Classic American Eateries: Remember These Iconic Restaurant Chains?

We thought we’d take a whiz through time and celebrate some of the chains that didn’t quite survive—or at least the chains that now live a modest, quiet life. Some of these dining establishments you might remember, some you might not. Take a trip down memory lane and feast your eyes on these forgotten all-American franchises.

Sadly, the chain never managed to gain mass appeal, and its last restaurant closed in 2011. The restaurants themselves were eventually sold to another chain, Nathan’s, in 1998. If you ever want to see this place in all its glory, you only need to grab your box set of Seinfeld and look for season 8, episode 8: The Chicken Roaster.

But it just wasn’t meant to be. There was a lack of consistency which eventually undid the efforts of the singer and the businessman. Many cited the inconsistent food quality between restaurants; others cited the incoherence of the menu. These restaurants just aren’t around anymore.

This joint was once ubiquitous on the west coast. But in 2010, the restaurant all but closed its doors, except for one place on Long Island, which has remained in business since 1961. It’s unknown if the burgers still match the classic recipe, but if you’re in the area, maybe it’s worth checking out.

The knock-off was forced to change its name, menu, and even building style, as it was just too close to the brand White Castle had been trying to cultivate. At the height of its power, White Tower had over 230 restaurants—not that you’d know it unless you looked carefully.

In 2003, as it stumbled along, barely able to stay afloat, tragedy struck. Three customers lost their lives due to Hepatitis, which had been found in the restaurant’s food supply. After these senseless deaths, the restaurant finally disappeared after its owners declared bankruptcy a year later.

But Lum’s didn’t exactly die off due to unpopularity. The Pearlman brothers sold off their 400 restaurants to KFC for $4 million—which was worth a lot more back in those days. A few Lum’s remained, but the last one closed in 2009.

These restaurants doubled up as hotels, making them perfect stopping points for weary travelers. But throughout the past few decades, their popularity seemed to dwindle, and the buildings were gradually sold off. Now, only one HoJo exists, somewhere out there on a lonely highway.

Eventually, it found itself outcompeted by copycat businesses and closed its doors. Its name has not been forgotten, however. Bennigans has since bought the rights to Steak and Ale and have hinted at bringing this legendary alehouse back. Only time will tell what will be made of this.

Many folks remain sentimental about this place, though—artifacts from this legendary lobster and steak restaurant sell high on the online marketplace on sites such as eBay. Since so many people yearn for another Valle’s, it seems the hole left behind in the market was never filled.

Alongside the delicious double-decker burgers, Bob’s is known and loved for the iconic “Big Boy” mascot with its curly hair, blue eyes, and checkered overalls. Nowadays, there are still six Bob’s Big Boys left – most are in southern California and there’s one odd one in North Dakota.

Marriott bought up the chains in the 1980s and turned them into Roy Rogers. Marchetti made a pretty penny on the deal. It’s possible that he regretted giving up his franchise because, in 2010, he opened up a brand new Gino’s. Sadly, Marchetti died in 2019.

Burger Chef was started in 1957, a few years after the founders patented the flame broiler. The inventive founders also introduced toys with kids’ meals, a classic of fast food restaurants everywhere. In 1981, Hardee’s bought it.

Considering Mr. Steak only started in 1962, that was pretty fast growth. However, over the years, more competition flooded the market (Sizzlers, Stuart Anderson’s Black Angus, etc.). Also, Mr. Steak pivoted toward serving salads, fish, and chicken. This fatal business decision led to their downfall. The last Mr. Steak was closed in 2009.

In addition to that, the quality of Bennigan’s food fell by the wayside and they didn’t develop their unique brand enough. In 2008, they filed for bankruptcy. Since then, they’ve recovered a bit and now operate 11 locations in the US and 14 locations outside the US.

However, that quick growth began to contract in the late 90s and early 2000s, and it was sold to multiple private equity firms. In 2010, the parent company filed for bankruptcy and, as a result, 29 Charlie Brown steakhouses were closed. The COVID-19 pandemic took away all but one remaining restaurant.

Although they served the same thing, some towns had a Bonanza and others had a Ponderosa – it was up to chance and marketing as to what name went where. In 1988, however, both were merged into one company. They reached their peak around that time with roughly 600 stores. Nowadays, there are 80 or so.

By 1995, all remaining Naugles locations were converted into Del Tacos. In a touching twist of fate, Naugles was revived with the help of a dedicated food blogger and plenty of adoring fans. After a 2015 soft opening, it expanded its service hours, locations, and popularity.

However, it pretty much went kaput in 1981, with the sole remaining restaurant pictured above in Campbellsville, Kentucky. During its heyday, Druther’s had the catchy slogan “I’d Ruther Go to Druther’s Restaurant” alongside the Andy Dandytale mascot for kids.

In fact, there were more than 200 Henry locations in the early 60s – more than McDonald’s! However, things went downhill after that peak. Henry’s didn’t adapt quickly enough to compete with other fast-food burger joints. Also, there was a horse meat controversy that affected its reputation.

Pop ‘N’ Taco grew quick – building 61 restaurants in its first eight years of operation. In 1984, however, Taco Bell offered them a deal they couldn’t refuse. After selling off 99 restaurants, the chain shrunk to a measly three. Those final few closed during 2010.

It now includes burgers, friends, and hot dogs alongside waffles with ice cream and fried chicken with rice. It celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2019 and is still going strong with over 900 locations.

Just seven years later, in 1985, D’Lite had over 100 locations selling its high-fiber buns, lean beef hamburgers, and low-calorie cheese. Unfortunately, it was unsustainable. Just a year later, it filed for bankruptcy and most of its stores were sold to Hardee’s.

A year later, however, things changed. Carrols Club Burger couldn’t keep up with the whoppers at Burger King, so Carrols joined Burger King. That is to say, most of the old Carrols restaurants converted into Burger Kings.

The first Wetson’s opened in Levittown, Long Island in 1959. Its 15-cent hamburgers were a big hit with locals. However, their era of success was short-lived. After Burger King and McDonald’s came into town, they were done.

Alongside roast beef, they had a salad bar and baked potatoes. The ‘80s were its heyday with over 500 locations. After that, business dropped off, and nowadays there are only a handful left.

Shortly thereafter, however, he got bored. So, Harlan and his wife Claudia opened Claudia Sanders, the Colonel’s Lady. It was a sit-down restaurant that didn’t last too long because the new KFC owners hit the Colonel with a lawsuit. They agreed to allow one location in Shelbyville, Kentucky. It’s still there.

They didn’t last long, though. By the late 1980s, Red Barn closed up shop. Some of the remaining stores were rebranded as “The Farm.” Despite a sizable Facebook following that’s calling for new stores, none have opened.

At the pioneering heights of Pioneer Chicken, 270 stores dotted the land selling chicken, coleslaw, fries, and corn. By the 1990s, people lost interest in the mediocre menu. Nowadays, only two locations are left. Both are in California, one in Boyle Heights and the other in Bell Gardens.

The menu was similar to McDonald’s – burgers, milkshakes, fries – but they structured the business differently. For example, individual store owners weren’t required to buy everything from Sandy’s. The restaurant did ok for a while but was eventually bought by Hardees in the 1970s.

People love it … for about a decade and a half. In 1994, however, the regional fast-food chain Krystal purchased Mighty Casey’s. Shortly thereafter, all the Mighty Casey’s locations were converted into Krystal locations.

Their menu was similar to that of Burger Chef, and the brothers ran a modestly successful enterprise all throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s with 27 locations around Chicago. However, they fell on rough times in the ‘80s and closed up shop.

Winky’s grew beyond the Pittsburgh area into the broader Pennsylvania area alongside West Virginia and Ohio. Its peak came in the late ‘70s with a total of 42 stores. However, shortly after the local economy took a beating, Winky’s filed for bankruptcy.

However, their overseas operations ballooned. First, Wimpy’s opened in the United Kingdom and then in South Africa. Nowadays, it’s headquartered in South Africa where it has 459 locations on top of its 71 in the UK.

So, from a height of 175 locations, they dwindled down to only a few. In the mid-1970s, the owners decided to cut their losses and liquidate the company at a lower market value than they hoped. Nowadays, there’s one remaining location – in Miami.

Regardless, it led to trouble. Taco Cabana filed a lawsuit against Two Pesos for stealing their ideas. It went all the way up to the Supreme Court, resulting in a win for Taco Cabana. The next year, Two Pesos was out of business – forced to sell their locations to Taco Cabana.

With the growth came a growth in controversy. The name “Sambo” is a pejorative word for African Americans, so customers were dumbfounded at how they could keep (and actively market) such a name. Sambos became “The Jolly Tiger” but didn’t last for long – they filed for bankruptcy in 1981.

In the mid-1970s, Beefsteak Charlies grew into a restaurant chain that expanded far beyond the single Manhattan location. The famous slogan “You’re gonna get spoiled” referred to the fact that it had all-you-could-eat salads alongside all-you-could-drink beer, wine, and sangria. It grew to 60 locations in 1984, went defunct by 1987, and closed the last shop in 2009.

Customers ate the all-you-can-eat buffet inside a nautical-themed interior as wait staff in colonial dresses walked around. It did ok for a while but took a downtown in the 90s. No one knows exactly when, but sometime in the early 2000s, all stores were closed.

From NYC, it spread to Spain, Mexico, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. However, it very quickly ran into trouble as the owners, Francesco Buti and Tommaso Buti, were hauled in for money laundering in 1998. It closed shortly thereafter.

The Little Bakery was adored by people for its warm croissants among other tasty treats like muffins, pies, and bread. The company changed hands quite a few times from Mrs. Fields Original Cookies in the late ‘80s to Java City in the ‘90s. It’s with them that La Petite Boulangerie met its demise in late 2000.