Iconic Restuarants that are no more.

[Gumbo4x4]

Oh, and someone mentioned Benigan's earlier. If we had them around here, I don't remember them. So, when I saw there was one REAL close to our rental cabin near Disney, I was so excited to try it. The website showed it was still open, but when we pulled in, no go. That was a major downer

 

[JVL1018]

bottom of the barrel (union city) open steak with melted cheese....
ground round (route 9W opposite prentice-hall) pina colada in a glass the size of a mini fishbowl
houlihan's (hackensack) loved those fried mozz balls!
jade fountain (route 17S) best weeknight buffet!
steak & ale (paramus) DH still isn't "over" losing this one...
howard johnsons (route 46) fried clams and coconut ice cream
woolworth's counter (west new york) grilled hot dog!!
wolfie's deli/restaurant (bergen mall) corned beef - yummmm....

now i'm suddenly really hungry....

There's a Houlihans 5 min away from the old one in Hackensack, it's on Rt 4 West in Paramus, right before Rt 17. Since we got Cheesecake Factory where the old Houlihans was, I'm good with the switch. LOL
I miss Wolfies, too!

I really miss Farrell's in Paramus Park and Roy Rogers in Bergenfield.

 

[Poohbug]

We still have a Hardees, Ground Round, Fazolis and a A&W Drive in(only open in summer tho).

I miss Chi Chi's.
Rax did not last long in my town.
Ponderosa just closed.
Shakeys has been gone a few years
I miss Godfathers Pizza-that has been gone a long time.

 

[stardebby]

I miss Steak and Ale so much! Every time I drive the place where it was in my town I almost cry.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

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.

Yep it's pretty nasty. We never go to Ponderosa. Haven't been in years.

 

[Geoff_M]

A lot of the usual suspects:
Rax - I could kill for a BBC (bacon beef & cheddar) right now! That amazing tangy sharp cheese sauce hasn't been duplicated since.
Farrell's - "I made a pig out of myself" with The Trough a bunch of times as a kid (when my metabolism was a LOT higher) and had a birthday party there complete with a Zoo sundae.
Sambo's - Victim of unnecessary controversy. It was named after the two founders "Sam" and "Bo".
Arthur Treacher's - I always smile when I pass an old location with the trademark "lantern" sign still being used by the current occupant.
Burger Chef - My parent's bought their current home off of the guy that was the corporate counsel for the chain.
Roselyn Bakery's - You've only probably heard of them if you grew up in Central Indiana. Locations all over Indy. Great cookies... Funny, I just learned via Wikipedia that they were shut down because their central bakery suffered repeated rat infestations!!!
Steak-n-Ale - Took my date there for my Senior Prom (big spender, I was!).
The Magic Pan - Loved eating there during the short time crepes were all the rage in the late 70's.
Orange Julius - My aunt worked there at our mall while she was dating my uncle. Both are gone now. It was back when they had the demon logo (which they dropped after threats of a lawsuit from Arizona State) and the store had a "Hell" theme with fake black volcanic rock and light fixtures with flickering light bulbs that looked like they came out of a dungeon. I smiled last weekend to see that DQ apparently now owns the recipe and trademark.

 

[maxaroni]

There's a Houlihans 5 min away from the old one in Hackensack, it's on Rt 4 West in Paramus, right before Rt 17. Since we got Cheesecake Factory where the old Houlihans was, I'm good with the switch. LOL
I miss Wolfies, too!

I really miss Farrell's in Paramus Park and Roy Rogers in Bergenfield.

Miss Wolfies too. Went with my mom when dad worked late.

 

[maxaroni]

A lot of the usual suspects:
Rax - I could kill for a BBC (bacon beef & cheddar) right now! That amazing tangy sharp cheese sauce hasn't been duplicated since.
Farrell's - "I made a pig out of myself" with The Trough a bunch of times as a kid (when my metabolism was a LOT higher) and had a birthday party there complete with a Zoo sundae.
Sambo's - Victim of unnecessary controversy. It was named after the two founders "Sam" and "Bo".
Arthur Treacher's - I always smile when I pass an old location with the trademark "lantern" sign still being used by the current occupant.
Burger Chef - My parent's bought their current home off of the guy that was the corporate counsel for the chain.
Roselyn Bakery's - You've only probably heard of them if you grew up in Central Indiana. Locations all over Indy. Great cookies... Funny, I just learned via Wikipedia that they were shut down because their central bakery suffered repeated rat infestations!!!
Steak-n-Ale - Took my date there for my Senior Prom (big spender, I was!).
The Magic Pan - Loved eating there during the short time crepe were all the rage in the late 70's.

Loved Magic Pan too.

 

[maxaroni]

Horn and hardarts Remember going with my grandmother and great grandmother

 

[maxaroni]

bottom of the barrel (union city) open steak with melted cheese....
ground round (route 9W opposite prentice-hall) pina colada in a glass the size of a mini fishbowl
houlihan's (hackensack) loved those fried mozz balls!
jade fountain (route 17S) best weeknight buffet!
steak & ale (paramus) DH still isn't "over" losing this one...
howard johnsons (route 46) fried clams and coconut ice cream
woolworth's counter (west new york) grilled hot dog!!
wolfie's deli/restaurant (bergen mall) corned beef - yummmm....

now i'm suddenly really hungry....

Loved Jade fountain. Even went on the weekends getting pu pu platters and drinks.
What about Jahns ice cream on rt 4

 

[NYEmomma]

Crazy -- DH & I were just talking about Ground Round last night!! I loved their hot dog on the toast. And the old movies. DH said it was the only restaurant his family ever went to (family of 7) because it was cheap and his dad is a major cheapskate.

We still have Arthur Treachers around here but we prefer Long Johns.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Yep it's pretty nasty. We never go to Ponderosa. Haven't been in years.

There are a bunch of them around here and they seem very popular. Once every few years we get talked into going to one. They all seem to get worse with each visit

 

[Squirlz]

ok fesh where? I'm taking a road trip ASAP

Closest to me there is a Ground Round in Jackson and a AW in Mason.

 

[mmouse37]

bottom of the barrel (union city) open steak with melted cheese....
ground round (route 9W opposite prentice-hall) pina colada in a glass the size of a mini fishbowl
houlihan's (hackensack) loved those fried mozz balls!
jade fountain (route 17S) best weeknight buffet!
steak & ale (paramus) DH still isn't "over" losing this one...
howard johnsons (route 46) fried clams and coconut ice cream
woolworth's counter (west new york) grilled hot dog!!
wolfie's deli/restaurant (bergen mall) corned beef - yummmm....

now i'm suddenly really hungry....

OMG....been to several of the above listed places....spent countless lunch hours at Ground Round on 9W when I worked for Best Foods in Englewood.

Often went to that Houlihans and Steak and Ale. HJ had the best fried clams ever!!!

In the Nanuet Mall eons ago they had a burger place called Zippy's....loved it there. Also in Lakewood, NJ there was a burger place called Wetson's (like a McDonalds but better IMO). My dad was a skydiving instructor and he used to take us to the jumpcenter on weekends in Lakewood and we would always get Wetson's for the ride back home in NY. My mouth is watering remembering!!

MJ

 

[DisneyBill]

I've tried to read through all the pages, but I don't believe I've seen any of these mentioned:

Jiffy Burger - White Castle type of fare
Western Sizzlin Steak House
Cow Palace Steak House
Ranch House

Do miss Chi Chi's. Their headquarters was here in Louisville and through employer did a lot of architectural business with them during their growth stage. Looks like Don Pablo's is soon to experience Chi Chi's fate, minus the Hepatis A issue.

It almost seems as though when we adopt a place as one of our favorites, we jinks their success. We've killed many local steak houses, rib restaurants, seafood places, and mexican joints by our solicitation.

 

[spacemountainmom]

We have Zantigos in the Twin Cities. I used to have two pretty close to me, but the one closed not long before Christmas.

We also have A & W still, but most are only open during the summer months.

For quite a long time, there has only been one Popeye's in the metro and it's not in the best area. I guess we're finally getting 16 more and one is pretty close so dh and I are pretty excited.

I think there still are Houlihans in the western part of the metro.

It's probably been over 30 years since there was a Shakey's, Farrell's or Arthur Treachers in the area.

We had Krispy Kreme for a few years and then they all closed. I would love a nice warm KK with some of their Kaffe Kreme coffee.

Did anyone else have York Steak Houses? I don't know if they were just a local thing or not, but there were quite a few in the malls around here.

Interesting thread!

 

[sasywtch]

I really miss Magic Pan, Big Boy, and Farrell's.

Those of you missing Shakey's, they still exist in LA and the surrounding area, and yes, they have the lunch buffet. So when you come to DL, you can take a side trip to Shakey's. I read online there's a Farrell's somewhere in SoCal, but it's a bit far out, I believe.

Well, I guess you talked me into going south for a vacation
It's funny how all the Sacramento based eateries closed here and moved elsewhere so now we have to go find them somewhere else.
I do want to make it to Farrells again down there. This time I will be smart and eat first then go later for just the ice cream.

 

[suzimar57]

wetson's (saddle brook) - it was cheaper than McD, which is why my father took us there....

 

[java]

Loved Farrel's as a kid! Anyone remember Cookies? It was where we. Had many Sunday dinners with the whole family. I think it was one of the first places with a salad bar. I remember my Grandmother stealing the banana bread every time. She eventually brought Tupperware to take it home!

 

[maxaroni]

any North Jersey people remember Fat Mikes on 46?
or Callahans?