries hit… hit The Red Barn!
Howard Johnson's was great! YUM!!
HoJo was Racist. I’m so glad they’re gone.
I don't think HoJo served fast food.
Those were the only ones I recognize, he forgot Tasty Freeze and A&W
Lum's had hotdogs steamed in beer, roast beef and other great food as a remember.
Howard Johnson’s is one of my favorites and have eaten many times at the one in Lake George. Not sure when the pic was done. Northland Motorlodge was next door which was taken over by Super 8 Motel. We have stayed at both places many times. Burger Chef, Lums also good places to eat. Thanks for sharing this video.
Racist as hell. Hated them. Glad they folded up.
Loved Burger Chef, especially since they broiled their burgers. And my favorite meal at Howard Johnson's was breakfast. I could remember their pancakes, douced with maple syrup and butter.....now that's a breakfast.
So good!
I worked at Burger Chef in 1979. I also remember going to Red Barn back then. Sambo's was a good place to eat
I miss Mighty Casey's. Their onion rings were a home run.
It's insulting that they were talking about Mighty Casey's but were showing footage related to Krystal.
I was confused by that because Krystal's still exists
The Grand Slam Burger at Mighty Casey's was my favorite as a kid.
I was thinking the same thing like ok we get it Krystal’s bought them out but u don’t have any footage of them???
The last Howard Johnson’s to exist was in Lake George NY and just closed it’s doors. We’ll have to see if it gets reopened or replaced.
Burger Chef had the distinction of scoring a contract for producing the first Star Wars related themed products. They deserve to be on their spot on this list.
Roy Rogers also had a pretty good restaurant back in the day, with very good chicken, burgers, and an apple crisp dessert that was very much a perfect dessert that was enough for one as well.
In the 70s my family would drive from New England to Orlando every year, and we’d eat at Sambo’s, on I-4. I’d always get the silver dollar pancakes. They where the best.
Who asked?
I remember Sambo's from when I was growing up in the seventies. I grew up in a very small rural town and Sambo's was the only big chain restaurant we had. At the time I was just a kid and had no clue about the racial connotations. To me Sambo's made me think of Pancakes and syrup! Still does!
I liked Burger Chef for their burgers. They had their version of the Whopper, the Super Chef, and the Big Mac, the Big Chef. The Shakes were good, too.
So good
I loved Burger Chef as a kid. HOWEVER...my mother took me one day to it, I got the 'kids burger' with fries...she got a 'large shake', and asked them to give her an extra straw (I just wanted a sip of hers)...they made a federal case out of 'only one straw per drink' (no 'serve yourself' counter for straws, condiments, etc.)...she protested, said 'my son only wants to taste my shake'...they wouldn't budge...but going out the door, she told them 'I hope you choke on that straw...it just cost you all my business, I won't be back.' We never did go back, before they closed a year later (their 'business model' apparently rubbed the community really wrong).
Sambo’s was the only restaurant I recognized.I thought Howard Johnson’s was a hotel 🏨
There was a Burger Chef on hwy 41 almost directly across the street from the Big Chicken KFC in Marietta Ga. We used to eat there after boy scout meetings.
This was the late 60s.
Last time I looked, the burger chef sign was still there but the place was actually a car lot.
Another place I really miss was a steak house chain called Ranch House.
It was a real treat to go there.
Those were the good old days.
I miss the Krusty Krab every time it gets destroyed, but fortunately it always miraculously gets rebuilt.
🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀
Since McDonald's pulled out of Russia, all their old restaurants are now called McPutins's, home of the Big Vlad
..ha!..the Krusty Krab..now that's one I HAVE heard of!...
5:58 In Pittsburgh baseball star Willie Stargell had a chicken fast food store where the motto of 'Chicken on the Hill with Will' applied whenever he hit a home run. If you were in the store when he did you got a free piece of chicken.
Rip... bob prince.
Ah, Willie, another one of the greats who left us too early. 🙏🏼
I remember back in the 1970's eating at the Red Barn in Erie PA. When it closed it stayed empty for a long time. Eventually it became a used car lot named "Auto Barn" since the iconic building was never changed. In the late 90's the car lot closed and the building was razed and the site became a MediCap pharmacy.
What's weird is that the same thing happened to the Red Barn in Sandusky OH.
That last Ho-Jo"s just closed this week! Here in Acworth,Ga. we had a burger joint named Burger Chief. Don't know if it was a chain or locally owned although the high school was North Cobb High Warriors not sure if it was a coincidence or not!
Wags (walgreens) were also set up "soda shop" style similar to what Woolworth had done
One Red Barn lived on in Racine, WI after it's franchisee owner renamed it to "The Farm" and took it independent. Didn't go out of business until 2020. Probably partly due to the pandemic, but also probably because of some news stories about rats and heath code violations. The building and the sign are still there though, and they've since been taking over by a local eatery that offers much better food and really awesome Blueberry shakes.
Been there. And the Red Barn in West Allis is now Oscar’s Frozen Custard.
Long live Racine
A Red Barn building is still in Nashville tn, and is Kebab Gyros and still looks like the Red Barn on Murfreesboro Rd.
That place that replaced the farm is disgusting
When I was little kid there was a restaurant called Golden Bear. It was liked a Denny’s. It did had good food and even milk shakes,too.
We had The Red Barn here in my area in Canada. It was great, then suddenly they were gone. Other franchises we had were Davy Jones Fish And Chips, Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips, Big Boy's Hamburgers, Chi Chi's Mexican Restaurant, Mr. Donut, Coffee Time, Tim Horton's Hamburgers, Licks Hamburgers just to name a few.
I wish Arthur Treacher's was still with us, great fish and chips!
Tim Horton's had hamburgers?
@@supermash1 Yes, I knew of two locations. They didn't last long. It just so happened that it was at the time that they all started closing down. Places like The Red Barn had been popular so I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time. Many years later, I was in College and doing Business Management. The topic of conversation happened to be franchises that were in operation and those that failed and why. I mentioned Tim Horton's Hamburgers. The Prof had never heard of it either and thought I was joking. But he went to some trouble doing his research and discovered that I was correct. My parents took me there a couple of times for a meal. They were good, can't understand why it disappeared. But then again The Red Barn was really good as well. I really liked their onion rings. The place was always so clean and it smelled good inside. The food was cheap to buy, hamburgers were like twenty cents, fries were ten cents. I cannot remember what led to all these places closing. It probably had more to do with money than anything else. Turns out for Tim Horton, coffee was the big money maker. But there has been more than one owner over the years.
Speaking of chicken eateries the cartoon character Yogi-Bear had his own chicken eatery which provided low-cal chicken as a healthier fried chicken option this eatery was called Yogi's Honey Chicken and only has existing location that is open to patrons in North Carolina.
In the 70s, Yogi Bear had franchises in California, and I had a burger at their Sacramento location.
In KC we had Smak's hamburgers. They were GOOD! I still remember one of their restaurants on the corner of 13th and Main.
Funny Howard Johnson's they mention their clam strips, sometimes we got the clam strips my mom and I, but usually we had a club. When we would go to Lums I always got clam strips there, both places we went to were in Elmira N.Y. I walked over not far from where I lived to the Red Barn.
I wouldn't mind going back for a moment to share a meal with my mom again, I sure miss her and those restaurants.
Very entertaining and fun to watch. Thanks for posting this.
I miss Farrell's and Red Barn.
There’s a Farrell’s in California
I'm still partial to the York Steakhouse, a cafeteria-based eatery that was at my local mall.
Another mall staple from back then: Olga's.
We had a little chef restaurant in Roanoke, VA until 2015. We still have a Texas Tavern that looks a lot the Little Tavern in this video. The Texas Tavern in Roanoke, VA was established in 1930.
Ah. The good ol days of my happy, idyllic childhood. Red Barn, Der Weinersnitzel, Winchell's Doughnuts, A & W Drive in's (for that matter ANY drive in eatery). My two faves were Shakey's Pizza, Arctic Circle, and Sambo's. That mention gave me such nostalgia I almost cried.
Yep, Krystal’s is in Florida too. Basically the same food as White Castle’s.
Personally, I don’t think Krystal even compares to White Castle.
In terms of quality, I mean.
@@PapaCoco1128 -AGREED!
They exist in the Carolinas as well. There's one not too far from me in Gaffney.
@@BrodieIsGod Lord Jesus Christ (Yahushua Hama Shiach) is the One and Only True Living God. we all will see to Him on judgement day. He does condemn idolators if those keep doing it. I'd stop if I were you. Unfortunately there is no rest for the condemned in the lake of fire. It is the second death.
When I was in college (1980-1984), and it was time to go back home for vacations, the bus from campus stopped right by a Howard Johnson. There were a couple others not too far from where I lived. And yeah, loved the clams
I'm not certain if it was part of a chain of restaurants, but SmorgaBob's in Livermore was pretty cool. Good salad bar, and the pudding selection was what I lived for [and _still_ dream about - not often I've been lucky enough to have a small dish of each: tapioca, butterscotch & pistachio puddings at one meal - all my favorites!]
I loved Burger Chef. The hamburgers came in little plastic bags and the fries came in a cup.
I’ve only heard of one of these “iconic” restaurants. It sounds like a lot of them are regional but it’s weird that they aren’t more well-known for being such a big deal.
Same here! And it's Howard Johnson's. Maybe a few of them are "before my time", but I'm not young., so I would guess you're right that they're regional. Don't recognize any of these from growing up in the northeast in the 70s and 80s.
@@cethomas324 There were Gino’s in the New York/New Jersey area
60ies and 70ies.
You must not have gotten out much. I've heard of or been to several of these.
I was born in the mud 70s, and remember most of them. Mainly because, from age 3 on, dad would get orders every year, or 6 months, to different bases. Spent most of the First 16 years of my life in roughly 26 states, and 3 countries. Longest time in one place was 88 to 91, in Hubert NC, at the tail end of dad's time in the Corps.
Once back at eastern bases, we also would travel to NY and Florida twice a year, to visit family, which is why I remember a couple southern chains, and Gino's, as unusually went through CA and MD, then cut across PA, on the pike, entering it at Breezwood PA.
Way more small places I miss, like The Green Shingle off I 79, from those trips. Ir was a normal stop for me and dad, when we were passing through the area.
Watching this got me thinking about the food joints I miss. Burger Chef is a big one and if it wasn't for their rotten ownership they'd probably still be around now. They were more innovative than others, they developed the chain broiler Burger King still uses (along with the bun toaster), had a Works Bar where you could add your own toppings, had the Funburger and FunMeal way before McDonald's, and had the Star Wars collector glasses. And still they wound up getting absorbed into the Hardee's family (which seems to have picked up a lot of failed chains). Others I miss are Dog 'N Suds, the original A&W's with carhops, G.D. Ritzy's, Mr. Quickburger, Shakey's Pizza, Daddy-O's, Top Boy, KFC's failed Roast Beef And Ham, and others my nearly 60 year old brain ain't coming up with at the moment. All of them had their charm, their gimmicks, and they gave us more choices, unlike today. We used to have a lot more places to shop other than Walmart too. When all the competition is gone life gets pretty boring and a lot more expensive. Anyone up for a game of Monopoly?
(Not really a fast food chain but I still miss Stuckey's too, would ride my bike a mile out of town to the interstate exit just to eat there and get a pecan log)
"Burger Chef & Jeff", yeah! (Why did I like them so much? Uh, perhaps part of the reason is my name happens to be Jeff. lol) They still my all time favorite burger joint as a youngster. Rarely got McDonald's, or Burger King, if ever back then. They were way out of walking distance. Burger Chef was just a block up the street and cheaper pricewise! I always thought their "Big Chef" was way better than the "Big Mac"! "Dog 'N Suds" were the joint back in the day too!
I didn't know Stuckey's was gone. The interstates in the Midwest and east coast were dotted with them. Seems like I ate at a Stuckey's in the late 2000's.
@@bloppysloppy4057 The Stuckey's in my hometown closed down in the late 80s, and the building was later used as a Lion's Den porn store.
@@bloppysloppy4057 according to some things I've looked up (and we all know internet info is always 100% accurate) it seems there are 63-65 Stuckey's still left, all in southern states like Georgia, Texas and Mississippi.
@@longagoandfaraway7868 Wow! There used to be hundreds of 'em.
Many happy memories at Farrells, Little Tavern, Ginos, Lums, Burger Chef, Howard Johnson's, and Red Barn. Don't know if it was just a DC thing, but the cafeteria style restaurant, Hot Shopps, was a very happy, Sunday after church time with my Grandmama memory.
Pizza oven and Lito’s fire grilled pizza was the absolute star of the Maryland area !
I miss the 90s!!!
I miss the 1970's
I know there's still something like 600 A&Ws in the US, but I miss the original drive up style restaurants. Plus all the restaurants around me closed, so for me they might as well be gone.
There's a drive up A&W in LaCrosse WI still
I MISS Gino's, Hot Shoppe, Holly Farms, Red Barns and Little Tavern (local in DC area)
Good List.
I also miss ROY ROGERS !!!
Great Burgers and Roast Beef
Roy's had the best fried chicken, I would take my kids there and they loved the toppings bar. Sad day when we lost Roy Rogers the actor and the restaurants.
Of all of these places I miss our local A&W. They kinda still exist but very very rarely. 😥
And our Howard Johnson's got turned into a Cracker Barrel.
You know, I actually have a A&W in my town
Where I live, they're all over the place. Within 75 miles, there's 8 at least.
I do but it’s in with a long John silvers in my town
In my town A&W is combined with Kentucky Fried Chicken....excuse me, "KFC"!
If you find yourself driving cross country in the US there is still an A&W in Ogallala Nebraska which is right on I-80 🙂
I miss Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips.
In the '60s, Gino's is where we'd go to get KFC.
There was a Burger Chef across the street from my high school. It is now a Burger King.
What about Bob's Big Boy and Roy Rogers?
Bob's Big Boy or Big Boy does still exist. But only a handful of locations in the U.S. There's one not too far from me that I want to eat at eventually.
@@Dj.D25 A ton of the big boy ones in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana are owned by Frisch's and split off from the main in 2001
I believe that there are also still some Roy Rogers locations, mostly at highway rest stops on the East coast.
There is still Bob's Big Boys in Southern California. Miss Roy Rogers though...
Same with me. There was a highway that ran thru the next town over they had Gino’s for KFC, across the street & up a bit was a Burger Chef that turned into an Arthur Treachers. There was a Weston’s too, just can’t remember where.
Doggie Diner, Lyons and Red Barn is my childhood right there. The only other one would be A&W but thankfully it’s still in business.
LOVED BURGER CHEF! You got your bun and hamburger and you got to put on it whatever you wanted. Self-serve.
Last year I told my husband I wish they'd bring Burger Chef back. I still crave it today!
🧡🍔🧡
They SHOULD bring it back-I think it would thrive in this day and age!
Seems like a majority of the list was bought out by Marriott, and their hotel chains should utilize their obtained franchises in the hotels for a unique hotel experience.
Yeah, bought out and then closed!
I remember Pup ‘n’ Taco, Sambo’s and Pioneer Chicken in the greater LA area. The Supermarket chain Alpha Beta also opened a Denny’s style restaurant called Alphy’s. I went to the only location that I knew about and now it’s a Denny’s at Sepulveda Bl. and Maple in Torrance, CA
Very cool
There's an Ollie's Trolley operating in Louisville, KY. It's a popular stop: I always order an Ollie Burger with extra sauce, seasoned fries and dill pickle on the side.
Ginos, I believe was one of the first franchise that gave you free refills on your soda 🥤
Man I miss Geri’s. Surprised it was even mention. Went there all the time growing up.
One you missed was Pioneer Chicken, that tried to compete with KFC in the 1970's. Their mascot was this chubby chef guy holding a bucket of chicken as he rode on a covered wagon.
I really liked their chicken strips with barbecue sauce.
Pioneer was co owned by OJ Simpson.
@@plawson8577 I did not know that
Carl's Jr is Hardee's you know
Nobody mentioned Kenny Roger's Chicken even though it was immortalized a Seinfeld episode.
I grew up in South Alabama where Krystal hamburgers were and still are a staple.
the food in those old commercials look so much better than I can get today.
There used to be a chain restaurant in the south called Druthers but they got bought by Dairy Queens. The mascot was a Queen Bee.
I remember those. There was one in my hometown back in the 1970s to the 80s. Their fish was better than LJS.
They we're a chicken franchise if I remember correctly. I remember one very briefly in my hometown in the late 80s or early 90s.
Apparently there’s still one remaining Druther’s in Campbellsville, KY.
Wow two of my local favorites on this list. I remember my dad bringing home a bag of Little Tavern’s burgers when I was a kid. And Gino’s were even at Camden Yards for a short time.
Gino's hamburgers were really good, though not as tasty as McDonald's. My most unforgettable memory of that establishment was the night my blind date (set up by my friend and her boyfriend), was so nervous that he spilled an entire huge glass of Pepsi all over the table, almost ruining the beautiful mohair sweater I had bought for that "special occasion". My friend (who was also at the table with her boyfriend/date) was both hysterical and mortified, knowing that I was going to "kill her" the next day...needless to say, I couldn't wait until the date and the night was over, and swore I would NEVER be "set up" again..That was in 1974 (11th grade), and I'm proud to say, I stuck to my promise...🙂😉
Now I remember Gino's restaurants when I was a kid in Philadelphia. This was at a time when they teamed up with Kentucky Fried Chicken, and their only competition was McDonalds. I do recall when Gino's tried to make a comeback in the King of Prussia area, but I don't think it lasted.
I worked at a Gino’s on weekends in Downingtown while in nursing school in 1979. It was one of the new hybrid ones with KFC, and our burgers were incredible , ‘homestyle burgers’ they called them, that were stamped out by a flower-shaped press of fresh ground beef , and grilled within a few hours. You had to be 18 to run that machine , so that was always my job. I used to think , so it’s ok for you to lose a finger if you are 19?? How would I ever give injections ? 😂😂😂
Although it was long gone by the time I moved to Manassas, Va. in 1981--there used to be a Minnie Pearl's Fried Chicken here in town. I recognize it by the building architecture. By the time I moved here it was a U-Haul rental place. There was also one in Woodbridge, Va. 30 mins. away that was turned into Smokey's BBQ. Both buildings have since been torn down.
I lived off of Zantigo's when I was in graduate school in the 80s. The top price on the menu was 79c.
And H. Salt Fish and Chips - remember those?
I remember some of these places, The town I live in in Virginia once had a Burger Chef that's an insurance office now, Hardee's, Tastee Freeze, Highs ice cream shop,Weiner Schnitzel, Golden Skillet chicken were once in the town I live in, They're long long gone.
Weiner schnitzel still exists in So California
I remember Sandy's! There was one located in the parking lot of the St. Anthony Village Mall in St. Anthony, MN (a suburb of Minneapolis).
Also, that last HoJo's in Lake George, NY, finally closed in June (of 2022).
This may have been a one-off or regional franchise, but we miss our Chandler's down here in Florida. It was sold to Burger Chef then it became a Hardee's. Now, a Dairy Queen is in it's location.
I remember eating at Wag's as a young kid. One night when me, my uncle, his wife and 2 kids (my cousins) were at the one in my neighborhood in Cicero, Illinois, a lady fell down in the restaurant and had a seizure. We found out later that she passed away.
We never went back there again. That location closed a couple of years later but until it did, it was known around the hood as "That place ol' girl died." Never Wag's...just, "that place ol' girl died.
Kids ate free on Tuesday's.
Am I the only one who misses Rax? Great sandwiches, great salad bar, with hot and cold food, and great shakes. It was wonderful.
Mushroom Melt. YUM
According to Wikipedia there are now 5 Rax Roast Beef. At their peak in the 80's there were over 500.
Dee's is my most missed. I grew up in Utah. A few restaurants remain, but the drive thru Dee's is no more. It was a treat to go there. Their burgers were so good. The cheese just melted deliciously into the hamburger patty. Their milkshakes were the best.
Red Barn was soooo 70's !! Didn't really go there more than once or twice as a 1970's kid , but man - that huge barn sign was so surreal and iconic as a childhood memory !!