Restaurants that are no more

[MerryPoppins]

DH's favorite restaurant used to be Magic Pan. We miss it. We also used to have Farrells (a favorite when I was in high school), Burger Chef (one of my brother's first jobs), Shakeys (they used to have sing-alongs...follow the bouncing ball), Nickerson Farms (we often stopped there on vacations), Bennigans, Godfathers, Chi Chis, Kip's Big Boy, Don Pablos, and Taco Tico. Others I didn't see mentioned that I miss are Fudruckers (I know they still exist, just not here), Kings, Dairy Queen, and Little Italianos (best pizza ever), and Casa Bonita. We do still have Whataburger (in the city), loads of Sonics (I live at world headquarters for that one), Taco Cabana, Jack-in-the-box, and Little Caesar's. We don't have A&W in my town, but I'm pretty sure there is one open in the next town over. I love their root beer, too.

 

[sha_lyn]

Now I remember Magic Pan since a bunch of y'all brought it up. We used to go eat there for lunch and then shop at Cumberland Mall on Saturday. It was sooo good.

Heather

Yep that's the one I went to growing up.
Ate there 1x as an adult with DH and another couple. We lived in Augusta at the time, but were in Atlanta on business.
When ex and I were dating, thats where we ate on the way to Prom my Jr year. Heck it was our first date. We wre just friends at the time and I broke up with my BF a week before prom. Dang that brings back a mixed bag of emotional memories.

 

[CajunDixie]

There might be a few around somewhere else ... but not one around here ... Roy Rogers. Remember the barrels made into seats that you'd sit on?

Again, gone in this area but might live on somewhere else ... Bennigans.

We still have Bennigans in with a local hotel

I miss Jack in the Box...it was cheap and close to school for lunch breaks.

I also miss Skipper's (I think that was the name) yummy fish, shrimp baskets and great sauces.

you can still get a tostada at the taco bell's around here.

How about Godfather's Pizza?? I miss their lunch buffet.

We still have Godfathers in Michigan City, IN and Kalamazoo, MI. Whenever we go through either one we'll call a head and order a couple of combos. I always intend to freeze one to sort of savor piece by piece but it never works out.

My absolute favorite as a little girl was Burger Chef. Was that a chain? My mom said I loved it because they had a fixin's bar and I could make my burger however I wanted it. I remember loving their shakes too! They closed by the time I turned 5 but I STILL remember loving that place!

I loved the ham and cheese at Burger Chef....as a kid I wouldn't eat hamburgers! So this one place had ham & cheese then it changed to Hardees and they dropped it. I haven't been back since!

And Dennys are closing like crazy....


A&W Rootbeer Stands... Those were the BEST!!!

The Fort Wayne Denny's was soooooooooo nasty before they closed. The last time we went the 4 of us ordered and they were out of 3 of the 4 meal items and the place looked trashy. So we just got up and left. 2 weeks later it closed! I loved the one we stopped at in either KY or TN coming home from one of our WDW trips.

We don't have A&W Rootbeer Stands but we do have B&K Rootbeer stands. I love the frosty mugs and how they'll bring them out to your car.

I think Michigan still has Eli's Big Boy but I miss our Azaar's Big Boys.

 

[Shyvioletisme]

wow a lot of these we have EVERYWHERE here, like: Bennigan's, Sonic, Jack in the Box, Whataburger(maybe it's cause it began in Texas?), Little Cesars...

anyway...my big missed place is somewhere I'm certain they didn't have in the north and not sure if it even exists anywhere in the south anymore...but it was Po Folks...checkered table clothes, drank out of mason jars, they had the BEST fried chicken and had the most awesome shirts that every one had when I was little:

 

[Mickeyluver37]

Houlihan's Old Place

they had the best fried mozzarella balls back in the 70s.....

Is this different than Houlihan's? I'm surprised to see that they are gone everywhere else, because they are just getting to MD!

Little Cesar's.

We still have LC, and their pizza is still $5!!!

I miss PoFolks, too!!! Oh, and a recent closure- Tia's.

 

[cristit14]

I miss Shakey's, Godfather Pizza, Mr. Gatti's Pizza....hmmmm I am sensing a theme here.

We still have Bennigan's, Little Ceasar's and A&W here in Colorado. We have Del Taco also. I think they are terrible!, but I never knew it from before.

 

[AUdisfan]

Now I remember Magic Pan since a bunch of y'all brought it up. We used to go eat there for lunch and then shop at Cumberland Mall on Saturday. It was sooo good.

Heather

We used to go to Cumberland all the time, but my parents wouldn't take us to the Magic Pan. We always ate at El Chico or the sandwich place upstairs. What was the name of it? That's going to drive me nuts. They were both really good. The last time I went to that mall it had really gone downhill.

So, I guess I should try the Shakey's they just built here.

 

[JodyLynC]

wow a lot of these we have EVERYWHERE here, like: Bennigan's, Sonic, Jack in the Box, Whataburger(maybe it's cause it began in Texas?), Little Cesars...

anyway...my big missed place is somewhere I'm certain they didn't have in the north and not sure if it even exists anywhere in the south anymore...but it was Po Folks...checkered table clothes, drank out of mason jars, they had the BEST fried chicken and had the most awesome shirts that every one had when I was little:

I remember Po Folks and we ate there a good amount. They had great breakfasts and dinners. The mason jar glasses were classic!

 

[JodyLynC]

I see several people have mentioned Sizzler. I remember going there a lot as a kid. I know Golden Corral is still around. What about Western Sizzlin', Ponderosa, and Bonanza?

 

[Tosie]

We still have Bennigan's and Ground Round here. We also had a Don Pablo's but I'm not sure if it's still open or not.

Where is the Bennigan's? Whitehall?

 

[Chuck S]

It looks like there are a lot of Western Sizzlin' in Oklahoma.

Ponderosa shows several in FL. Same company as Bonanza, but they all closed out here in the San Antonio area.

Sizzler still a fairly large presence in California.

 

[cybrkitn]

There might be a few around somewhere else ... but not one around here ... Roy Rogers. Remember the barrels made into seats that you'd sit on?

Again, gone in this area but might live on somewhere else ... Bennigans.

We have one Roy Rogers left here on Long Island. We also have at least one or two Bennigans.

I know there are Jack-in-the-Box places still around, but there hasn't been one here in 20+ years. I was surprised to see a commercial for it the other day on one of the stations on Dish Network.

There is one that I do miss - Sizzlers!

ETA: Hey Chuck, there's also a Ponderosa iin the Rochester, NY area. My friend and I ate there last year when we there for a conference.

 

[cybrkitn]

just thought of another: Ground Round

you'd get a basket of both peanuts in the shell, as well as popcorn and you were expected to toss the shells onto the floor (early 70s)

can't remember what i ate there - just remember the peanut shells!

We used to have a lot of them here. Most of them closed down, but there is one we found by one of our local malls and a new one opening up in my area soon.

 

[cybrkitn]

I remember Duff's Smorgasboard, where they had the food on a big round turntable and you stood in one spot and waited for it to turn...I always thought that was so much fun.

Oh man! I forgot about Duff's! We had one years ago but now it's a Chuck-E-Cheese. Before it was Duff's though, it was Bobby Rubino's (sp?).

 

[talulabelle]

Shakey's pizza. I found one about six years ago in Green Bay, Wisconsin but went back three years ago and it was gone.

Oh, Shakeys was the BEST! On Fri. nights there was a piano and banjo player and sing alongs. So many highschool memories there!

Our Roy Rogers had toy horses as the high chairs for kids (am I dating myself that I remember sitting in those?)

I think this one may have just been a Maryland one...but Gino's. It was like a McDonolds or a Burger King. It was owned by a Baltimore Colt. Gino Marchetti. In the 70's we didn't have BK around here, just McD's and Ginos. It was like a Coke Pepsi rivalry where you were either solely committed to McD's or Ginos.

 

[talulabelle]

Lums

 

[talulabelle]

Little Tavern Hamburgers! We used to buy a bag of them next to the movie theater before seeing the movie.

 

[talulabelle]

Farrells, Father's Gay Nineties, Beef Steak Charlies, and Chi Chis.

Father's Gay Nineties was a an old time ice cream parlor that had really unusual sundaes, including one that came in an actual row boat.

Ok, now this is really a trip down memory lane! Beef Steak Charlies was like the only restaurant my dad could afford to take us to on special occasions...I remember eating there after my brother high school graduation. All you can eat shrimp! They were tiny, but hey, all you can eat! Just keep a'peelin,


Sir Walter Raliegh is another I thought of.

 

[mickeysgal]

Lums

I know of a Lums Pancake House. Is this what you're referring to?

 

[Kathi OD]

Farrell's Ice Cream
Howard Johnson's
Thrifty Drug Store Coffee Shops (California)
Sambo's

Believe it or not, there are still a couple of Howard Johnson's restaurants. I am sure there is one in NY.