Do You Remember These Defunct Restaurant Chains?

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
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The slide show starts with Howard Johnson's, click the next button to view the next restaurant, 24 in all. More HERE.

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I remember about half of the restaurants in the article.

Carrol's started in my area.

A local group tried to save one of these early Carrol's restaurants as a historic building but they failed and the building was eventually torn down. When it was in operation members of the local car clubs used to hang out there on hot summer nights to show off their restored cars.

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Remember eating at Sambos, root beer floats at A & W and Steak and Ale. Don't recognize most of the others.
 

We had White Towers around, remember them as islands of light in dark city blocks. Howard Johnson was the only rest stop place along the PA Turnpike, at one time. When we first married, we visited a new Ponderosa. Long wooden tables and benches, serving up a common eating area. The place looked like a lumber yard, inside.
 
I used to love those tiny little White Castle hamburgers, have tried the frozen version years ago....nothing like the original bought in the fast food restaurant.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I remember about half of the restaurants in the article.

Carrol's started in my area.

A local group tried to save one of these early Carrol's restaurants as a historic building but they failed and the building was eventually torn down. When it was in operation members of the local car clubs used to hang out there on hot summer nights to show off their restored cars.
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Most Carrols restaurant locations were converted to Burger King franchises in 1975
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I did see one of those original Carrol's somewhere.....
 
SeaBreeze said:
I used to love those tiny little White Castle hamburgers, have tried the frozen version years ago....nothing like the original bought in the fast food restaurant.
Click to expand...

And the steamed buns and onions. Sometimes kids from the nearby school would let my basset hound out of the yard and she would make a beeline for the White Castle a few blocks up the street. When we walked her, we would stop and buy White Castles for us and give her one as a treat. That dog loved her White Castles.

Most of those I've never heard of. HoJos, of course, the only place to take a break on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. A&W because in the summer one of the best things on earth was a frosty mug of A&W root beer.
 
SeaBreeze said:
I used to love those tiny little White Castle hamburgers, have tried the frozen version years ago....nothing like the original bought in the fast food restaurant.
Click to expand...

Oh my Lord, I LOVE White Castles. We have Krystals here in Florida but they're really not the same. Whenever I'm ever in a town with White Castles, I will make a stop. We were driving through St. Louis a few years ago and I spied one from the interstate. Whoosh, we got off at the next exit and quartered the area until we found it. It was in a really bad neighborhood, but I.DIDN'T.CARE. I HAD to have a White Castle.

When we were teens, having a party and everybody got the munchies, we'd pool our money and make a White Castle Run. $10 bought you enough White Castles to feed a football team. I want to say they were in the neighborhood of 12 cents each, maybe 14 cents.

White Castles were the only thing that kept me alive when I had braces on my teeth as a teen. When the wires would be tightened, I couldn't chew anything for a couple of days. Luckily, you didn't have to actually chew White Castles.....you could just gum them to death.

Now I'm hungry....
 
I used to eat at Howard Johnson's on fish fry night back in the 60's. AYCE for something like 4 bucks.
 
jujube said:
Oh my Lord, I LOVE White Castles. We have Krystals here in Florida but they're really not the same. Whenever I'm ever in a town with White Castles, I will make a stop. We were driving through St. Louis a few years ago and I spied one from the interstate. Whoosh, we got off at the next exit and quartered the area until we found it. It was in a really bad neighborhood, but I.DIDN'T.CARE. I HAD to have a White Castle.

When we were teens, having a party and everybody got the munchies, we'd pool our money and make a White Castle Run. $10 bought you enough White Castles to feed a football team. I want to say they were in the neighborhood of 12 cents each, maybe 14 cents.

White Castles were the only thing that kept me alive when I had braces on my teeth as a teen. When the wires would be tightened, I couldn't chew anything for a couple of days. Luckily, you didn't have to actually chew White Castles.....you could just gum them to death.

Now I'm hungry....
Click to expand...

White Castle headquarters is here in Columbus. :p

2 or 3 times a yr I get a craving and have to get half dozen ....love the little white boxes. Their coffee is also very good.

I have friends in AZ - they love WC. When they come to visit their relatives their first stop upon leaving the airport is White Castle.

"It was 1950 before the price of a hamburger rose from 10 to 12 cents. The 12-cent price held until 1967 when the price of a burger increased to 14 cents. The price of a Slider didn't reach the 27-cent mark until the early 1980s. While prices have always varied from city to city, the average price of a White Castle hamburger today is 53 cents."

2Q==
2Q==
 
I remember Howard Johnson's very well. When I was young and we went on vacation my Mom and Dad would always stop at a Howard Johnson. I hated it. I wasn't a good eater back then and I remember thinking how can this be enjoyable? I especially remember peas rolling around on my plate, a very unusual shade of dark green, the size of marbles, and as tough as shoe leather. The only way to get rid of them was to swallow them whole.
 
Geez, I remember HoJo's as a kid. We used to take vacations to Florida and always stay at HoKo's. My sister's would always get their Salt Water Taffy bit I never ate it.....rather have chocolate!
 
Chi-chis had fried ice cream which is really delicious. I have had it in Mexico and in Mexican restaurants in Arizona.

Victoria Station was a steakhouse chain in Florida that featured a railroad theme.
 
I had my first margarita at Chi-Chi's back in the 1980's. My sister picked me up at work for lunch and suggested that we go there as they were opening that day. When we got there, the waiter said that their liquor license didn't go into effect until Friday and they were giving away drinks. He brought us two giant margaritas. WOW, THIS IS GOOD! DOESN'T TASTE LIKE ALCOHOL AT ALL! LET'S HAVE SOME MORE! And we did. And I wasn't walking in a straight line when I got back to work. I had to put my head down on my desk and take a nap. Luckily, my boss thought it was funny (we were the only two employees of the non-profit, so nobody else to care...)

I was really sorry when Chi-Chi's folded as they had great margaritas.
 

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