Restaurant franchises have significantly influenced American consumer culture over the past few decades. Highway and mall sites are dominated by chains like Outback, Friday’s, Applebee’s, Chili’s, Red Robin, and others. But it seems like there are innumerable failed chains for every success tale. While some of the now-defunct restaurant franchises rose to tremendous heights before falling to the ground, others never really got off the ground. Open the menu, take a seat, and let’s have a look at some renowned restaurant chains that you might not even be aware of, as well as some that you might yet pass on your upcoming road trip.
Old Iconic Restaurant Chains Where Are They Now
Howard Johnson’s
The 1920s saw the establishment of the Howard Johnson’s firm, which expanded alongside American car culture. By the 1960s, American roadways were littered with more than 1,000 of the chain’s recognizable orange roofs. However, they vanished in a matter of a few short decades. The hotel division of the company was sold off, however it no longer has the iconic HoJo design features. The restaurants gradually closed down during this time. Only one Howard Johnson’s is still operating as of 2017.
Howard Johnson’s
Kenny Rogers’ Roasters
In 1990, this chicken franchise was established by John Y. Brown, a business partner, and country artist Kenny Rogers. Even though the food was well-liked, the restaurants were sold to Nathan’s in 1998 since they were unable to successfully enter the market. Nevertheless, a legendary Seinfeld episode immortalized the chain.
Kenny Rogers’ Roasters
Minnie Pearl’s Chicken
Franchisees should take note from the lessons learned from the narrative of Minnie Pearl’s Chicken. Country singer Pearl and entrepreneur John Jay Hooker teamed up to open a chain of eateries under her name in the 1960s. At one point, there were close to 500 locations, which was initially a success. The food was ruined by the absence of a unified menu or set of recipes, and the entire franchise failed after a short period of time.
Minnie Pearl’s Chicken
The All-American Burger
Never more than a local fast food restaurant, the Southern California All-American Burger chain. Fast Times at Ridgemont High, a popular teen movie from the 1980s, however, made it famous. If you’re on the east coast, however, a Massapequa, Long Island business with the same name and emblems has been open since 1961 and is still dishing out delectable burgers to this day. The last store on the west coast shuttered in 2010.
The All American Burger
White Tower
White Castle, the first well-known fast-food franchise, debuted in 1921. As is common in business, several copycats opened up right away. White Tower was one of these knockoffs. The menu, decor, advertising, and even the construction of White Castle were all replicated when John E. Saxe and his son Thomas opened White Tower. There were 230 White Towers at their peak, however the chain was forced to undergo considerable alterations as a result of legal action taken by White Castle, leading to its demise.
White Tower
Chi-Chi’s
NFL player Max McGee and Marno McDermitt founded Chi-Chi’s in the 1970s. The brand swiftly expanded, bringing a basic menu of meals prepared in a Mexican-style to many American towns. Chi-Chi’s, on the other hand, started to disappear as the number and diversity of Mexican eateries increased. In 2003, a Hepatitis epidemic in the food supply resulted in the deaths of three customers, which served as the franchise’s death knell.
Chi Chi’s
Lum’s
Lum’s was established in Florida in 1956 by brothers Clifford and Stuart Pearlman. The chain was well-known enough to support 400 sites at one point thanks to its “beer-steamed” hot dogs and distinctive glass-doored windows. The chain was ultimately sold by the Pearlmans to KFC for $4 million. The last Lum’s store closed its doors in 2009 as the brand was gradually phased out.
Lum’s
Steak and Ale
The concept of Steak and Ale was innovative. Like Chi-Chi’s, it introduced a whole concept to the American market: inexpensive steak and a salad bar. Although the business suffered from its own success, the concept was a huge success. Others adopted the design and made improvements, leaving Steak and Ale behind. In the early 2010s, the chain’s final outlets closed. However, the parent company of Bennigans has purchased the Steak and Ale name, and appears poised to bring it back according to their their website, which states, “Once revered for its succulent Prime Rib, warm bread and bountiful salad bar, Steak and Ale is poised for an epic comeback. Redefined as a 21st Century polished-casual concept, while retaining the signature elements that made it an American classic, the new Steak and Ale will once again set the standard for affordable steakhouses. Guided and supported by an expert operations and management team, qualified franchisees have the opportunity to generate immediate consumer loyalty by bringing back a beloved restaurant blessed with decades of goodwill and brand equity. The new Steak and Ale, offering a polished casual experience at a casual dining price point, is positioned for phenomenal growth.”
Steak And Ale
Valle’s Steak House
Its name was Valle’s Steak House, and its specialty was steak and lobster. From 1933 until the year 2000, Valle’s, an East Coast chain, did well financially. However, the weaker economy that followed the gas crisis of the 1970s sealed its fate. Sales of chain-related items on eBay serve as evidence that it was overlooked.
Valle’s Steak House
Gino’s Hamburgers
In 1957, Gino Marchetti, a member of the Football Hall of Fame, founded the first Gino’s Hamburgers. By the 1970s, he had over 300 sites and had the Mid-Atlantic States franchise rights for Kentucky Fried Chicken. In the early 1980s, Marchetti sold the company to Marriott, who promptly converted all the Gino’s into Roy Rogers. He entered the restaurant industry once more in 2010 by building a new Gino’s establishment.
Gino’s Hamburgers
Burger Chef
Burger Chef once had more than 1,000 locations and was on par with McDonald’s. The chain also developed a number of industry standards for fast food, such as kids’ lunches with toys. Burger Chef was sold to Hardee’s in 1981, but they were doomed by poor business methods.
Burger Chef
Mr. Steak
In the 1970s, Mr. Steak, a franchise of steakhouses, was very well-liked. Unfortunately, these steaks weren’t juicy enough to withstand growing competition from new steakhouse businesses like Sizzler and Stuart Anderson’s Black Angus, and they eventually went out of business in 1987 after declaring bankruptcy. Nearly 300 outlets were run by the company at its height.
Mr. Steak
Bob’s Big Boy
In the 20th century, Bob’s Big Boy’s double-decker burgers and distinctive mascot became a mainstay of American roads. About 100 outlets in California and the Midwest continue support the network.
Bob’s Big Boy
Bennigan’s
One of the first chains for casual eating and sports bars was called Bennigan’s. They were always behind Friday’s, Applebee’s, and Chili’s in terms of similar ideas, though. The chain underwent many sales before declaring bankruptcy in 2008. 23 locations in the US have remained open under new management.
Bennigan’s
Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse
The combined number of Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses in the United States was formerly close to 600; they are now controlled by the same parent corporation. The combined number of both is currently approximately 80 nationwide.
Ponderosa Steakhouse And Bonanza Steakhouse
Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse
In the 1980s and 1990s, the New Jersey-based regional chain Charlie Brown’s experienced rapid expansion. Although some of the franchise owners have continued to operate, the corporation went out of business.
Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse
Naugles
Between 1970 and 1995, Naugles had a very good 25-year run. The delightful motto of a Mexican fast food chain with sites around the United States was “Prepare food fresh. Serve clients promptly. Keep the area tidy!I must respect that, are I right? By the middle of the 1980s, there were up to 225 sites, with the final one—in Carson City, Nevada—closing its doors in 1995. Entrepreneur Christian Ziebarth brought the eatery back to life in 2015. California currently has two locations.
Naugles
Druther’s
Burger Queen was another name for the Druther’s restaurant business, which ran from 1963 to 1981. The burger and fried chicken joint’s mascot was a huge bee dubbed Queenie Bee, and it was based in Louisville, Kentucky. The restaurant’s tagline was, “I’d Ruther Go to Druther’s Restaurant.” Though the chain is now gone, there is still a Druther’s in Campbellsville, Kentucky. Andy Dandytale was another of the company’s kid-friendly characters.
Druther’s
Henry’s Hamburgers
Businesses like Henry’s were created in the 1950s when restaurant industry entrepreneurs tried to emulate McDonald’s success. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Henry’s was a significant player: By the early 1960s, there were more than 200 of them, more than McDonald’s had at the time. Failure to adapt to industry changes, competition from other fast-food burger chains, and a controversy over the use of horse meat are all cited as potential factors of the chain’s rapid decline. Today, only one Henry’s, in Benton Harbor, Michigan, remains.
Henry’s Hamburgers
Pup ‘N’ Taco
You could buy tacos, hamburgers, hot dogs, and pastrami sandwiches on the menu at Pup ‘N’ Taco. After the first restaurant opened its doors in 1965, it immediately became successful; by 1973, there were 62 of them. In 1984, Taco Bell acquired 99 Pup ‘N’ Taco locations in California, but not the three locations in Albuquerque, including the two that operated under the “Pop ‘N’ Taco” name (shown). The 2010s saw the eventual closure of those shops.
Pup ‘N’ Taco
D’Lites
D’Lites promoted its nutritional value, which is an unusual strategy for a fast-food establishment. Founded in 1978, there were more than 100 sites by 1985, but success was ephemeral. It boasted about low-calorie cheese, fiber-rich buns, and hamburgers produced with lean beef. In 1986, the company stopped franchising and declared bankruptcy. A year later, it sold Hardee’s 90% of its restaurant portfolio.
D’Lites
A&W Drive-Ins
Fast food restaurant business A&W Restaurants, Inc. is known for its root beer floats and draft root beer. Its “frosty mugs” are well renowned for this. It was one of the first chains in the nation to offer drive-thru service when it opened in 1919, and it plans to maintain that heritage by opening more locations than it has ever previously shuttered. A&W, it’s good to see you back.
A&W Drive Ins
Carrols Restaurants
Unbelievably, there were fast food establishments prior to McDonald’s and Burger King. Carrols is the original burger restaurant. The founder of Carrols, Herb Slotnick, eventually gave in to the fierce competition and converted his restaurants into Burger Kings too. Carrols had the Club Burger, it sold unique Looney Tunes glasses and hamburgers that were once 15 cents (okay, in the 1960s), but still. What a huge shame that was.
Carrols Restaurants
Wetson’s
Herb Wetanson, a native of Long Island and the creator of the Wetson’s Burger chain, was motivated to open his own eatery after visiting the original McDonald’s while traveling through California. In 1959, Wetanson opened the first Wetson’s in the Long Island community of Levittown with assistance from his family. The chain’s 15-cent hamburgers started off as a huge hit. When McDonald’s and Burger King aggressively entered the New York market in the 1970s, the chain, however, faced financial difficulties. By the decade’s conclusion, Wetson’s was just a distant memory.
Wetson’s
Rax Roast Beef
Over the course of the restaurant chain’s existence, Rax Roast Beef has gone by various names. Originally known as Jax Roast Biff and then Rix Roast Beef, Rax experienced its greatest phase of success in the 1980s. At the time, the addition of salad bars and other food stations temporarily elevated Rax to the status of one of the most popular chains in the nation. Early 1990s mismanagement and other problems harmed the company, and as of 2017, only a small number of Rax outlets were still open for business.
Rax Roast Beef
Claudia Sanders, The Colonel’s Lady
The restaurant chain that never was is probably best summed up by Claudia Sanders, The Colonel’s Lady. The company’s creator, Harlan Sanders, surrendered his ownership stake in Kentucky Fried Chicken by the middle of the 1960s, but he continued to serve as its ambassador. Then, Sanders and his wife reopened Claudia Sanders, The Colonel’s Lady as a brand-new, sit-down eatery serving his chicken. The proprietors of KFC threatened to sue the couple, so they decided against expanding the restaurant into multiple sites. The Sanders family eventually secured a deal that let them to keep selling the chicken at one Shelbyville, Kentucky, store, which is still in business today.
Claudia Sanders, The Colonel’s Lady
Red Barn
The Red Barn chain, famous for its Big Barney burgers and unusual barn-styled architecture, peaked in the middle of the 20th century with between 300 and 400 locations in 19 states, as well as locations in southern Ontario, other parts of Canada, and Australia. However, in the 1980s, corporate ownership stopped supporting the business, which marked the start of Red Barn’s steady demise. In Racine, Wisconsin, one was still going strong as of 2017.
Red Barn
Pioneer Chicken
In the 1980s, Californians frequently consumed pioneer chicken. Sports luminaries Chick Hearn and (pre-trial) O.J. promoted the franchise, which at its peak had 270 locations. Simpson. But starting in the 1990s, Pioneer Chicken lost both relevancy and market share. There were just two establishments left as of 2017: one in Bell Gardens and one in Boyle Heights, California.
Pioneer Chicken
Sandy’s
A group of McDonald’s franchise owners who were dissatisfied with the shifting conditions of their contract with the firm founded Sandy’s in the middle of the 1960s. They provided similar menus to the Golden Arches, but their economic structure was significantly different. For example, restaurant owners owned their locations rather than renting them from the corporation, and they were not compelled to purchase supplies from the latter. After enjoying some success in the region, Sandy’s was forced to sell to Hardee’s in the early 1970s due to financial difficulties.
Sandy’s
Mighty Casey’s
In the early 1980s, the Atlanta region saw great success for the chain of baseball-themed restaurants known as Mighty Casey’s. Mighty Cases set themselves apart from the competitors by using better ingredients in dishes like the Grand Slam Burger. Early in the 1990s, Krystal purchased the chain, and any remaining outlets were transformed into Krystals.
Mighty Casey’s
Yankee Doodle Dandy
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, bicentennial fever swept the country, and Bensenville, Illinois, home of brothers Chris and Bill Proyce who opened the Yankee Doodle House in 1966, was no exception. The chain, originally known as Yankee Doodle Dandy, had close to 30 locations in Chicago by 1976. Unsurprisingly, the chain had a Burger Chef-like menu with a red, white, and blue color scheme that was themed to America. At the beginning of the 1980s, the chain went out of business.
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Winky’s
For a sizable portion of the 20th century, Winky’s was a mainstay in the Pittsburgh region. Harold and Bernard Erenstein, two brothers, launched the chain in 1963. With catchphrases like “Fast Food Cheap” and “Winky’s Makes You Happy to be Hungry,” Winky’s gained notoriety for its inexpensive hamburgers and hot dogs. There were 42 stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio at their busiest in the late 1970s. However, the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1982 and went out of business.
Winky’s
Wimpy Grills
One of the most intriguing entries on our list is Wimpy Grills. In 1934, a hamburger franchise was established in Bloomington, Indiana. Before going out of business in 1978, the chain enjoyed some measure of success in the United States. The situation was different abroad, where Wimpy’s is still popular, particularly in the United Kingdom.
Wimpy Grills
Royal Castle
In 1938, Royal Castle was established in Miami, Florida. The restaurant chain, yet another White Castle knockoff, was well-known for its small hamburgers and birch beer. The chain persevered for many years, but by the 1970s, its market share had almost completely vanished. There is only one Royal Castle surviving today, and it’s in Miami.
Royal Castle
Two Pesos
In 1982, the Two Pesos chain was established in Houston. The Tex Mex restaurant franchise started out well. However, a protracted legal dispute with a competing company called Taco Cabana resulted in a legal loss and the chain’s closure.
Two Pesos
Bikinis Bar & Grill
According to a recent report, Bikinis Bar & Grill was unmistakably related to Hooters since it employed servers known as “Bikini Babes” who wore the restaurant’s signature bikini tops, cowboy boots, and tight denim shorts as part of their uniform. The 2006-founded firm, which referred to itself as a “breastaurant,” eventually expanded to 14 locations across Texas. After the chain was mentioned in a contentious episode of CBS’s Undercover Boss, however, things started to go south. The final Bikini’s closed in 2018.
Bikinis Bar & Grill
Blue Boar Cafeteria
A network of cafeteria-style eateries called Blue Boar Cafeterias was established in 1931. The network had more than 20 locations distributed around the midwest at its peak in the middle of the 20th century. However, when mall food courts proliferated in the 1980s and 1990s, things started to deteriorate. Only 5 stores remained by 1995, and all of them were closed by 2003.
Blue Boar Cafeteria
Boston Sea Party
In 1976, to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States, a chain of “high-end” seafood eateries with a patriotic moniker called Boston Sea Party opened. At its peak, the business featured facilities in several of the largest convention centers in the US. By the end of the 1990s or the start of the 2000s, every location had shut down.
Boston Sea Party
Briazz
In 1995, the first Briazz sandwich store in Seattle was established. However, things didn’t last long. Eventually, the business had locations “across America as far as Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.” When Briazz filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2004, the company was subsequently acquired by the Organic to Go company, who renamed the remaining outlets.
Briazz
Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse
When Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse opened in 1992, one thing set it apart from the competition—and no, it wasn’t the menu. Instead, the Canadian-themed restaurant business was famous for its animatronics, which welcomed visitors and entertained them with head mounts of bulls, buffaloes, or moose. Even the best animatronics couldn’t save the brand; the last location closed in 2016. Other novelty characters, like Timber, The Talking Christmas Tree, would be programmed to educate customers about Canadian history and natural wonders.
Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse