Famous Restaurants That Have Disappeared

[Splitty]

I think it was more of a local/northwest chain, but my mom worked at Kings Table buffet for a good number of years when I was a child.
We got to eat free (or discounted?), so it's very nostalgic for me.
I loved their sticky buns (cinnamon rolls) and block of delicious unbreaded fish. Oh, and the ice cream sundae's, of course.

[Rallygirl]

While I love being right near Lake Michigan, we live in a small resort town surrounded by other small resort towns. Other than some basic fast food restaurants on the highway, it is only in the last few years that a few national chains have crept in. Now if you want small, expensive, busy, local restaurants, we've got you covered. Looking back, unless our family was traveling, I really missed out on some classic restaurants.

[spacecaps]

Also just remembered the old department store in the mall, Bambergers, used to have a restaurant in it too.

[FETT1]

there USED to be BIG BOYS here in WESTERN CANADA...
DON CHERRYS RESTAURANTS also...met the fellow there once ..he signed a bunch of menu's for the folks that night.

jas

[J.B.]

Always wanted to go there as a kid......and now it's too late.

[HardyGirl]

I remember it was a treat if my mom agreed to stop at the lunch counter at Woolworth's, but only after we finished our shopping, and if I was well behaved.

[TomStrong]

There's still a Hardee's in Florence, Al and a Popeyes and a Godfathers. The Godfathers is still awesome, its locally owned and they're really sweet people. I remember the restaurant in Kmart, it was my favorite place and I still remember it with the ultimate nostalgia. It's linked inexorably in my mind with childhood and Megos. If I could go back that would be a great place to start!

[EmergencyIan]

In the 70s, at times, we would go to the toy department on Saturday afternoon and then head over to the cafeteria. I think that the BBQ chicken and mashed potatoes were some of my favorites from the K-Mart cafeteria.

- Ian

[EmergencyIan]

I miss Bonanza and Ponderosa

They were good for cheap buffets

We used to go the Ponderosa, about once a month, on Saturday evenings, when I was a boy. Evansville also had Western Sizzlin (steakhouse). It was good, as well. I'm not sure if it still exists.

- Ian

[jwyblejr]

Another that came to mind...Sizzler. It was so popular at one point it had it's own catch phrase whenever something good happened (We goin' Sizzler!) We also had a place around here in the early 80's called Buckston's. I'm not sure if they were all over but I have fond memories of that place. Also did anyone have a K-mart with a restaurant in the back? Like it was actually just part of K-mart just like Target has their little food station or Walmart has Subways or Mcdonalds in them only this place was basically the K-Mart Diner. We used to go for breakfast and around the holidays Santa would show up.

Cheeseburger In Paradise all closed up recently. (Thank god!) and there was this place called the Boulder Creek Steak House that opened next to an 18plex movie theater (and was the only place to eat in the parking lot) and was so terrible they went out.

In a few years Perkins, Friendlies, and Boston Market would probably make it on this list.

I remember the little restaurant in KMart. Most got replaced by Little Cesar's. A couple wound up with Nathan's. That's another one there was a lot of. Now there's only the main one.

[cjefferys]

I see Mister Donuts all over the place in Japan, I had no idea that there are none left in the US now, very interesting.

I always liked going to Ponderosa, I miss that place (the local one turned into a Red Lobster years ago). I also remember liking Red Barn too.

[Marvelmania]

Someone mentioned Woolworths, man they had great lunch specials. There was one still open in the early 90s in downtown Nashville that had the old counter round spinning stools that you would sit on, I'd go there many times during the week for their lunch specials. They closed not too long after that. Cole's drug stores also had the old counter and booth sections much like Woolworths and they were just as good. McCorys store had a diner section but they were awful.

[knight errant00]

Shakey's Pizza, Ground Round, Burger Chef, Howard Johnson's . . . all places I remember as a kid that are all gone now. And I met my wife at Mister Donut . . .

All the Rally's/Checkers around here seemed to close up a couple years ago. For a long time, whe had no Dunkin' Donuts around (no great loss) but they opened a few 3 or four years ago.

[knight errant00]

Does Hardees exist anywhere, other than Minnesota?

I can look out the window of my office here in downtown St. Louis and see a Hardees. They're all over town here.

[Spawn67]

I remember in the early 80's there was a chain called RUSTLER.
We had Roy Rogers fast food which I liked alot when I was a kid.
We also had GINO's and the have recently reopened.