Another chain restaurant topic - which ones are gone or just missing in action in your area?

[Julie's Haircut]

Sonic is obviously still around but the three or four in my area closed at least five years ago. None lasted longer than a few years.

 

[bcla]

Sonic is obviously still around but the three or four in my area closed at least five years ago. None lasted longer than a few years.

They're a little bit hard to come by around here. The closest ones to me are in odd locations. One is well off the major freeways and isn't allowed to use styrofoam by city ordinance. Another is in American Canyon (Napa County) in a well traveled but still odd location (that one uses styrofoam).

DQ and Orange Julius is a bit difficult to find around here. There's a few that are really old locations and a few that aren't full service ones at malls or even standalone.

 

[MrBellatrixLestrange]

Hot Sam's and Schlotzsky's. I know there are still a large number of Schlotzsky's still around but I never seem to be anywhere they are. There used to be one at the Denver airport so I would stop there on any layovers but it seems like that one is gone too and I don't recall the last time I flew through Denver.

Can't believe I forgot Jason's Deli, I had a ton of gift cards and then all the stores in the area closed simultaneously because they had a single franchise owner. I went to one up in the Chicago area but still have gift cards to use. I loved their hibiscus tea during the summer and they made an excellent reuben.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Even though it is a 3 year old thread, it could be interesting to see how that list of restaurants that are no longer in your area grew.

I got a like on one of my posts the other day for this thread which brought me back to it (totally forgotten about it) but it was this one below which was written a bit over 3 years ago

Our Elephant Bar closed down a few years ago and is now a Brazilian Steakhouse (all you can eat style). I've eaten at the new place once. Issue is all you can eat normally don't appeal to me due to the cost aside from Chinese places. This Brazilian Steakhouse is $50 PP plus drinks and desserts and we found it was just way too much food. Haven't been back since we tried it out.

That Brazilian Steakhouse mentioned above closed for good in June 2020, they temporarily closed in mid-April of 2020 and I'm not sure if they truly really reopened before closing for good (they were open for about 5 years total). They advised they were having a harder time adjusting to doing take out orders but since they closed for good I'm thinking they just couldn't sustain take out concept for long compared to other places (around here indoor dining could reopen by May) and they ran out of money quicker. Being an all you can eat didn't help but Fogo de Chao (another but much more established Brazilian Steakhouse) managed to last.

 

[nene0182]

Add me to the list of closed Ruby Tuesdays. They had the best Sunday morning brunch buffet. My husband still says he wished they were open every single Sunday. I don’t think that was typical for Ruby Tuesdays though but maybe I’ve just never seen another one that advertised it.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Thanks to Covid, I lost my closest Ruby Tuesday, McCormick and Schmick, Macaroni Grill, Applebees, and Burger King. Most of the chains are still around, but now 25 minutes away in all different directions - aka, I won't be going there...

 

[bcla]

Thanks to Covid, I lost my closest Ruby Tuesday, McCormick and Schmick, Macaroni Grill, Applebees, and Burger King. Most of the chains are still around, but now 25 minutes away in all different directions - aka, I won't be going there...

I've seen a lot of places close around here. A Mod Pizza and a Rubio's. The spots are still empty. But Macaroni Grill hasn't closed, although they seemed to have dumped their Happy Hour specials.

McCormick & Schmick's is somewhat interesting around here. They technically made Spenger's in Berkeley part of the chain, but that closed a couple of years ago. The other location that's supposed to be part of the chain is McCormick & Kuleto's at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. All the other locations in Northern California closed.

 

[tluvstink]

I vaguely remember Burger Chef as a kid, I cannot remember the last time I saw one of those.

We went to Burger Chef a lot when I was a kid. They Had the first salad bar I ever want to and I thought it was the best thing ever!

 

[Skywalker3]

Shoney's.....used to be our go to when traveling, and now it's hard to find one, and they all look run down. Haven't gone to Shoney's in many years. Used to be all over middle TN, and only 1 or 2 close
Had a few Burger Kings close down recently.
Several O'Charleys gone. IHOP near us just closed.
Ha, I remember Burger Chef. My brother worked there.

 

[bushdianee]

Denny's? Really? I've never been anywhere in either Canada or the States that had any shortage of Denny's.

Omaha, NE only one that I know of. I just googled it and there is only one listed in Omaha.

 

[gopher101]

Uno's. The one in my neck closed down April 2020.
Krystal's. Been close for over a decade now in my area.
Bennigan's: I miss their monte cristo.

 

[jlmarr]

The original Mimi's Cafe in Anaheim has closed and the building was bulldozed. This is not the location across the street from Disneyland, i.e. the one that's visible when the Monorail first exits the park.

A Marie Calendars in Anaheim closed a few months ago. We know someone who worked there, and who is still a parade performer.

 

[MillauFr]

I've seen a lot of places close around here. A Mod Pizza and a Rubio's. The spots are still empty. But Macaroni Grill hasn't closed, although they seemed to have dumped their Happy Hour specials.

McCormick & Schmick's is somewhat interesting around here. They technically made Spenger's in Berkeley part of the chain, but that closed a couple of years ago. The other location that's supposed to be part of the chain is McCormick & Kuleto's at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. All the other locations in Northern California closed.

The McCormick & Schmicks in Seattle used to be a decent lower cost seafood place when they were a Pacific NW based chain. They had a fresh sheet listing all of the fresh seafood each day. Once Landry bought them out the place went downhill fast and their 3 restaurants in Seattle closed a few years later.

 

[KayMichigan]

York Steak House. It was a chain cafeteria style steak place like Ponderosa or Bonanza, where you'd get a tray and silverware, order at the head of the line, get your salad and drink and dessert, and then they'd bring your steak out to your table. It was in our local mall and we ate there pretty frequently in the 1970s before it closed in 1991.

We found out there's ONE left, in Columbus, Ohio, it's a family owned restaurant now but they kept everything identical to when it was a chain, down to the English Tudor decor. We took a trip out to eat there and wow, it was GREAT. Just like we remembered and the sirloin steak tips were fantastic. It was a long drive but we'll definitely go back!

 

[bcla]

The McCormick & Schmicks in Seattle used to be a decent lower cost seafood place when they were a Pacific NW based chain. They had a fresh sheet listing all of the fresh seafood each day. Once Landry bought them out the place went downhill fast and their 3 restaurants in Seattle closed a few years later.

I tried to figure it out. McCormick & Schmick's bought out Spenger's - maybe 2004? Then Landry's bought out the chain. I'd go there late afternoon because they had an incredible $5 happy hour burger and fries special. It was way better than a fast food burger for far less.

I was trying to figure out the deal with McCormick & Kuleto's. I was familiar with Pat Kuleto, who was the designer of several well known restaurants in the area such as Fog City Diner, Postrio, and a place I went to called Splendido's. There was also a restaurant called Kuleto's. But here's the story.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-21-ca-3942-story.html​

Kuleto’s restaurant interiors include San Francisco’s Fog City Diner, Postrio, Splendido’s and the eponymous Kuleto’s, plus our own Carnegie Deli and forthcoming Red Car Grill. For Maxwell’s 15,000-square-foot space, he wants to, as he says, give San Franciscans the kind of restaurant they’ve always wanted: “a traditional, classic seafood restaurant of the kind they used to have at Fisherman’s Wharf before the city abandoned it to the tourists.” Kuleto’s partner in the enterprise is Bill McCormick, co-owner (with partner Doug Schmick) of a number of top seafood restaurants in the Pacific Northwest--among them McCormick’s Fishhouse in Seattle and the legendary Jake’s Famous Crawfish in Portland--and also a leading seafood distributor in the area.​

That restaurant has a spectacular location in Fishermans Wharf with a view of Alcatraz.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Shoneys - I think they are still around but there used to be two here in Athens but both are gone now. It was our go to place for breakfast before leaving on a Disney trip.

Sonny's BBQ - again I know they are still around but the one here in Athens recently lost it's franchise. We didn't eat there often because being from Georgia it's not really BBQ but sometimes you just wanted it.

We used to eat at the Sonny's in Athens. I always got the salad bar and the corn nuggets were awesome! The BBQ, not the best but edible. I liked Dickie's BBQ on Hawthorne in Athens but they closed about 5 years ago. We just noticed our way to Thanksgiving dinner, there is one near Road Atlanta that I didn't know existed.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Dairy Queens have been gone a long time in our NY area.

We still have a DQ in Winder, GA and I believe every adjacent town. They are everywhere around here.

 

[ncc1701]

The McCormick & Schmicks in Seattle used to be a decent lower cost seafood place when they were a Pacific NW based chain. They had a fresh sheet listing all of the fresh seafood each day. Once Landry bought them out the place went downhill fast and their 3 restaurants in Seattle closed a few years later.

We had gone to their location in Philadelphia a few times a year .When one open near us in Cherry Hill NJ we split our visits . ( we worked in Center City but live in NJ). Both were very good until Landry's took over. The Cherry Hill location closed about 4 years ago. We haven't been to the one in Philadelphia in years

 

[TheRAEmanPTTfan]

Bullwinkles Family and Food Center.

 

[RangerPooh]

Can't believe I forgot Jason's Deli.

We have quite a few of them in the Memphis area. We'll occasionally stop there on our way to Scouts. Their chicken tortilla soup and Club Royal, yum.

Shoney's.....used to be our go to when traveling, and now it's hard to find one, and they all look run down. Haven't gone to Shoney's in many years. Used to be all over middle TN, and only 1 or 2 close
Had a few Burger Kings close down recently.
Several O'Charleys gone. IHOP near us just closed.

The only Shoney's that I knew of closed in maybe 2019, well before Covid. But it, too, looked run down. Not in an area that I would have stopped. The Applebees and Ruby Tuesday down the street closed a year or two prior. Just not a nice stretch of roadway.

I noticed that O'Charley's were closing prior to 2020 and then that seemed to do the rest in. We only ate there once and were not impressed. One by me has been turned into another crab restaurant. Another is to be dozed and become a Whatburger.

Our local BK was closed for a year or so. Even now it's still hit or miss as to if their drive thru is open.