Iconic Restuarants that are no more.

[ChrisFL]

Originally Posted by Swank

Kapok Tree in Florida.

That's right near where I work...its a music store now.

[Handbag Lady]

Originally Posted by Janepod

Trader Vic's!

I know they haven't completely gone out of business, but they're not in any of the cities I visit.

They closed ours here at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Only it is still open, for special events. Makes no sense to me at all. You can get married there but no dinner for you!

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

Originally Posted by sasywtch

Tony Baloney's and Shakey's Pizza.
Woolworth's counter for the hot dog in the wierd bun that was grilled.

I adored Shakey's as a child! I had at least two birthday parties there.

Originally Posted by fairestoneofall

i loved Rax! my sister used to work there! i much preferred their food to Arby's.

I remember Rax and their taco bar. It was one of only two fast food places my parents would eat (the other appears shortly).

Originally Posted by MomofKatie

A&W Root Beer Drive In

We discovered A&W when we moved to Iowa and it's fantastic. I love their fried cheese curds and fresh root beer. The rest of their food isn't very good, in my opinion, but I can make a meal (and five meals' worth of calories) with just the cheese curds and root beer.

Originally Posted by nchulka

Zantigos!!! Loved that place

The single best fast food Mexican restaurant EVER! My father and I were discussing them just a few weeks ago and how they melted the colby-jack cheese on the nachos. They converted ours to a Taco Bell when I was probably ten years old and the fact that when my father said, with no context, "you know who had the best nachos" and I immediately responded "Zantigo's," lets you know they were good.

Did they get bought out by Taco Bell, or did they go out of business?

Originally Posted by roliepolieoliefan

We still have Ponderosa, Houlihann's and Hardee's .


Miss Chi-Chi's, Rax and GD Ritzys

I went to Ponderosa a few times as a child and remembered loving it, so a few years ago my wife and I were driving cross-country and saw one when we were stopping for dinner so, at my imploring, we went there to eat. It was just atrocious. It may have just been the one at which we ate (it was in the middle of nowhere right off an Interstate, so not exactly a dining destination), but I was so disappointed.

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Originally Posted by Swank

not a chain but a destination. Kapok Tree in Florida.

this is what I thought of when I thought "iconic".....so many great memories from vacations in Florida!

It was part of the Peter Pan chain.

I still have a couple of the Hurricane glasses that my parents brought home!!!

ETA: also have a nice article on the place that my mom saved/

[Baliezer]

Originally Posted by Planogirl

I still miss Gallaghers. They had great steak and good hot bread. I also loved a place in Houston called the Boston Sea Party. Seafood became too expensive for such an amazing buffet.

I miss Gallaghers as well. I was little when we went, but I distinctly remember the bread and spreadable cheddar cheese.

[Heidict]

Sambo's
The lunch counter at Woolworths
Shakey's Pizza
A&W drive in

[powellrj]

We still have many of the places listed. We have Big Boys, Raxs, Hardees, Ponderosa, MCL, A&W, Little Ceasars.

The ones I miss are Steak and Ale, Ground Round, Stuart Andersons, Woolworths/Kresge, Taco Tico.

[rgf207]

Originally Posted by bunkkinsmom

Well maybe I can shed some light on the Chi Chi's situation, at least here in NC. I worked for Chi Chi's for 6 years in Raleigh on Falls of the Neuse Road. I left there to work across the street at TGIFriday's. I too LOVED Chi Chi's. The only restaurant I've ever worked where I could eat there everyday and never get tired of it. When I started in 1988 we were busy every every night. For any of you who visited the Raleigh Chi Chi's, if you remember it was HUGE!! There were 4 different rooms and it was not uncommon for 3 of them to be packed every night with hour plus waits on the weekends. Over the years the crowds dwindled, but never to the point of closing. The Food Service providers in NC stopped carrying the Chi Chi's products, as many of the stores closed throughout the country. However, our store was still doing quite well. Our franchise consisted of Raleigh, Greensboro, and a newly opened Cary store. When we lost our food service provider, we were literally buying product at the grocery store. You can't do that for too long and stay in business. Hence the demise of Chi Chi's in Raleigh.

Now, for those of you that loved the Pollo Magnifico (probably the most popular dish) I will share with you the secret to it's greatness. I am assuming I can't be jailed since there are no more stores in my state

Ready? Here it is........

Go to the store. Buy chicken breast. Buy "Chi Chi's Margarita Mix". Marinate Chicken in the Margarita Mix overnight. Grill. Serve over your favorite spanish rice. Melt Velveeta cheese and add half part Mexican white queso and melt together. Add 1 jar of Chi Chi's Medium salsa. Drizzle over chicken.

The Margarita Mix is the secret ingredient...... ENJOY!!!

Originally Posted by aprincessatlast

At the store looking at salsa. Thinking hey whatever happened to Chi Chi's! Oh boy we used to have some good times there. Yum Fried Ice cream. Sounds gross as an adult but as a kid it was
So what restuarants do you miss or wonder whatever happened to them.

and what about Ground Round! as a kid you paid what you weighed. Imagine doing that now!

Chi-Chi's went out of business due to a Hepatitis A outbreak traced back to Green Onions. It was the largest Hep. A outbreak in US History.

[daannzzz]

These are all missed for nostalgia's sake not really for the "good" food though I did enjoy them.

Me n' Ed's pizza
Red Barn Hamburgers
Fjord's Smorgasboard
Chicken Delight
Giant Orange
Kmart refreshment island (25 cent ham sandwiches)
Spivey's
King's Table

I remember in the mid 60's, the A&W burger family. The Pap burger used to be a large burger like a Whopper with one patty. After not having gone for many years I went back and the had changed it into more of a Big Mac style. Smaller, double decker with two pattys and lots less interesting. They still have that now.
We still have A&W and Shakey's here.
There is a Farrell's Ice Cream opened back up in southern California.

[powellrj]

Originally Posted by daannzzz

These are all missed for nostalgia's sake not really for the "good" food though I did enjoy them.


Red Barn Hamburgers

Kmart refreshment island (25 cent ham sandwiches)


I remember in the mid 60's, the A&W burger family. The Pap burger used to be a large burger like a Whopper with one patty. After not having gone for many years I went back and the had changed it into more of a Big Mac style. Smaller, double decker with two pattys and lots less interesting. They still have that now.
We still have A&W and Shakey's here.
There is a Farrell's Ice Cream opened back up in southern California.

I forgot about Red Barn, I use to love their hot dogs with the red relish and grilled buns. I loved Kmart ham and their sub sandwiches too!

When I was in high school back in the 70's, I worked at a place that served the A&W menu items and we did have a papa burger, mama burger, baby burger. Our papa burger was the double decker and the moma burger was the one like the whopper, I think.

I loved Shakey, where else could you get pizza and fried chicken and those really good potatoes!

[jen0610]

Originally Posted by powellrj

We still have many of the places listed. We have Big Boys, Raxs, Hardees, Ponderosa, MCL, A&W, Little Ceasars.

The ones I miss are Steak and Ale, Ground Round, Stuart Andersons, Woolworths/Kresge, Taco Tico.

We have 1 Big Boys up here. It's better known just as Azar's, even though I think Fischers has official bought the FTW location. DH and I are usually the youngest 2 adults eating there.

If there is a Rax and MCL in central IN, I am on a mission. With Rax, we bemoan their demise every single time we drive past their old locations here in town. Suprisingly, both are now Fazoli's.

The only A & W's we see are the ones that are attached to either KFC's, Taco Bell, or LJS. It's just not the same.

[powellrj]

Originally Posted by jen0610

We have 1 Big Boys up here. It's better known just as Azar's, even though I think Fischers has official bought the FTW location. DH and I are usually the youngest 2 adults eating there.

If there is a Rax and MCL in central IN, I am on a mission. With Rax, we bemoan their demise every single time we drive past their old locations here in town. Suprisingly, both are now Fazoli's.

The only A & W's we see are the ones that are attached to either KFC's, Taco Bell, or LJS. It's just not the same.

Come to Anderson and you will find a Rax downtown and a MCL at the mall. I will get hungry for a BBC at Rax, but when I get one, I always think its over priced for what you get, but then I forget and will order another one! I use to eat at MCL all the time, but its been a few months since I have been there.

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Originally Posted by daughtersrus View Post
Anyone from the Chicago area remember Farrel's Ice Cream (there was one in North Riverside Mall), C0ck Robin with the square ice cream scoop (apparently the first word is against Dis rules because it changed it all to ****), Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips or Barnaby's Pizza in Downers Grove?

Not in Chicago but I remember a Farrell's. It was an 19th century motif. I remember if you ordered the Pig's trough or there was a birthday, the banged the drums in all the rooms, used a two person thing to carry the ice cream and ran all over the place with sirens blaring. I think they did the same for the Pike's Peak.

[AllisonK]

Originally Posted by cluvsdisney

I LOVED Lum's! I used to go with my grandparents in Florida. They used to serve food in little plastic baskets.

There's one left! It's here in MA - I went there for the first time a few weeks ago and really liked it.

We also used to have (nearby, at least) Ground Round (now a Japanese steakhouse), TCBY (now a Subway) Ponderosa (now a Verizon store), East Side Mario's (now an empty building) and a Bugaboo Creek (now a Not Your Average Joe's).

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I remember in the mid 60's, the A&W burger family. The Pap burger used to be a large burger like a Whopper with one patty.

They were all Drive ins when I was younger. They had a Papa Burger, a Mama Burger, and a baby burger. Then they added the Teen Burger. I forget whether it was a Mama with Bacon or a double deck baby with bacon. None of those are on the menu any more and all of em I've seen are walk ins.