20 Forgotten Chain Restaurants That Are No Longer Around

[@wesbromberg6204]

My parents took me to sambos after church most Sundays. To a child the story of another boy running from tigers who turned into butter or something like that was so cool. I never gave a thought to anything else. He was my hero

[@ThoseWonderYears]

Thanks for sharing your story.

[@OneMahnArmy2112]

It was just "DENNYS" Grade 'B' competition but menus were practically identical. They got screwed....DENNYS TOO!

[@timenglert8998]

I cooked at a Sambo's in the early 80's. The menu was so close to Denny's we would borrow food from each other. After changing the deep fryer oil it was a long time before I ever ate anything from a deep fryer again.

[@DeWin157]

Every restaurant I cooked at was very anal about their fryer oil, we used test strips to detemine longetivity, as soon as the strip went a certain color, we changed it. Most oils on a deep fryer can go a week, three, maybe four days in a pressure fryer (broaster).

[@kellyschiller8166]

Ya know what chi chi's are? Yeah colloquial term for boobs..

[@RobertHowe-zv7gs]

I worked at a Mr. Steak from 1970-1975. Great food; great people !😊

[@bridgetmarden7224]

Loved eating at Chi Chi's the seafood nachos and Cancun was the best. I miss it. I worked at a Lums and Shakey's in my teenage years 😊

[@alvincash3230]

Here in the Dayton/Cincinnati Ohio area, we still have a large number of Frisch's Big Boy restaurants. It's one of my favorite places to eat.

[@gregd4633]

Yeah I ate at Big Boys when I was in Troy, Ohio while training

[@villain68]

I live in your area too. Frisch's has better breakfast than Bob Evans. Did you know there is a Frisch's down in Florida? As well as a Skyline Chili.

[@cecilehoward7980]

Yes we do. I work across the street from a Big Boy and we still have a White Tower Downton Dayton❤💯

[@DeWin157]

The sad thing about Sambo's is that not one single East Indian ever, not once, felt offended by the theme as it was their culture portrayed by the restaurant, the story being one of their legends, and like Apu in the Simpson's, felt extremely slighted when all of those who claim racism of everything that isn't their own culture think they have the right to coop perceived offenses that aren't even in exitence.

[@ThoseWonderYears]

Thanks for sharing

[@normanwyatt8761]

I agree with you. It's O.K. to try to change our history and take down our STATUES, but something as innocent as a name of a restaurant really is the frosting on the cake. Whether It's a little boy from INDIA or a black kid from the south, what difference does it make ? Do we have to walk on tip-toes every time we mention black people so as to not offend them for what they are and where they came from ?

[@DeWin157]

@@normanwyatt8761 The pathetic modern woke neoliberal leftie losers sure want us to.

[@aspensulphate]

Just more evidence that, though offense may not be intended or given, it can always be taken.

[@DeWin157]

@@aspensulphate Without a legitimate reason to.

[@MaxZomboni]

12:01 When I was in Junior High School, after school me and my friends would go to "The Barn" to get a burger. None of us cared about the fancy new McDonald's across the street. I had never even been to a McDonald's at that time. "The Barn" was the place to go to. Shortly after that, the local locations went independent under a new name but continued the same menu. The last location was still under the same family ownership until recently and had a lot of Red Barn memorabilia. Sad to say that I just checked their website, and now it has a Thai Food menu. So I guess it’s gone though a recent ownership change. RIP Red Barn. They had way better burgers then any fast food today.

[@dougsnyder8963]

We had a Burger Chef about a block from our house in Northern Indiana in the 1960’s into the late 70’s. It was the turn around point when “ cruising the drag”. The building is still there, it’s a pizza place now. I don’t think the bathroom has ever been updated? We also had a Ponderosa Steakhouse in town. Was that also a franchise? Great memories in your videos. Thank you. ❤

[@ThoseWonderYears]

Thank you for sharing!

[@glennso47]

Anyone remember Mr.Steak? There was a restaurant in Rockford,Illinois years ago. Also Godfathers Pizza? The Last Straw was another restaurant that was here. Shakeys Pizza. And other restaurants.

[@ThoseWonderYears]

Thank you for sharing

[@kandicesearcy1049]

We still have a godfathers pizza here in Minnesota:)

[@jackgaul7376]

Yes there is i remember sambos and Bob's big boy especially and there are others that I remember but can't think of the names now

[@ThoseWonderYears]

Thanks for sharing Jack!

[@TimMck-x7i]

This video brought me back. I have never been to a Burger Chef restaurant but still have fond memories of the name. My mother, rest her soul, always called Burger King Burger Chef. It was a running joke in our house because Burger Chef was not around anymore except in my mom's mind, so we all love Burger Chef even though we never even saw one.

[@cecilehoward7980]

We still have Big Boy and White Tower in Dayton,Oh💯

[@steveperelli3602]

Bring it back those wher the good old fashioned restaurants of yesteryear

[@simoneleles5209]

Did he say Shychis?!?

[@MICHAEL-vi4pj]

Yes pronounced cheeee cheees

[@fire1777]

Burger Chef was so much better than McDonalds

[@thewiseguy3529]

Any restaurant is better than McDonald's

[@skatee99]

Phonically: It's not chai-cheese as you pounced it, it' chee-cheez.

[@villain68]

Yes, you're mispronouncing it.

[@skatee99]

@villain68 Yea, dumb embarrassing typo. Thanks for pointing it out. Almost voids out my point of him mispronouncing a word when, apparently, I can't even spell, lol.

[@user-zx8de8op9l]

Well done

[@DavidSquires-iy4uv]

In, Roseville, Michigan, a,Suburb of Detroit. There was a Sambo's Restaurant and I remember going to Sambo's, the Food was Affordable and Delicious. This was in the 1970's. Since, Sambo's has Closed Permanently years ago. Now, the old Sambo's is a Car‐Tunes Stereo,Center, Car,Stereo Store. 26:53

[@normanwyatt8761]

I've been to all those restaurants in the past years from the 50's, 60's and the 70's. They all were pretty good and very affordable which made eating out a more frequent pastime than now. I rarely go out now 'cause most places cater to the drive-in people and sit-down restaurants are too expensive for my S. S. check each month.

[@alvincash3230]

My wife is from Lake George, New York. So we visit there every summer. The Howard Johnson's is out of business.

[@HVACSoldier]

I remember Lum’s in Bellevue, Nebraska. The location in Bellevue was difficult to get to, as it was on a frontage road, off Fort Crook Road.

[@glentanner4770]

Before there was Sizzler, I remember eating at Happy Steak, it wasn't a buffet but it was a great place to get a good steak. Do you remember Love's or Carnation, those were good as well.

[@gregyeah]

We still have a Pofolks in FL. Best chicken livers if your in to that.

[@afbraggins]

Bob's big boy started in Southern California. Glendale specifically. Not in the Pacific Northwest.

[@kewlsurf33]

The original Lum's location closed in 1983. For a time, there was only one Lum's operating, in Bellevue, Nebraska. In 2010, a Lum's opened in Seekonk, Massachusetts, but later closed, leaving the Nebraska restaurant as the sole location. The Bellevue location closed on May 28, 2017. I miss Lums in Bellevue, NE. They had the best hot beef sandwich. Some of the photos you showed of Lums are just like the inside of the Lums in Bellevue. They never updated it. I grew up in Oregon, and VIP's restaurant was pronounced, "Vip's" Not like the acronym V.I.P. I like Elmer's better anyway. I have a Bob's Big Boy coin bank from when I was a child that came from the Yakima, WA restaurant.

[@johnstadelman4022]

Char King & Griff's Hamburgers.

[@IzzyTheEditor]

Chi-Chi's chips, salsa, tortillas and more are found here in the US in every grocery store. The UK Chi-Chi's are franchise owned, not corporate. Chi-Chi's corporate was bought by Outback Steakhouse and THEY closed all the US locations out of cancel-culture fear.

[@cindystrachan8566]

You left off Bill Knapp’s, home of the legendary chocolate cakes. And Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips. And H. Salt F&C (paired with KFC for a while). And I worked at Burger Chef. We cooked our burgers on a flattop. Of course it was 1980. Maybe they’d made the switch by that time and that’s what lead to their downfall.

[@OneMahnArmy2112]

We miss our KFC like nuttin' other...we live in a town (City) of 40k PLUS and all we can get now is soggy-skinned grocery store , pre cooked chicken

[@WayneForsythe-c4u]

The last Howard Johnson in lake George closed in 2022

[@villain68]

We ate at Burger Chef a lot

[@angiesmith7785]

Beef steak Charlie's 😊

[@steveperelli3602]

I’m sure you can bring them back but not sure

[@Minooka2004]

“Chi Cheese”

[@BrokebackBob]

Come back when you can pronounce the names of the restaurants properly.

[@aspensulphate]

Harsh!

[@ThomasQuigley-p6i]

I'm over 50 and ate at...well all of them at one location or another off the interstate or highway frontage road. Malts or think shakes, real burgers and a solid environment. Howard Johnson was good and Big Boy's in my neck of the woods. Please have a good evening.

[@angiesmith7785]

I can't believe we are still talking about this racist restaurant, sambos some people just can't let the good old days go,!

[@johnp139]

“CHI-chees”?

[@TheTrumpReaper]

Calling that chain Sambo's *AND* theming it to Little Black Sambo was a dumb idea. They may have gotten away with one or the other. A lot of folks dislike Little Black Sambo, and most of them are white.

[@IzzyTheEditor]

Trump Won. Cry harder.