Corporations, like people, are not immortal. This is especially true of chain restaurants, many of which have closed as times and tastes have changed. Get the best food tips and diet advice Appearing on the restaurant scene when steaks were perceived as a rare treat for the rich and fancy, Steak and Ale brought steakhouse fare and vibes to the masses at affordable prices in comfortable, old English-inspired dining rooms (per the Wall Street Journal). Founded in 1933, this chain was around for nearly seven decades, the last location closing in the year 2000. But they werent able to keep up with the competition and closed their last location in 2008. } else { Kenny Rogers Roasters began in Coral Springs, Florida and quickly expanded to include more than 350 restaurants. For many, Chi-Chi's was the first place they ever got a taste of a chimichanga. In the late '70s, it was hard to find a theme restaurant that didn't do well, but by far the most inventive was Boston Sea Party. Back in the 90s, themed fast food joints were having a great moment. Despite having a taco on their name, they served a variety of dishes like hamburgers, pastrami sandwiches, and hotdogs. The Italian dining chain tumbled into administration days after restaurants were told to shut their doors temporarily due to the virus. Wimpys does live on internationally with its headquarters moving to the UK and then eventually South Africa. However, the success was very short-lived. It was a horse-racing-themed restaurant chain. Burger chain Byron is another dining brand which had been attempting to carve out a path to recovery following a CVA deal in 2018. Football Hall of Famer Gino Marchetti opened the first Gino's Hamburgers in 1957, and by the 70s, he was able to boast over 300 locations. The hotel portion of the business has been sold off still existing in name, but with none of the classic HoJo design elements. It was founded by brothers Frank and Donald Thomas in 1954, according to John S. Flack, Jr., Burger Chef superfan and unofficial historian. ", Soon after H&H's last automat shut its doors forever, Kenny Rogers founded a chicken chain that Kramer became obsessed with in an episode of "Seinfeld. The chain began in Philadelphia in 1902 and during its golden years from 1920 through 1950, it expanded to more than 180 locations, primarily in New York and Philadelphia, according to Entrepreneur. Launched in the mid 1960s by a group of disgruntled McDonald's employees, Sandy's offered similar menus to the golden arches, but there were key differences in their business structure. By the mid-2000s, though, the chain was contracting as quickly as it grew, and by 2017 it was bankrupt and with fewer than 20 locations remaining. Instead of settling, Kenny Rogers did what any self-respecting country music legend would do: he bought a majority stake in the Cluckers company! The chain's most popular menu items included Salisbury steak, huckleberry pie, and freshly brewed coffee. Many a night in Miami ended with a trip to Dennys on Biscayne and 36th . The hotel portion of the business has been sold off still existing in name, but with none of the classic HoJo design elements. They ended up having too many stores and the quality of their food began to decline. Starting with a small shop in Indiana in 1954, Burger Chef eventually grew to over 1,000 locations and rivaled fast food giant McDonald's. Last edited: . The. It was renamed as well in 2020. And if you're wondering why Sizzler is not on the list, that's because you can still find plenty of locations of this once ubiquitous low-cost steakhouse out west. An unusual tactic on fast food, D'Lites marketed itself based on nutritional value. Following that sale, more locations were sold in 1984 and 1989, bringing the VIP's story to an end once and for all. In May, the brand and 30 of its restaurants was saved in a rescue deal by Giraffe and Ed's Easy Diner owner Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG), although it still resulted in 1,019 job losses at Carluccio's. The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect across huge areas of the UK economy, but few areas felt as hard an impact as the hospitality sector. The prestigious hot spot closed in 1965, and although there were talks of it relocating, owner Sherman Billingsley died shortly after. Caffe Nero rejected the move but pushed forward with its CVA instead to secure rent cuts and changes to lease structures. You and your friends probably hung out at a chain restaurant during your teenage years, or you might have picked up lunch at one while working your first job. He converted his Steak & Brew to Beefsteak Charlies. Marchetti returned to the restaurant business in 2010, opening up a new Gino's location. One of the countless mimics of McDonald's, Henry's Hamburgers was a major player in the '50s, '60s, and '70s. At its height, there were 230 White Towers, but the chain died after legal action from White Castle forced them to make significant changes. McDonald's Happy Meals appeared soon after and Burger Chef sued, forcing McDonald's to settle out of court for trademark infringement. At its peak, there were between 300 and 400 Red Barn restaurants dotted across America, according to Red Barn history site BarnBuster. If White Tower's name sounds a bit repetitive of White Castle, that's because the restaurant was doing its best to imitate the slider chain. And that's despite an attempt to re-brand and revitalize the chain as Mr. Steak's Firegrill, a western-themed take on the steakhouse. And then there are others that maybe had some early success, caught fire but then eventually flamed out whether it took many decades or even less than two years (as you'll see). Sadly, as big as Burger Chef was, it couldn't withstand emerging competition from upstarts like Wendy's. Aside from one location in Nebraska that closed in 2017, all other Lum's had closed by 1983. 7 Steakhouse Chains With the Best Quality Meat in America, 5 Outdated Steakhouse Chains That Are Making a Comeback, 9 Steakhouse Menu Red Flags, According to Chefs, two locations in Woodbury and Scotch Plains. So, which of these restaurants do you miss the most? The chain was sold several times over the years, and filed for bankruptcy in 2008. Every Steak and Ale immediately and permanently closed down, as did all of Metromedia's company-owned Bennigan's outlets. It was founded in 1975 and the business quickly boomed to a total of 210 locations in 1995. The eatery was not without controversy though, as the name is a derogatory slang word used towards African Americans. There are in fact a lot of formerly successful fast food restaurants that no longer exist. The restaurant had almost 1,000 locations at its height but shut down in the '80s after most were sold to Denny's. Although it's vanished from the American fast food scene, the chain is still thriving in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Dubai. The locations, which were usually near a major interstate, featured a delicious blend of breakfast, lunch, and dinner classics. And the Brow Derby's food was incrediblethe Cobb salad was founded there and was named after owner Robert Howard Cob, according to theThe New York Times. Coffee isn't a nut, so the name ofcanned ground coffee Chock full o'Nuts is a little confusing. Pizza Hut said the move would protect about 5,000 jobs across its remaining restaurants as well as the "longevity" of the business. Before the pandemic, in 2010, the parent company filed for bankruptcy and closed 29 locations. Get our money-saving tips and top offers direct to your inbox with the Mirror Money newsletter. The deal secured the future of 225 restaurants and shops, protecting 5,000 jobs. Today, people looking to catch a bit of the Brown Derby legacy are left with memorabilia in museums or the Brown Derby tribute at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando. Big Daddy's Restaurants. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In September, Pizza Hut became the latest pizza chain to take the axe to its store estate to avoid collapse. Today, the total of both stands at under 20 across the country. Three items from Steak and Ale debuted on the Bennigan's menu in 2018: the Kensington Club (an eight-ounce sirloin topped with a proprietary glaze); cheese, bacon, and wined mushroom-topped Smothered Chicken; and pineapple-heavy Hawaiian Chicken. It has a slogan of Prepare Food Fresh, Serve Customer Fast, Keep Place Clean. The chain eventually merged with Del Taco which resulted to changing most of the branch name to Naugles Del Taco. In 1971, the building where fast food was born was demolished and turned into an unofficial museum for the chain by restaurateur Albert Okura. In the 1980s, the restaurant began to decline, as it switched up menu items in favor of more chicken and fish. There is only one Henrys Hamburger store left and its located at Benton Harbor, Miami. Naugles is a tex-mex restaurant in Southern California during the 1970s. The company never recovered and they later sold off to Outback Steakhouse which later sold them off again. Lucia's Restaurant. All Rights Reserved. Chain restaurants like Applebee's, Fridays, Chili's and Outback may dominate highways and mall locations alike, but it wasn't always that way. The chain said the affected restaurants were "no longer financially viable" and had unsustainable rental costs for the current trading environment. These are the reasons why these restaurants have been successful over time. In 2017, all remaining Crumbs locations sadly closed for good. At one point, the flagship store with its gorgeous clocks, Tiffany ceiling, and. In the summer of 2014, all Crumbs Bake Shops were closed and the company filed for bankruptcy. However, they were doomed by bad business practices, and Burger Chef was sold to Hardee's in 1981. After starting as a small operation in Colorado Springs, the chain eventually grew to over 200 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada. Here is a list of restaurant and hospitality chains which have collapsed into administration in 2020: The Italian dining chain tumbled into administration days after restaurants were told to shut their doors temporarily due to the virus. The Howard Johnson's hotel-restaurant chains began in the 1920s and evolved along with the American car culture. No restaurant chain can live forever, no matter how popular or unique it is. Gas prices soared and travel plummeted, slashing into the company's profits. Its like a giant vending machine that disperses your food after you insert payment. Creditors for the sushi chain gave the thumbs up to a CVA deal which spelled the end of the road for 19 of its restaurants and cut around 250 jobs. The restaurant eventually rebranded itself, changing its name to No Place Like Sam's and Jolly Tiger, however there's still one original Sambo's left in the United Statesthe original restaurant, which is run by the founder's grandson in Santa Barbara, California. They started out as a hot dog stand and slowly became a full fast food restaurant that served hot dogs that were steamed in beer and their famous Lumburger. Considering its all-you-can-eat salad bar; unlimited beer, wine, and sangria; and massive portions of hamburgers, steaks, ribs and chickenall available at ridiculously low pricesit's easy to see why Beefsteak Charlie's was a restaurant lover's dream in the 1970's and 80s. If you are a restaurant owner, here is, 5 Tips to Using Instagram to Reach a Wider Market, Learn About the Very Wild and Interesting Psychedelic Era. Souplantation, or Sweet Tomatoes, as it was known outside of its birthplace of California, pitched itself as a healthy restaurant, offering a super-sized salad bar with dozens of leafy greens and appropriate toppings, along with soups and baked goods. But the only place you'll find Chi-Chi's in America is in the grocery store, where Chi-Chi's-branded products remain on the shelves. But that success apparently was in part due to less than positive financial management. The company slowly declined after a Hepatitis A outbreak in one of their stores resulting to death of four people. By the late '70s, though, the company had been sold. Lum's was started by brothers Stuart and Clifford Perlman in Miami Beach in 1956. It was Brown who brought the Ollieburger to Lum's, having bought the secret recipe from Miami Beach sandwich shop operator Ollie Gleichenhaus. However, its administrators secured the sale of the UK business and 15 sites to newly-formed business BrunchCo. Business was so good that in 1969 the brothers were able to purchase Caesars Palace Las Vegas for $60 million. Just think of all the history Hilltop Steakhouse lived through: Founded in 1961, it was around for the Vietnam War, the moon landing, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and so much more. "When the hungries hithit the Red Barn!" Arthur Treacher's aggressively expanded in the 1970s, branching out from its Columbus, Ohio, beginnings to a chain of 826 restaurants by decade's end, according to Kiplinger. It has stores in the US and Canada and was very popular during the 1920s and 1930s. Customers could order char-broiled burgers, bar-b-que sandwiches, homemade soups, entrees like hickory smoked ham steak or clam strips, or eggs, pancakes, and French toast. It also had to change its name to Pumper and the logo because of a lawsuit by Burger King. Within five years, the remaining locations had closed as well, according to the Hollywood Reporter. At the start, Gino's Hamburgers was simply Gino's Drive-In, a hamburger company started in Baltimore, Maryland, in the late 1950s. Childs had almost 125 different locations and served over 50 million meals each year. The restaurant chain was started in early 1976 by restaurateur Larry Ellman. But as Hollywood exited the golden era, so did the Brown Derby, and by 1987 all four locations were closed. (Also, don't confuse the defunct steakhouse chain with the online butcher Mr. Steak, by the way there's no relation.). The Training Table - was a regional chain of fast food restaurants in the U.S. State of Utah. Although this burger joint was famous only in Southern California, it became well known because it was featured in the 1982 movie entitled Fast Times at Ridgemont High. They grew by acquisition but they eventually filed for bankruptcy with its founder being accused of fraud. The group was rescued by Boparan Restaurant Group, five months after its similar deal for Carluccio's. It's fairly common for country music stars to expand their brands by brancing into new areas like food and drink. The chain was sold to TV entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis, who revamped the business and tried to bring it back, but those efforts failed as well. In their day, automats were conceived as a quick, easy, and reliable way to get a tasty meal and items like prepared sandwiches, salads, pies, and cakes were displayed behind tiny glass doors. Once a nearly national chain that offered low-cost steaks and other foods in more than two dozen states, the York Steakhouse chain closed down in the late 1980s, according to New Bedford Guide. Once a major presence in many east coast regions, the chain's long, slow slide began in 1977, according to Chuck the Writer, when the death of its founder, Donald Valle, led to money issues that imperiled the business. Most Famous Female Pop Artists of the 70s, The History of the Basketball The Actual Ball, Guide to the Absolutely Strangest Things on Earth, Strange and Unusual Ceremonies and Traditions Around the World. The cafe chain fell into administration after challenging trading conditions were exacerbated by the coronavirus crisis. Which was sorrowful but not a surprise: locations had been shutting down for years. The group, which also operated Las Iguana, said it had to enter insolvency due to its "extreme operating environment". The move also secured rent reductions across a raft of sites, reduced its debt by over 400 million to 319 million and secured 40 million in new cash to aid its recovery. However, a Massapequa, Long Island based company is using the same name and logos in the East Coast and they have been flipping burgers since 1961. The chain quickly became successful having over 1,500 locations all around the world. Think: tacos, hamburgers, hot dogs and pastrami sandwiches. DOGGIE DINER A staple in the Bay Area, the Doggie Diner, founded in 1948, was more local than most of the chains on this list, but no less iconic due to its giant cartoon doggie heads. Minnies Pearl Chicken was one of KFCs main competitors. His chain restaurant, which focused on causal dining, never grew to tremendous popularity. restaurant reached. Call it a game changer. Bar chain Revolution closed six sites permanently and cut 130 roles after its major restructuring was given the go ahead. Unlike old TV shows, which seemingly live forever online, once restaurant chains disappear, they're gone for good. Gourmet Burger Kitchens axes 362 jobs and closes 26 restaurants - see list in full, Every major brand that's cut jobs since the start of the coronavirus pandemic - listed, Is click and collect allowed in Tier 4? Their food became popular but came up against stiff competition with KFC, Boston Market and others. Founded in Southern California in 1936, only five Bob's Big Boys remain in operation today. A version of this story was originally published on April 25, 2022. It was McDonalds biggest competitor back in the day. Six years later, after the Great Depression rendered nuts an expensive indulgence, founder William Black converted what had grown into a collection of 18 nut stores into some combination of coffee stand, lunch counter, and low-cost convenience store, dispensing a cup of hot brewed coffee and a "nutted cheese" sandwich (per Politico) cream cheese and chopped nuts on raisin bread for a grand total of five cents. Launched in Dallas in the mid-1960s, Steak and Ale defined mid-century suburban, sit-down dining. Started in the early 1960s and popular in the 1970s, Mr. Steak managed to hold on until the 1990s, but the family-friendly steakhouse chain has now been defunct since the days Vanilla Ice was at his peak, according to Nation's Restaurant News. The film's cult following outlived the restaurants, and its final west coast location closed in 2010. What started as a popular Manhattan restaurant founded in 1914 grew to a huge chain throughout the northeast during the '80s. Sadly, that expansion also set the chain up for incredible failure in the mid-1970s, when the U.S. energy crisis hit. In 2010, per the New York Times, the Chock full O'Nuts restaurant concept was revived as a food stand catering to nostalgic New Yorkers. Even though Shor reopened a year later, the restaurant's heyday had passed. From huge fast food franchises like McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts to family-friendly sit-down chains like Applebee's and. as well as other partner offers and accept our. A decade later, they too sold the chain, this time to a franchisee based in Asia. There are also major chains of sit down restaurants like Outback Steakhouse, Chili's and many more. Open from 1929 to 1965, the restaurant and night club was a place where celebrities and socialites alike could enjoy cocktails, a steak dinner, and a night of dancing. The Howard Johnson's hotel-restaurant chains began in the 1920s and evolved along with the American car culture. During the '40s and '50s, every A-list celeb was a regular at Toots Shor'sfrom Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe to Jackie Gleason and Judy Garland. And there's one in Florida. Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill. Arthur Treacher's presentation was decidedly more British than its competitors because of its heavy use of malt vinegar and the involvement of its namesake, Arthur Treacher, the sidekick on the popular "The Merv Griffin Show" and a well-known character actor his many roles as a stuffy English butler. Eventually pieces of the franchise were sold off and it slowly dwindled with the last location closing the mid-1990s. The rest, all came from 25 Chock full O'Nuts coffee-and-sandwich cafes still extant in Manhattan and Brooklyn. For more than 40 years, a private luncheon club for Manhattan's titans of industry was located 68 floors above Manhattan and nestled into one of the most iconic buildings in New York City. Long Island-native Herb Wetanson was inspired to found Wetson's after seeing McDonald's while on a roadtrip out west. However, due to a lack of cohesive menu or recipes, the chain quickly fell apart within a few years. People lined up just to eat at Mighty Caseys. It was a major brand well into the '80s; by the time Black died in 1983, according to the New York Times, the company touted an annual revenue of $115.8 million, with 80 percent of that coming from grocery store coffee. In 1979, more than 1,000 Big Boy burger joints greeted customers across the U.S. with towering statues of the chain's chubby, cheery mascot. In what is now regarded as a cautionary tale of slapping a famous name on a restaurant and calling it quite, Minnie Pearl's Chicken, named after the country singer Pearl, once had almost 500 locations in business. However, the company secured its future after landlords voted in favour of CVA which resulted in 73 restaurant closures and 1,100 job losses. RELATED:9 Steakhouse Menu Red Flags, According to Chefs. Think: including operators of the restaurants owning their stores and not leasing from the corporation, and not being required to buy supplies from the corporation. Briazz. That wasn't the chain's only hit. As new chains like Slim Chickens and Torchy's Tacos gain in popularity, popular restaurants like California Pizza Kitchen and Chuck E. Cheese are at risk offadingaway. Gigantic gourmet burgers known as the "Big Barney" and the "Barnbuster" were similar to the Big Mac and Whopper of later years. Red Barn was also the first chain to let customers have salad their way, with a massive self-service salad bar filled with countless salad fixings and every type of salad imaginable. Minnie Pearl's Fried Chicken was a fast food franchise started in 1966 as a competitor for the nationwide sensation Kentucky Fried Chicken. They closed out all the All Star Caf stores in 2007. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Venues started to reopen their doors to customers again in July but were then hamstrung by local restrictions, a 10pm curfew, new service rules and a second national lockdown in England in November. As a result, the virus has helped drive a raft of already troubled dining chains towards collapse. TRG said the move, which also resulted in the closure of its Food & Fuel pubs in London, would close 61 Chiquito restaurants and leave just 20 standing. if( 'moc.sihttae.www' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { The Azzurri Group which owns ASK Italian and Zizzi closed 75 of its restaurants after collapsing into insolvency last year. They soon became a restaurant and expanded in multiple locations. 6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e. The "new" restaurant chain enjoyed regional success around New York in the 1970s and looked poised to go big in the 80s, but by the end of that decade, locations were closing and the chain was again bankrupt. Even with ups and downs in the economy, the global pandemic, and changes in consumer tastes, these institutions seem safe and sound. Chock full O'Nuts weathered the Depression by offering cheap food and cheap coffee, which was so popular that Black started to sell it in grocery stores in the early 1950s. The business - which was founded by Antonio Carluccio in. VIP's was a fast-food chain based in Oregon. In addition the quality of some franchises was less than great and they eventually completely went out of existence. In 1936, Chasen's opened and instantly drew in a flurry of Hollywood clientele. Crumbs Bake Shop got its start in 2003 as a small mom-and-pop style bakery located in Manhattan's Upper West Side. Wasabi said it secured additional funding from its investors as it received approval for rent cuts across its estate. From swanky celebrity hot spots to local institutions, take a look back at some of the most iconic restaurants that have, sadly, gone out of business.
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