My sister and I loved fried shrimp so my Mom sought them out until they disappeared.

The other from that period: Shakey's Pizza. They had (yes, I'm serious) shrimp pizza! LOL

Also, around Roy Rogers is all but gone.

The burger really was the way you like it since you added the fixings yourself.

Apparently there are a bunch(nearly 40) of Roy’s left in MD, PA, VA mostly.

At its peak, the chain included over 600 locations. The chain now has 37 locations in six states, either company owned or franchised.[2][4]

I ate there a couple of years back, mostly out of nostalgia,

I saw it driving my son back from his internship at ORNL.

all sank out of sight after years of the grease softening the foundations of the buildings and the ground underneath.

We did not eat at them too often. We grew up a stones throw from the original Legal Sea foods in Inman Square. When I was a kid it was a take out fish and chips place that grew into a seafood empire and is now fading.

I worked at Gino's for one day as a teenager. I was tasked with making the chicken, a lengthy process of multiple steps. I got all of it right except the last one: putting a tray under the coating machine to hold the flour-based solution that the chicken would be coated with. So it all spilled onto the floor. Manager took one look, and that was the end of my Gino's career.

Many years later, I was a security guard at their corporate HQ before they went bankrupt.

-- Mal

The Sirloiner and the Gino Giant were great and it was the only way to get Kentucky Fried Chicken in those days.

I also miss Burger Chef and the Red Barn restaurants, which also featured fried chicken on their menu.

Also, White Coffee Pot served some decent sit-down meals that were inexpensive.

first restaurant my colleagues took me to was a Steak and Ale, it was pretty good back then.

I think they're gone a while but one of the nicest restaurants I went to was the Charthouse on Condado in San Juan, PR. They did a circular molasses bread with a whole roasted garlic bulb in the middle..mmmmm Main course was the black pepper crusted Callahan cut steak.

Lots of family memories there. My parents rarely took us out as kids. When they did, it was Ho-Joe or the Red Coach Grille. The Red Coach was a small New England chain. Very small.

My mom liked the fried clam strips. We liked the hot dogs that came on those buttered New England style buns.

Not often both at once.

I was just remembering Ponderosa Steakhouse, and another steak one where you pushed your tray got everything else and they brought your entree out to you.

them how you wanted your steak cooked and get your dessert

They have new franchisers that are looking to redevelop the brand in the Plains states along with the Bennigans brand. It won't be as large of a chain, but the concept will reappear.

....they haven't been around in a long, long time.

King and their burgers.

You'd think they would have mastered the consistency problem by now but haven't. Sometimes they are just a soggy, gross mess.

You guys don’t have Burger Kings? They’re all over here. Walked into one last year to get a Whopper, but they’re $12 now so I walked out and haven’t been back since.

In college I’d stop and get a double Whopper with cheese extra everything and eat it driving to the crags. It cost ~5 bucks then.

The trick to successfully surviving a messy Whopper is the technique. Ya really gotta finesse the side 180 degrees from the consumed end, but not with so much pressure that 90 and 270 rupture.

I dunno anymore. It’s been decades-ish. 🤷🏻?♂️

I’ve received a pretty hearty welcome back from most of the old-timers who might remember me from the before times.

But to the post subject, I miss the A&W. I’m sure there might be a few still operating but in my area they’re all empty lots with lotsa rust. Dad would take us once in a while back in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

All I remember is that it was always cold and raining and we sat in the folks’ crappy car and ate hot burgers and root beer floats listening to Rick Rizzs and Dave Niehaus call Mariners games well into the ‘80s.

And, remember boys and girls, there’s no crying in baseball!

arbies sandwichs

An ex-employee came into a state side outlet and murdered most of the employees. Incredibly bad nation wide news coverage resulting in huge revenue losses. This happened at a time when the company was trying to expand into Australia and had over extended their investments while getting less than a luke warm response. The combined losses drove them under.

A historic location near me that has been there since 1978 closed recently.

I had lunch there a few times and it was good. But I like all fast food.

I had eaten at the very first one several times as a small child. I am also related (a few 'removed's back) to one of the founders of the chain. He also started another place in the area that served barbecue. I have had both many times as a child.

(For those who may not know, the very first 'Hardee's' was in Greenville, North Carolina, started by Wilber Hardee. After a year or so, he decided to expand and partnered with my relative and another guy and opened what is referred to as 'Building No:1' in Rocky Mount, N.C.. In 1972, my relative opened the other place called 'Gardner's Barbecue', also in Rocky Mount, which is still open today.)

In fact, my youngest uncle worked there when I was a toddler & early school age.
He was a lot younger than my mom so he was only 14 when I was born.
It was there until I was in late grade school or early HS. A BK went in it's place, but in a completely new building.

My first job when I was in HS in the mid 70's.

They had a throwback promotion one summer when I was working there to celebrate some anniversary of the company. Regular hamburgers were only 15 cents. It was the 1st fast food restaurant in my small suburban town, so immensely popular.

Instead of someone ordering just one large burger like a Big Chef ( Big Mac clone) or Super Chef (Whopper clone) , people would order like 10 regular hamburgers instead. I worked cooking the food, so that meant you had to make 10 sandwiches instead of just one.

When it got really busy, and people were ordering 10, 20 or 30 at a time, it got crazy. They were so cheap, people would buy them for their dog, or even to have wars throwing them at each other in the parking lot. We had an employee discount, but you could pretty much just make whatever you wanted, without ever having to pay

Lubys Cafetería in Houston TX. I lived there in the ‘80’s. I always liked the ‘Luanne Special.’

Stopped by there in 2019 for their steak ans lobster special for 14.99 or something like that.

Good food, kinda not good management

And Krystal's/White Castle restaurants are closing fast. I love the small Krystal burgers. They bring back childhood memories.

but that didn't work. There are still plenty of them in Tennessee (the original home of Krystal is Chattanooga)

Just so different from any other. The Krystals here in the Tallahassee area closed a long time ago. 😔 😟

Used to live going with the old man ...peanuts to throw on floor when I was a kid

doing that. Then they closed.

That comes close to theirs, or a copycat recipe I could make at home. Lisa’s Pizza down in Rodanthe, NC is the closest I’ve found so far, just a bit spicier. They don’t deliver to Delaware! 😟

And Bennigan’s. We loved their loaded potato soup. Hubby and I got a free dinner there once because a server dumped a whole tray of iced teas down my husband’s back. 😂

but I'm pretty sure there are not nearly as many as in their prime. I grew up in the midwest and loved going there (but that was back in the late 70s or early 80s)

They sell take and bake pizzas which I really like.

https://www.papamurphys.com/

There were a few nearby but they have all closed. It's better than carryout if you need some time between when you are out running errands and when you want to eat (and they are slightly cheaper). They were simple to cook and always came out perfect and are way better than the supermarket versions.

in western Washington. Must have at least a half dozen within 15 miles.

They may not have caught on here though. A shame.

They are really fast too so you generally don't even need to call ahead.

When McDonalds burgers were 15¢, Henry’s were 12¢. They were overpriced. Apparently, there is still one in Michigan.

Going to the local Rustler was a real treat when we were kids. Mmmmm Texas Toast! Wonder why they all disappeared.

I miss Steak and Ale (which was once named Jolly Ox)

They had the best veggie burger ever. I'm a vegetarian.

They had an interesting little sauce that was on the burger. I was told that the last one was in St. Pete but it closed.

I used to love their coffee from their shops. Back in the day Chock Full O'Nuts and Dunkin' Donuts had the best take out coffee.

For obvious reasons



The last "Sambo's" branded restaurant was renamed in 2020

I lasted two days, was 14 or 15 and clueless. In many ways.

And some were sold to other chains, and some were kept and re-named. There is more detailed info about that on the Wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo's

The best of the fish and chips places.

The town we just moved to has a privately owned F & C joint in the shopping center near us which is very good but pretty pricey, I guess like all the fast food places now.

a few years later. Mid to late 80's.

obvious reasons became unpopular and died except for the original location which is now called Chad's.

A popular Pacific Northwest regional chain. Lots of locations, many near college campuses. They were one of the pioneers of pizza delivery, with small jeeps with warming ovens in the back.

early 90's.

So their hook was 'poor people' food. Think country fried steak, ocra, hush puppies. Their drinks were served in mason jars. They had all you can eat specials and being 22 and in the military that was the bomb!

in the last century and later on the interstates. All gone now. I did a whole write-up on it for some friends awhile back. They recruited young women from all over the country to be waitresses etc. and come live and work at these rail stops. They were called Harvey Girls and Judy Garland even did a movie about being one. Here is a famous song from the movie. Also a little brief documentary about Harvey Girls.

They had the best salad bar. Also Ground Round.

Last edited Mon Apr 8, 2024, 11:47 AM - Edit history (1)

There's plans to put one in one of the local hotels this spring.

apparently after filing for bankruptcy a third time, there are still some open.

There was one out by the airport in Raleigh, N.C. and I loved to go there.

Let's see... there used to be both a Dairy Queen and a Dairy King... I don't see the 'Kings' anymore.

Are there still any O'Charley's out there?

Nowadays all the 'Godfather's Pizza' locations that I see are just a product rack in a convenience store. I guess they are not 'stand alone' anymore.

We did have a Bennigan's in Raleigh as well. It was okay.

Oh, does Bojangles still exist?

The restaurant is not gone, but this feature is. Does anyone recall the 'buffet' at Wendy's? Back in the day they had a buffet which I rather liked. So of course, they stoped doing it.