The End of an Era in Fast Food

1976: Royal Castle Closes After Thirty-Eight Years
February 9, 1976 was a sad, sad, day for Fast Foodies in South Florida. On that day the Royal Castle chain announced that it was closing its doors for good.
Ike Seamans reports on Royal Castle's demise, leading with WTVJ file footage of the opening of the one-hundredth restaurant in 1962. Founder/owner William Singer started the chain in 1938 and sold it in 1969 for fifteen million dollars.
The new owners sold stores to cash in on rising real estate values. Singer scorned these decisions in an interview for this story, saying, "There's a certain emotional interest...I wouldn't have sold at any price if I had a profitable store."
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This video and audio is copyrighted/owned by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives at Miami Dade College.
This clip is derived from news film in the WTVJ Collection. Accession number 021-40; airdate February 9, 1976.

[@Theclowncomesbacktobite]

There’s still the Royal Castle tile in the entrance of that store in cutler ridge !!! It’s now an Ernesto’s.

[@thedirtybubble9613]

Ernesto's Taco shop? No way...

[@leversforever9748]

There's still one left at NW27th AVE & 79th ST Miami

[@mistamontiel00]

Fuck yeh! 24/7 too poor souls I wonder how it gets by and how long it's been the lone one! Fuck a White Castle Royal's slider burgs+fries+birch burr are royally best

[@JxT1957]

i remember eating at Royal Castle in Tampa back in the 70s they had good tasting burgers small like Krystal burgers

[@stephensmalldridge9504]

Royal Castle was the absolute best !!!!!😢

[@Cheapnis]

Cleveland still has several Royal Castle buildings, of course different businesses, but if your sharp, you will recognize they were originally. The one on Pearl and almost Brookpark. I think its a pizza hut DELCO still has the entry tile “ fit for a king”

[@woodwaker1]

I worked at that one for one night. Was robbed at 3am on a Sunday morning in 1967 - never went back to get my pay

[@thedirtybubble9613]

They still got White Castle? I heard those are closing down too.

[@slikkrikk9487]

​@@thedirtybubble9613Nope. White Castle left the Cleveland and Akron area in 2014.

[@john2011jb]

It’s only one left in Miami in the Northside area

[@joegardner3083]

Yea your lucky I would kill for one ..30 years ago I would risk everything including my life to go to royal castle ,I use to work at the grand union at North side ,I learned quick, turn a blind eye to shoplifting, never had any problems ..but never forgot my fave birch beer an a dozen burgers..

[@JxT1957]

i used to eat at the one in Tampa back in the 70s, good burgers

[@marimercy14]

So sad

[@MrMelgibstein]

I was really scared to try cuban cuisine in Cuba because of all the cats stories ,so Versailles was my first taste of cuban delicacies including their cafecito.

[@lauradaly8020]

I lived near one that was on Federal Highway in Dania Florida

[@thedirtybubble9613]

I heard there was a shooting at a Royal Castle in SW Miami and they closed that particular restaurant after that. This was in the 70s.

[@videosuperhighway7655]

Old school CEO before the sociopaths started filling the ranks of upper management/CEO ranks

[@DehGoattt]

Thank god Trinidad has them. The food is 🔥🔥🔥

[@anthonydavis3424]

They eat cat in Trinidad

[@DiscardedToys]

Did this place give out toys? I have a motorcycle that someone told me might be from here

[@LAUS-DEO-HAWAII]

TO HELL WITH FACEBOOK, META, AND MARK ZUCKERBERG!!!!!