20 WORST Restaurants From The 1980s, Nobody Wants Back!

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  • čas přidán 21. 05. 2024
  • 20 WORST Restaurants From The 1980s, Nobody Wants Back!
    Check out "20 WORST Restaurants From The 1980s, Nobody Wants Back!" In this video, we delve into 20 notorious restaurants from the 1980s USA, infamous for bad food and terrible service. Relive the stories of these culinary disasters and find out why no one misses these dining establishments!
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Komentáře • 531

  • @cathymyers9491
    @cathymyers9491 Před 28 dny +121

    Chi-Chi’s was one of my all time favorites!! I would LOVE to see that one resurrected!!

    • @kenthuang436
      @kenthuang436 Před 28 dny +5

      I went there a couple of times and I thought the food was pretty good. The only thing is the one we had was one of those that had the contaminated green onions so I don’t think very many people where I live wants to see the restaurant chain revived.

    • @Linda7647
      @Linda7647 Před 28 dny +8

      I loved Chi-Chi's. Yeah, it was 'Americanized' Mexican food. But it was damn good. The seafood Chimichangas were amazing. Haven't found anything like them anywhere since. Plus the atmosphere was great. I really miss that place.

    • @davidtoups4684
      @davidtoups4684 Před 27 dny +5

      I liked Chi Chi's too. Sure, it wasn't "authentic" Mexican, but I thought the food was pretty good for what it was

    • @weegeemike
      @weegeemike Před 26 dny +1

      It looks delicious, hard to find good TexMex anymore...now. places are either all Mex or all Tex 😂

    • @DTD110865
      @DTD110865 Před 25 dny +2

      I at least like the waitress in the Chi-Chi's commercial shown in this clip.
      There's a diner in Farmingville, New York that went Tex-Mex roughly a decade ago, but I don't know how good the food is.

  • @georgebrusstar2539
    @georgebrusstar2539 Před 24 dny +30

    "NOBODY" wants back?
    Speak for yourself. Because you're certainly not speaking for me.

  • @beckycaughel7557
    @beckycaughel7557 Před 28 dny +128

    How on earth can you say Bennigan’s is one of the worst restaurants?! Bennigan’s was great. I loved it, especially the monte Cristo course I have to admit that that’s all I ever had there. the very first time I was there, I ordered the Montecristo not sure what to expect because I never had one. I was just a kid then And ever since then it’s been my favorite sandwich and I’ve never had it as good as the one that they made at Bennigan’s and I always got that whenever we went there.
    I also liked Arthur Treacher’s, ,Howard Johnson’s and Chichis I love their taco salad and the chimichangas and of course the fried ice cream

    • @dukey19941
      @dukey19941 Před 28 dny +13

      My parents would take us out for the day on a ride and we would always stop at Howard Johnson's for breakfast. I loved it. This list stinks.

    • @bunkyman8097
      @bunkyman8097 Před 28 dny +10

      @dukey19941
      When I was a kid, A Friday night at Howard Johnson's for fried clams a treat! They were so good!

    • @margaretzeaiter8955
      @margaretzeaiter8955 Před 28 dny +11

      I loved the Monte Christo at Bennigans!! It was a great restaurant and I’ll never understand why it failed…

    • @susans2219
      @susans2219 Před 28 dny +8

      Yes thank you! I so miss Bennigan’s and their Monte Cristo. Sadly the only place that I can find that makes them is Cheddar's. Its good but just not the same. Bennigan’s was great because it was somewhere where a group of people could go to and they had something for everyone. However, I did not enjoy when they tried to go to a southwest theme briefly in the 90's.

    • @canoone1975
      @canoone1975 Před 28 dny +7

      Bennigan’s was fantastic. The concept got a little long in the tooth, but the quality of my local Bennigan’s never dropped until the very end.

  • @puffchick4197
    @puffchick4197 Před 28 dny +76

    Food was better in the 80’s than now

    • @ctll626
      @ctll626 Před 20 dny +2

      It was better cuz it was mostly home cooked. Dining out was an occasion.

    • @technodrone313
      @technodrone313 Před 17 dny

      ok boomer

    • @Shorty_Lickens
      @Shorty_Lickens Před 17 dny +5

      Almost every chain restaurant in my area has gotten terrible. And some of the mom n pop joints are worse too. Makes me sad.

  • @cyberbeer65
    @cyberbeer65 Před 27 dny +57

    I don't know about anyone else, but I want all of these establishments back!

    • @fanaticat1
      @fanaticat1 Před 24 dny +4

      Me too

    • @lancerevell5979
      @lancerevell5979 Před 23 dny +3

      Ditto!

    • @rllapte
      @rllapte Před 23 dny +3

      @cyberbeer65 Though impossible, yours is the best answer, at least philosophically. Even some of the ones we liked deserved to die. Ruby Tuesday, a top tier establishment into the early 90s, offered a standard American menu featuring great steaks and excellent service. The salad bar similar to Steak and Ale but better. It's not gone yet but it won't be long. Lum's was a casual favorite of mine for both culinary and sentimental reasons. Long gone. Of course, many, many other old favorites. If you have reached senior years like me, the list of lost favs is in the dozens. Sad, sad, sad.

    • @JoeDirtisawsome
      @JoeDirtisawsome Před 20 dny

      why? the food sucked.

    • @rllapte
      @rllapte Před 20 dny +1

      @@JoeDirtisawsome It's a magic pixie dust hypothetical in which some of the once beloved chains will return in their original glory and others will still be popular with diehard fans. It's a case of accepting the bitter with the sweet (restaurants that were once fabulous but declined over time) in a completely make believe scenario.

  • @kcvinwehoLA
    @kcvinwehoLA Před 28 dny +94

    I loved Arthur Treacher’s as a kid. Still think they were the best fish chain.

    • @FeralRC
      @FeralRC Před 28 dny +8

      Only 2 locations are left now. One is in my hometown of Cuyahoga Falls, OH. It's still very good.

    • @davidcreager1945
      @davidcreager1945 Před 28 dny +2

      I love Arthur Treachers ! A local pizza chain where i live, sells Arthur's , yummy

    • @bunkyman8097
      @bunkyman8097 Před 28 dny +4

      Agreed, Arthur Teacher's was the best!

    • @Sparkina
      @Sparkina Před 27 dny +2

      I loved dining at Arturo’s Bistro, as I refer to it

    • @MrJsbach123
      @MrJsbach123 Před 25 dny +1

      Me too

  • @erikness4231
    @erikness4231 Před 27 dny +36

    Who the hell didn't love Shakeys? The first pizza i ever had and still drive over an hour to the last one in Washington to remember how good it was.

    • @markcollins2666
      @markcollins2666 Před 17 dny +4

      Still alive and well in the Philippines, with over 460 locations.

    • @danieldaniels7571
      @danieldaniels7571 Před 12 dny +1

      I liked it too

    • @kimberlypatton205
      @kimberlypatton205 Před 9 dny +1

      Our Shakey’s in my W. Tx big town was the most excellent and popular restaurant here… from its lunchtime buffet ( which was “the place” ) to go for a workday lunch , to the game room and the cartoon room. It was a place we went to at least 2 or 3 times a month with our growing children and you simply have not had a pizza until you eat one of Shakey’s “Deli Pizza”! What a masterpiece! It was a pizza piled high with all the great things you could ask for! Huge slices of pepperoni, fresh mushrooms, tomato slices etc etc! The restaurant was also a significant contributor to community functions and it closed around 1998 or so. I still miss it to this day!

    • @JaxonSmithers
      @JaxonSmithers Před 9 dny +2

      Shakeys had great pizza. This guys videos are always questionable 🙄

    • @pam8962
      @pam8962 Před 5 dny +1

      It was awesome so much better than pizza hut

  • @csweet591
    @csweet591 Před 24 dny +27

    Ummmm….Chi-Chi’s rocked. I don’t want to forget about it. I want it back!

  • @Gwaithmir
    @Gwaithmir Před 28 dny +40

    I dined at Howard Johnson's many times. The food and service were always excellent.

    • @Solitaryman70
      @Solitaryman70 Před 28 dny +5

      Best Breakfast ever!

    • @margarettickle9659
      @margarettickle9659 Před 28 dny +4

      Cracker Barrel's pride in their food and service went way down too. So disappointing.

  • @user-pp1ni2jy3f
    @user-pp1ni2jy3f Před 23 dny +22

    Who the hell thought this up? Almost all of these I wish I could return to. This must of been made outside the U.S.

  • @prodigalpriest
    @prodigalpriest Před 28 dny +78

    I remember Howard Johnson's fondly. I especially loved their clam strips and the ice cream offerings.
    Arthur Treacher's was another blast from the past. Loved their fish.

    • @lhutchinson7053
      @lhutchinson7053 Před 28 dny +1

      I fondly remember Howard Johnson's and loved and missed their cheeseburgers for a long time afterwards, always hoping I'd find one still operating.

    • @Diosprometheus
      @Diosprometheus Před 26 dny +2

      I loved Arthur's too. The fish and chips were always good.

    • @SewardWriter
      @SewardWriter Před 23 dny

      Howard Johnson taught me to love fried clams.

  • @carole2403xqv1
    @carole2403xqv1 Před 28 dny +40

    It's Arthur Treee-churs Fish and Chips.. Loved their jingle--
    "It's Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips --the meal you cannot make, the meal you cannot make, the meal you cannot make at home!! " Arthur Treacher was the side kick announcer on the Merv Grifiin show in the 1960's -"Here-s Merrrrrr---Vin! He was the British version of Ed McMahon. He was also in tons of 1930's movies as a Jeeves the Butler type and Co -starred with Shirley Temple in "The Little Princess."

  • @maryannefeyer6332
    @maryannefeyer6332 Před 17 dny +9

    I would love to see Bennigan’s, Chi-Chi’s, Lum’s, and Bonanza come back!

  • @larrylaffer3246
    @larrylaffer3246 Před 28 dny +49

    I miss Bonanza. Mine closed last year.

    • @chiarac3833
      @chiarac3833 Před 28 dny +1

      I loved going there as a kid! They had one at the mall where I took skating lessons. After class, mom took us there for dinner. I loved it omg...

    • @davidtoups4684
      @davidtoups4684 Před 27 dny +2

      We had a Bonanza near us. I remember going there as a kid. I thought the food was great! It closed in the early 90's I believe.

    • @BaFunGool
      @BaFunGool Před 25 dny +1

      Last time at Bonanza when Paul McCartney published Red Rose Speedy in Meriden CT.

    • @sheriheffner2098
      @sheriheffner2098 Před dnem +1

      They had Bonanza Restaurants everywhere. Our family loved going there.

  • @gregwillis7767
    @gregwillis7767 Před 25 dny +17

    Howard Johnson's was an American Institution! Every visit to our Nation's Capital required at least one visit, both going and coming!

  • @Sparty-pi3jq
    @Sparty-pi3jq Před 28 dny +30

    Chi Chis was both fancy and "exotic" to me as a kid! I loved the fried ice cream.

    • @CindyMarie-ru9ww
      @CindyMarie-ru9ww Před 28 dny +5

      Yes I did too 😋

    • @margarettickle9659
      @margarettickle9659 Před 28 dny +5

      Yep and the taco salad. Yum

    • @SewardWriter
      @SewardWriter Před 23 dny +2

      That fried ice cream still lives in my dreams.

    • @debraball2641
      @debraball2641 Před 8 dny

      Occasionally I can find 'Fried Ice Cream' flavored ice cream and relive the experience. Their chicken fajitas were decent. And I loved the corn casserole.

  • @marylist1236
    @marylist1236 Před 28 dny +45

    Tree-cher

    • @marylist1236
      @marylist1236 Před 28 dny +6

      There was also a Ponderosa Steakhouse

    • @beckycaughel7557
      @beckycaughel7557 Před 28 dny +4

      @@marylist1236 yes, I like Ponderosa . was it the best steak you could buy anywhere no but for the price it was a good place

    • @marylist1236
      @marylist1236 Před 28 dny +3

      In Kalamazoo, Michigan, we had H. Salt esq Fish & Chips

  • @Scott.Newmaster
    @Scott.Newmaster Před 28 dny +19

    Bonanza was good until the end. Competition got to them. Also noticed that most all of the failures were after some major corporation buying them.

    • @elultimo102
      @elultimo102 Před 26 dny +3

      That happens to many successful businesses. The greedy conglomerates buy them out and run them into the ground.

    • @ogcowboy5743
      @ogcowboy5743 Před 25 dny

      @@elultimo102
      Yes, I think you are correct, those corporations just want to increase the profit margin
      and suck the life out of the management and employes. So they cut corners on quality,
      Increse prices, reduce portions and under staff the restaurants all to increse profit.
      The dark side of Capitalism.

    • @lancerevell5979
      @lancerevell5979 Před 23 dny +1

      This is because the beancounters take over, cutting quality by cutting corners, trying to increase profits. They just drive it into the ground 😮

  • @TheSleepingonit
    @TheSleepingonit Před 28 dny +43

    It sounds like the reviewer expects every restaurant to be on the Michelin guide of gourmet restaurants or was born in a house with a 5 star chef working full time in it

    • @markcollins2666
      @markcollins2666 Před 17 dny +1

      No... the recurring theme here is inconsistent food, and poor service, something that major chains need to plan on, before they open.

    • @Shorty_Lickens
      @Shorty_Lickens Před 17 dny +3

      The channel is called "America Before" and I think its more about nostalgia than objectivity.

    • @onesunnyday5699
      @onesunnyday5699 Před 3 dny +1

      They regurgitate & shuffle the same closed chains & put different labels on them. First, they are the places we want back, then they are places we never want to see again. The content changes to reflect the title.

  • @robertbroughton1443
    @robertbroughton1443 Před 28 dny +28

    GD Ritzy's, Sambos, and Chi Chi's all had good food. I worked at a GD Ritzy's on the westside of Evansville, Indiana. For a fast food restaurant, they had a good variety to choose from, and it all tasted good. Growing up in Cincinnati in the 70's my family's once a month treat was going to Sambos in Delhi Township. We used to go to the K mart there, and then to Sambos. Mom used to get us kids (1b, 2s's) hamburger platters, she would have the liver, and onions platter, and she got our dad a fried shrimp platter to take home to him. He was unable to go with us due to his disabilities inflicted during the Korean war (US Army). Chi Chi's became our favorite Tex Mex restaurant in the mid 80's.

    • @danieldaniels7571
      @danieldaniels7571 Před 12 dny +4

      Loved pancakes at Sambo’s as a kid

    • @JaxonSmithers
      @JaxonSmithers Před 9 dny +1

      Used to always go to Chi Chi’s for my birthday in the late 70s in Richfield Mn. Great food during that period. This was the original Chi Chi’s.

    • @rhondaalan8436
      @rhondaalan8436 Před 4 dny +1

      Sambo was an Indian boy

  • @barcham
    @barcham Před 28 dny +29

    I miss Ho-Jos. Used to love their all-you-can-eat BBQ chicken days and they were always a known quantity when on a road trip. I miss Chi-Chis too. Here in Quebec, they had great food and their Chi-Chi golden margaritas were fantastic. And we had no worries about food quality because we have much stricter regulations here in Canada than in the US. Victoria Station also did well here in Montreal where their prices were competitive with other similar restaurants.

  • @20alphabet
    @20alphabet Před 25 dny +12

    How can you make the claim nobody wants these restaurants back? Shakey's had great chicken and mojo potatoes. Sambo's filled the American coffee shop niche very well, as it's initial success and growth proved, but succumbed to wokism, and Howard Johnson's was generally very good with great ice cream. Yet you claim, not only that they're from the 1980s, but that nobody wants them back! I almost made the mistake of subscribing to your channel.

    • @onesunnyday5699
      @onesunnyday5699 Před 3 dny +1

      They do an episode with the same chains but change the title to "places we want back." It's just to make content.

  • @DanT271
    @DanT271 Před 28 dny +31

    Arthur "TrEEchers"

    • @chiarac3833
      @chiarac3833 Před 28 dny +1

      We used to call it Arthur Tortures lmao!

  • @MrRezillo
    @MrRezillo Před 26 dny +8

    Hojo's doesn't belong on this list of worst restaurants! They had a fish fry night: all you could eat of fried haddock, fries and coleslaw. Waiters would come around with carts doling out more food whenever you wanted. I really miss that. It's a shame they're not around anymore, or if they're around, greatly diminished.

  • @margarettickle9659
    @margarettickle9659 Před 28 dny +22

    I don't know all of the restaurants here however may I say that's one person's opinion. I find the restaurants today ridiculous. The meals today look like work of art but their exorbitant prices for food that tastes like paint and canvas.

  • @john15008
    @john15008 Před 28 dny +17

    Is it just me, but are these appraisals mostly arbitrary?

    • @Solitaryman70
      @Solitaryman70 Před 28 dny +2

      That’s how the greedy corporations took over the good restaurants that didn’t want to sell.

    • @meedwards5
      @meedwards5 Před 26 dny +7

      I would actually call this video click bait.

  • @markevans8262
    @markevans8262 Před 28 dny +14

    Shakey's was awesome in the '60s and '70s.😟

  • @ZombieHunter37
    @ZombieHunter37 Před 28 dny +28

    So many of these delicious restaurants gone and what do we have now? Places like Mcd's and Chipotle. SMDH

    • @chiarac3833
      @chiarac3833 Před 28 dny +1

      Mickey D doesn't fall in the same category as Chipotle. The food at Chipotle is made fresh, Mickey D is frozen. Taco bell and burger King or checkers are bottom of the barrel...

    • @ZombieHunter37
      @ZombieHunter37 Před 28 dny +4

      @@chiarac3833 Dude Chipotle taste horrible. In fact if I had to chose I'll take Mcd's over them any day. Everything Chipotle makes taste like soap.

    • @chiarac3833
      @chiarac3833 Před 26 dny

      @@ZombieHunter37 perhaps you're going to the wrong location. I've never had bad Chipotle and I'll take whatever they're serving over the pink slime at Micky D's any day...

    • @elultimo102
      @elultimo102 Před 26 dny +2

      @@ZombieHunter37 Maybe too much cilantro----It does taste like soap to many of us.

    • @ZombieHunter37
      @ZombieHunter37 Před 26 dny

      @@elultimo102 Yea they use way too much of that stuff. Everything thing there taste like Dawn.

  • @Alanb_69
    @Alanb_69 Před 23 dny +13

    20 worst restaurants according to who? You? Were you even alive when these restaurants were around? I mean, they were not 5 star restaurants, but most of these restaurants had at least a few things on the menu I liked. I believe many other people feel the same way by looking at the comments.

  • @lp-xl9ld
    @lp-xl9ld Před 24 dny +7

    You call this "worst restaurants from the 80s" but you say Wimpy's shut down in 1977?

  • @emmytolkein3320
    @emmytolkein3320 Před 25 dny +7

    I worked at Arthur Treachers in the late70s. Loved the fish & malt vinegar

  • @markstephens2234
    @markstephens2234 Před 27 dny +8

    Arthur Treachers opened a restaurant less than a mile from my house in Steubenville, Ohio back in the late 1960's. On grand opening day, they offered rides all day long in a vintage English double-decker bus. It was a bright sunny day that I'll never forget. The wide steak fries and lemon turnovers were to die for.

  • @Tomatohater64
    @Tomatohater64 Před 28 dny +25

    Steak and Ale was great; we always went to the one on Route 19 South in Pittsburgh. Never had a bad meal there.

    • @jrebecca0195
      @jrebecca0195 Před 28 dny +2

      I enjoyed the one in Cherry Hill, NJ.

    • @margarettickle9659
      @margarettickle9659 Před 28 dny +3

      The Lobster Bisque was out of this World

    • @666rivers
      @666rivers Před 27 dny

      Ironically I actually used to work at the one off alt US 19 at the intersection of Gulf to Bay in Clearwater, FL, back in the mid-1980's, during "New Coke" era (I remember because they let us drink soda fountain drinks for free). I also worked at Lums (my 1st 2nd and 3rd job, on breaks from school) and Bennigans, the latter of which was a sibling of Steak & Ale, as all our checks originated from "LBJ Boulevard" in Texas somewhere. They had amazingly high standards at both places, providing a great deal of training material and explicit instructional manuals showing how they wanted to have stuff done at Steak & Ale. In fact, I lived with a guy who was training to eventually be a manager there. We got held up by armed robbers who forced their way in after closing, but as I did prep during the day I wasn't there. One of the guys, himself a manager-in-training, who was there at the time of the incident told us this story about a similar robbery that had gone wrong and one of the workers wound up getting that weird hook that served as an exterior walk-in freezer door handle shoved through his nose up into his skull, and another employee wound up getting their head crunched in the bread hook-equiped stand up Hobart industrial mixer, in an effort to induce access to the safe that no one on hand apparently could supply, whereas no one was actually hurt at our little drama. Their approach to prime rib was like a Holy Sacrament: Only the anointed few were worthy to pursue the process, and it always turned out great. A decent salad bar- not quite up to Brown Derby standards, (my 4th job, Lol), but everything reasonably expected was there. Bennigans had some of the best appetizers you can imagine, and there was a lot of creativity that went into the menu... They went a bit hard into Cajun style stuff in the late eighties and I am not sure where they went from there, but they had great happy hour drink specials to go with those apps if you were into the Sauce, as it were... Possibly part of the turn off might have been the sort of yuppy polished-brass fern bar type vibe they were trying to generate, with leather-bound menus and whatnot, but Cheers was a going concern I assume was a sort of thematic mentor of sorts, and that show was tremendously popular. In many cases I have to assume that food prices and trends with drinking and driving had a huge effect on people wanting to go out to eat, as everyone knew the Bottom Line was how much booze got passed through the back door: Managers would come up to the line and taste our French fries just to make sure they were salty enough to make people Thirsty, if you know what I mean... DUI laws and whatnot really put the kaybash on the bottle or two of wine with dinner crowd...

    • @fanaticat1
      @fanaticat1 Před 24 dny +1

      I went to the Steak & Ale om State Route 35 in Middletown NJ. I loved the food and was sad when it closed!

    • @senmicman6272
      @senmicman6272 Před 23 dny

      I also wish Steak and Ale would come back. Always went to Pittsburgh North Hills location.

  • @debrariccio-dc2sj
    @debrariccio-dc2sj Před 27 dny +12

    It's pronounced Tree-chers not trechers !!!

    • @JamezzJamess
      @JamezzJamess Před 3 dny

      Some of these I have never heard of the ones I do remember were gross and under rated just plain yuck

  • @marniekilbourne608
    @marniekilbourne608 Před 28 dny +11

    I always liked Chi-Chi's. I often chose it for my birthday dinner and went fairly frequently.

    • @deniseherud
      @deniseherud Před 28 dny +1

      lol me too!! my parents would be so frustrated bc they hated mexican food, and that was always my birthday choice😂👅

  • @Shorty_Lickens
    @Shorty_Lickens Před 17 dny +3

    I am an 80's kid and I agree most of the chains were actually garbage. They wont be missed except by people with broken taste buds.
    Of course todays chains are worse. Ruby Tuesday and Applebees exclusively microwave all their meals.

  • @27273100
    @27273100 Před 20 dny +3

    I can't speak for everyone else, but I soooooo want Ponderosa and Damon's back. They were the go-to's for family dining, especially on weekends.

    • @Orlando_Steve
      @Orlando_Steve Před 2 dny

      We used to go to Ponderosa as a family. But to be honest, their steaks were ass. There is still one in Orlando if you want to go.

  • @jetstreamx15
    @jetstreamx15 Před 28 dny +6

    Just cause they went their way doesn't mean we wish them to not ever return..quote unquote

  • @angel196989
    @angel196989 Před 25 dny +8

    I love Bonanza and the one in the town I live in didn't close until 2020 when covid hit northern Maine. It was always packed no matter what time of day you went there after they opened

  • @ItsJustLisa
    @ItsJustLisa Před 28 dny +8

    When my family moved to Minnesota when I was in high school, our neighbor was one Mrs. Howard Johnson, a widow named Harriet. She told us about how she had lifetime free food at any Howard Johnson’s restaurant because of her husband. Apparently if you could prove that you were really a Howard Johnson, you became part of special club with all of the perks. As his widow, Harriet had those perks too, but there was only one HoJo’s in St. Paul. She didn’t go often, but would take her grandchildren there when they visited.
    I had realized that Chi-Chi’s had started here too. It was less than 5 years old when I moved here. I liked Chi-Chi’s and missed it when it closed its locations. Perhaps we didn’t have the inconsistency problems other places did because the chain was based here.

  • @Bigrailindad333
    @Bigrailindad333 Před 27 dny +5

    Chi chi’s/ Sandy’s /Arthur treachers and it’s pronounced like teachers.Beningans/Bonanza/Steak and Ale my friends and I all loved these restaurants! If you never have eaten there then you have no say in the matter!

  • @user-ve1iz7cy8w
    @user-ve1iz7cy8w Před 28 dny +14

    Thanks for the memories. If any one is interested in going to Druthers, the one left is in Campbellsville Ky. I am a graduate of Campbellsville University ( then College) and my son lives near the restaurant. The decor is almost the same as the 80s. When we visit Druthers there is always people who come from other states. They want to see the last Burger Queen/Druthers.

    • @lenajacobs501
      @lenajacobs501 Před 26 dny +1

      I would love to see it. My teacher took us to Dairy Queen for breakfast when I was a lil girl. This was back then when it was cool to go home over the weekend with your school teacher provided they got permission from your parents. Teachers use to do that alot back then and it was soo much fun. Anyway she took me and another student there for breakfast I still remember what I had. Waffles and eggs and aslice of bacon with some orange juice. This was back in the early 90s. To see this last one would be awesome.

  • @dukey19941
    @dukey19941 Před 28 dny +21

    Bennigan's was awesome. Love their apps and drinks. Not sure who chose this list. I miss them to this day. They have one in Elgin, IL which is awful (but that's because it doesn't hold true to the original Bennigas).

  • @debbieskitchen2
    @debbieskitchen2 Před 25 dny +6

    Chi Chi's was my favorite Mexican restaurant. I don't want to forget it and still buy the salsa sold at Walmart. My Mom loved the fried Clams at Howard Johnson's.

  • @princevultan6589
    @princevultan6589 Před 25 dny +6

    Bonanza was awesome. My family went once every two weeks. We always had a damn good meal there.

    • @DavidLLambertmobile
      @DavidLLambertmobile Před 24 dny +1

      Bonanza & Ponderosa chains were + in PA; 1970s 1980s..by the 1990s they drifted away. 🥩

  • @LightOfReason7
    @LightOfReason7 Před 28 dny +12

    I loved Bonanza as a kid; it was the first place that I could get free refills. Bennagins was one of my favorites mushroom provolone burger was excellent. Shakeys is like Chuckie Cheese, not too good. Pizza sucks, you go for the kids

    • @margarettickle9659
      @margarettickle9659 Před 28 dny +2

      I liked Bonanza a lot

    • @stevenkaskus6173
      @stevenkaskus6173 Před 25 dny +1

      Shakey's use to have good pizza especially their linguicia sausage pizza 😋

    • @stevenkaskus6173
      @stevenkaskus6173 Před 25 dny

      Howard Johnson's was a staple ee looked for while on vacation with my grandfather on the East Coast and when he visited us in CA we went to them there too. MY younger of my two sisters loved the fried clams and we always had to go so she could satisfy her cravings.

    • @rogerstephens8019
      @rogerstephens8019 Před 22 dny +1

      I used to go as a teen with my buds on a weekend to SHAKEYS pizza parlor in CLARKSVILLE ,TN. and I would order the beer OLD WORLD DARK by the pitcher ! I was only 16 so you can imagine the anxiety while dining on pizza and chugging black beer !😂😂😂Good times !!

  • @billshull9468
    @billshull9468 Před 28 dny +11

    Its not Arthur Tretchers

  • @MrJestyler
    @MrJestyler Před 28 dny +6

    Bonanza, steak and ale, Howard Johnson’s. Would love these places back. These restaurants were popular in their day but as with most places they have a lifespan. Look at red lobster very popular but may or may not make it. I know lots of people that want these places back so not everyone’s opinion

    • @Solitaryman70
      @Solitaryman70 Před 28 dny

      I wish GREEDY Corporatists had a lifespan!!! I HATE THEM 🤬😡

    • @Solitaryman70
      @Solitaryman70 Před 28 dny

      If Red Lobster is owned by some Greedy Corporation and not Mom and Pops, let them go away then, WHO CARES 😡

  • @Yeahno-ey3rb
    @Yeahno-ey3rb Před 24 dny +3

    I remember York Steak House was my family's go-to place for after church/Sunday Mass when out of town family came for a visit. I don't remember being anything but happy with the food and having an enjoyable time

  • @yardleyj9391
    @yardleyj9391 Před 28 dny +10

    I paused the video at 2:30, because I think that the comments teach me as much as the vid, if not more. Thanks to all of you.

  • @Beast_Lee
    @Beast_Lee Před 17 dny +5

    I loved Bonanza ! We went there every week when I was a kid. One of the fondest memories I have of my grandfather.

  • @zbow1974
    @zbow1974 Před 28 dny +7

    bonanza was damn good when it was here in kentucky.

  • @LARSAKER-tr1mw
    @LARSAKER-tr1mw Před 28 dny +18

    I HATE TO DISAGREE BUT I. ❤❤ LOVED SHAKEYS ( PIZZZA ) 🎉🎉🎉❤❤😅 WHEN I WAS A. KID/ CHILD. PIZZA WAS. NOT. THAT. BAD. BUT. THE. PLAYER. 🎹 PIANO

    • @ravenpoe7093
      @ravenpoe7093 Před 28 dny +1

      Shakeys was the place to go for groups after a game or celebration. Chuck E Cheese is bad pizza and for kids. Shakeys had better pizza, had MOJOS and chicken so was good for everyone

    • @WilliamFlerx
      @WilliamFlerx Před 28 dny +3

      I liked Shakey's ,there are still a few left in California

    • @michaelschmidt4199
      @michaelschmidt4199 Před 28 dny +1

      The pizza was very good at the Shakeys I worked at. Of course we were trying to dump the franchise an we were sourcing most of the ingredients ourselves and not from corporate. We insisted on top quality ingredients and I think it showed in the product. We got out of the franchise deal around 1979. I left in 1989. Restaurant it still going today.

    • @youtubelicksmytaint7482
      @youtubelicksmytaint7482 Před 24 dny

      Riverside?

  • @crankychris2
    @crankychris2 Před 25 dny +12

    Here is the worst places still in business: Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, all owned by YUM! brands. You can't make this stuff up!

    • @jodi2847
      @jodi2847 Před 4 dny

      Speak for yourself. I dunno anyone who doesn't love these places.

    • @tommissouri4871
      @tommissouri4871 Před dnem

      In the '60s, after church, my parents would get a barrel of Kentucky Fried Chicken and we'd head out up the Great River Road. We'd stop about a half hour up the river, eat lunch, and then just enjoy the ride through the country. In the '70s, KFC was still good, but facing competition. In the late '80s, I was headed north from South Florida. In a hurry, so I grabbed a large box of KFC nuggets (liked them better than McDonald's) and jumped on the highway. I didn't think I was going to make it to a rest area with the cramps I was getting. It was like a colon flush. I tried some KFC later, both chicken and nuggets, with the same results. What used to be good was faster reacting than Taco Bell. In my old age, if I feel constipated, KFC is usually good for clearing that up.

  • @kennethwilliams7697
    @kennethwilliams7697 Před 28 dny +7

    Howard Johnson's ha the best clam strips on planet earth! I would order clam strips every time we went to HJ. No one has had the same quality of clam strips since. It's called Authur Tree-churs Fish & Chips.

  • @jenniferh5649
    @jenniferh5649 Před 28 dny +3

    I had my first legal beer at a Chi-Chi's. We went to lunch there on my 21st. I still have the pic of me in the sombrero holding an empty pitcher somewhere. Me and my Granny went to Burger Queen when I was a little kid. She liked the chicken combo box. I would always get a cheeseburger.

  • @VintageVaughnVehiclces
    @VintageVaughnVehiclces Před 28 dny +3

    The Howard Johnson's was the best because he got a hotel room with a restaurant nearby you were tired of driving the last thing you wanted to do was have to get back in the car and go to a restaurant to get something to eat. I don't remember if you could get room service or not I don't think so. I guess that's what kids are for you send them to go to get it and bring it back to the room.

  • @flyinbrianz22
    @flyinbrianz22 Před 18 dny +3

    You know, if you have a few hundred restaurants in a couple of states, that doesn't count as a national chain. A major majority of the restaurants I've never heard of.

  • @TurloughKabumpo
    @TurloughKabumpo Před 24 dny +3

    Great video, I remember most of these restaurants. One note, Arthur Treacher's rhymes with teachers :)

  • @gerald-gs2vh
    @gerald-gs2vh Před 28 dny +4

    I remember most of these restaurants and many of them I visited. I can say I had a good time in each one, with none being disfavored. Some I miss a lot because of the memories I had at them. I do miss the 80's. It was the decade of getting married, having 2 boys, buying my first house, and opening my first bar. What a decade that was!

  • @jetstreamx15
    @jetstreamx15 Před 28 dny +8

    Bennigans suffered because it portrayed itself as a family place but had a bar in it

    • @JohnnySmithWhite-wd4ey
      @JohnnySmithWhite-wd4ey Před 23 dny +3

      Bennigans was copied. TGI Fridays, Chili's, Ruby Tuesdays and many more copied their fast casual bar/ restaurant theme. With so many copycats and a decline in the food quality and service especially after they were sold by Diagio, Their days were numbered.

  • @FeralRC
    @FeralRC Před 28 dny +11

    2 takeaways from this video:
    Restaurants fail due to inconsistency and competition.
    Northeastern Ohio apparently was a hold out for many failed restaurant chains.
    The second takeaway is a personal observation.
    Great work with this channel. You have me hooked.

    • @Orlando_Steve
      @Orlando_Steve Před 2 dny

      No they fail because of corporate bean counters interfering in the restaurant operations and menu trying to squeeze a few more shekels of profit at the expense of quality and service.

  • @ravenpoe7093
    @ravenpoe7093 Před 28 dny +10

    Some Shakeys are still around.

    • @ronaldheesch3723
      @ronaldheesch3723 Před 27 dny +1

      what cities? shakeys was always my favorite

    • @ravenpoe7093
      @ravenpoe7093 Před 27 dny +1

      @@ronaldheesch3723 L.A area and Orange County. Covina, Sylmar, Downey, Lakewood, Torrance, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Anaheim and a bunch more

    • @MrCarter4121
      @MrCarter4121 Před 22 dny

      Love their MOJO potatoes

    • @iamthestorm1004
      @iamthestorm1004 Před 22 dny

      La Habra CA
      Redlands CA

    • @Chorizosabroso
      @Chorizosabroso Před 22 dny +1

      @@MrCarter4121 the la puente location on Hacienda has the mojos and chicken down to an art. youl find me there there stuffing my face with spaghetti and mojos on any given weekday during bunch o lunch

  • @susantegner3741
    @susantegner3741 Před 28 dny +8

    York steak house was always a treat! I loved it.❤

  • @MIkeKDBA
    @MIkeKDBA Před 28 dny +7

    The Wag's in my area growing up had the best coffee. I always wondered how they seemed to make it better than anyone else.

  • @alk3myst
    @alk3myst Před 15 dny +2

    Born on 1971, I loved many of these growing up and I admit many of them started going downhill mid-80's or in general becoming inconsistent depending on which restaurant you went to. Like an Arthur Treachers near my house was always excellent, but the one by the mall was as if they tried to fail with the fish.

  • @kathrynalexander2882
    @kathrynalexander2882 Před 28 dny +4

    There hasn't been a decent taco pizza (yeah, it's a thing) since Shakey's closed.

  • @r0kus
    @r0kus Před 23 dny +2

    Since I was a full adult in the '80s, I have several observations.
    1) Sambo's was better than Denny's. Claims of racism against it were based in ignorance. The story the restaurant used as its theme had nothing to do with someone who was black -- the MC of this children's fantasy was about an Indian boy who outsmarted a tiger. Anyone who looked at the decor of a Sambo's would see the Indian theme, with nothing to do with American blacks. Admittedly, the book has flaws, but those were based on a British imperialist's attitude toward India.
    2) By the time the chain begain, Arthur Treacher (TREE cher, long E) was best known as Merv Griffin's sidekick on Merv's afternoon talk show (an Ed McMahon role).
    3) The Big Mac was an inferior, lower quality and less meaty copy of Bob's Big Boy burger.

    • @michaelcarroll7621
      @michaelcarroll7621 Před 23 dny +1

      I used to work at a Big Boy and you are absolutely correct, even down to the "special sauce".

  • @MooseBme
    @MooseBme Před 28 dny +4

    I liked and miss Chi-Chi’s!

  • @andyleclerc3600
    @andyleclerc3600 Před 23 dny +3

    HoJo's? Not want it back??? You gotta be kidding! My kingdom for one more dush oc their chocolate chip ice cream with the cookie, and the blueberry toastees!toasters! And BONANZA was amazing in its heyday. I miss that one as well!

  • @JoelMcLaughlin
    @JoelMcLaughlin Před 25 dny +3

    Wrong. I want a lot of them back

  • @Pooby1000
    @Pooby1000 Před 25 dny +1

    Several of these places had very distinct looking buildings that I recognize as now being different businesses with only minor changes made to the building itself.

  • @Zayrina
    @Zayrina Před 18 dny +2

    whoever put this together does not know sh*t.

  • @robertowensiii1567
    @robertowensiii1567 Před 24 dny +1

    I wish they would bring back Howard Johnson's, I remember buying boxes of frozen Chicken and Shrimp Croquettes and Clam Strips in the supermarket! 😊

  • @jebbbig
    @jebbbig Před 15 dny +2

    Steak and Ale was always excellent when my wife and I would visit usually every other week

  • @shortboss356
    @shortboss356 Před 28 dny +3

    Sir I believe you needed to talk to other people. Most of the Restaurant you don't care for were great.

  • @rossnorris2351
    @rossnorris2351 Před 18 dny +3

    I loved Bennigan's. They had great food. Especially the Fried Mushrooms.

  • @billhinkle5344
    @billhinkle5344 Před 24 dny +2

    My family used to Shakey's Pizza Back in the late 70's in Bakersfield.

  • @krisandersen8695
    @krisandersen8695 Před 28 dny +3

    I remember Shakey's Pizza in Atlanta. I was fond of it as a kid, but in the early 80s it closed down. Two weeks later, the building became home to a Strip bar called SHE.

    • @krisandersen8695
      @krisandersen8695 Před 28 dny +1

      {Interestingly, it's popularity was much higher as a strip joint.)

    • @chiarac3833
      @chiarac3833 Před 28 dny

      ​@@krisandersen8695did they serve pizza? Asking for a friend...

    • @krisandersen8695
      @krisandersen8695 Před 28 dny

      @@chiarac3833 uhmmmm...... if you knew who to talk to, you could get quite a lot of things that weren't on the regular "menu".

    • @elultimo102
      @elultimo102 Před 26 dny

      @@krisandersen8695 😝😁😆

  • @kenttyler1243
    @kenttyler1243 Před 25 dny +3

    There is still one Sambo's left, you can find it in Santa Barbara CA

  • @Benevolent_Timelord
    @Benevolent_Timelord Před 25 dny +6

    While I respect and honor the reason why Sambo's closed, I hardly think it's a restaurant "nobody wants back." The food was actually very good, especially their breakfasts. The name was it's on;y stigma and if they had just changed their name and offered an apology, the chain would still be operating.

    • @janismitchell3122
      @janismitchell3122 Před 23 dny +1

      I used to go to Sambo's with my co-workers after we got off work from a night club. They never failed to serve great early morning breakfast

    • @billykl2790
      @billykl2790 Před 6 dny

      That was a stupid reason to change its name then close

  • @jamesdavid6895
    @jamesdavid6895 Před 28 dny +5

    actually there is Chi-Chi's in southern maryland and the food is good!!

  • @luisreyes1963
    @luisreyes1963 Před 28 dny +6

    Contradict me if you must, but I consider Howard Johnson's to be the "Citizen Kane" of restaurants.
    I wished I could have tried the fare at Gino's, Steak and Ale, Shakey's or Wimpy's.
    At least I was lucky to have visited Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips once.

  • @blackstrawberrysky
    @blackstrawberrysky Před 28 dny +2

    Ritzys still exist in my hometown of owensboro ky. I have judged their burgers and fries but their pb&j is awesome

  • @nbenefiel
    @nbenefiel Před 23 dny +2

    We still miss ChiChis. We always had the kids birthdays there.

  • @kimberlypatton205
    @kimberlypatton205 Před 9 dny

    When my late husband and I were first married in 1979, we would go to Sambo’s across the street nearly every night after I got off from work for the breakfast of ham & fried eggs! Great memories!

  • @JaneDoe-ov1hb
    @JaneDoe-ov1hb Před 28 dny +3

    I have such fond memories of Shakeys
    growing up as there was one right down
    the street from where my grandparents
    lived!🍕 I really liked Bennigans as well
    especially when they had coupons.When
    we went on road trips we frequently stayed
    at HoJo's motel & ate at their restaurant too
    Victoria Station was great since I 💚 trains!

  • @deniseherud
    @deniseherud Před 28 dny +2

    My parents used to take all 6 of us to York Steakhouse for special occasions. it was a big deal back in the day. they had great baked potatoes with all the things 😍 My mom duped their sirloin tips so we could do them at home-still do them to this day(only mine are vegan now). Sambo's had terrible food, like Denny's--and overpriced so we never ate there. Try once and if not wowed didn't go back.

  • @davidhoffman8122
    @davidhoffman8122 Před 28 dny +2

    I loved Shakey's!!!! We had one on Dover Delaware and Okinawa. The Okinawa location had a great "corn and shrimp" pizza. It may sound weird but it was delicious!!!

  • @opensourceanglers8291
    @opensourceanglers8291 Před 27 dny +1

    Ritzy's opened a new store in Columbus OH a few years ago and it's the best burger in the city. Awesome homemade buns, fresh shoestring fries, killer hot dogs, gourmet PB&J, and all the great ice creams they had back in the day. The only thing missing from the old days is the full soda fountain so sadly no more ice cream sodas, but the overall food quality is better than it was when I started eating there in the late 80s and I still thought it was a cut above then. The new one is top-notch.

  • @Justin-fq7vj
    @Justin-fq7vj Před 8 dny +1

    Applebee, Spanky's , Ryan's, Shoney, Outback were good and still are if you can find one. Some of the ones now should be called Eat It Or Wear It.

  • @ronaldheesch3723
    @ronaldheesch3723 Před 27 dny +2

    Shakey's was always my favorite place, next to Godfather's pizza

  • @12lfme12
    @12lfme12 Před 10 dny +1

    I miss most of these, especially Chi-Chi's and Lums

  • @bradleymcavoy3432
    @bradleymcavoy3432 Před 14 dny +1

    I actually think Bonanza or a Ponderosa could work today, it wasn’t a horrible business model! If it was family friendly like it was but more upscale there could be plenty of success! 😎
    There’s a lot to unpack here but White Castle is barely around and same with Fuddruckers! Plus I also miss Bob’s Big Boy ( Burgers) and Farrell’s! Both were Fun when I was a kid! 🤩

  • @garethleitner9547
    @garethleitner9547 Před 23 dny +1

    I loved Shakey's pizza! And they had a great selection of German beers. The player piano was cool, too.

  • @pshaw8406
    @pshaw8406 Před 25 dny +1

    These were all great restaurants! Who wouldn't want them back?

  • @wanniluv8671
    @wanniluv8671 Před 21 dnem +1

    I worked at Chi-Chi's and was even on the cover of one of the Marketing Press releases.. Great Memories and food..❤❤

  • @paulsmith494
    @paulsmith494 Před 15 dny +2

    I loved Arthur Treatures and Howard Johnson Had the best ice cream and Hamburgers

  • @bwilliams463
    @bwilliams463 Před 7 dny

    Jack In The Box was forgotten in the Kansas City area for over 30 years, after the Kangaroo Meat Scandal (spoiler: no kangaroo meat was detected in the food, but one of their meat suppliers was found to be selling it as beef). They have only recently reappeared, and I think they're still only on the Kansas side of the state line.

  • @robsenzig5720
    @robsenzig5720 Před 28 dny +1

    Interesting. Some of these restaurants I had totally forgotten about as well as having never heard of.