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

@kenthuang436

29 күн бұрын

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

29 күн бұрын

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

28 күн бұрын

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

27 күн бұрын

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

@DTD110865

26 күн бұрын

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.

Food was better in the 80’s than now

@ctll626

21 күн бұрын

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

@technodrone313

18 күн бұрын

ok boomer

@Shorty_Lickens

18 күн бұрын

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

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

@steveduerr6367

24 күн бұрын

Agreed

@kimberlypatton205

10 күн бұрын

Thank you.

@Orlando_Steve

3 күн бұрын

I liked Bennigans.

@MattaBinElba

14 сағат бұрын

I want SANDYs back. If it is what I think it is

@Atomykpimp

46 минут бұрын

Bennigan’s is still around today in some states as of 2024.

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

29 күн бұрын

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

29 күн бұрын

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

@margaretzeaiter8955

29 күн бұрын

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

@susans2219

29 күн бұрын

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

29 күн бұрын

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.

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

@sroevukasroevuka

3 сағат бұрын

I worked at chi chis as a cook., and prep cook.

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

@FeralRC

29 күн бұрын

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

@davidcreager1945

29 күн бұрын

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

@bunkyman8097

29 күн бұрын

Agreed, Arthur Teacher's was the best!

@Sparkina

28 күн бұрын

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

@MrJsbach123

26 күн бұрын

Me too

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

@fanaticat1

25 күн бұрын

Me too

@lancerevell5979

24 күн бұрын

Ditto!

@rllapte

24 күн бұрын

@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

21 күн бұрын

why? the food sucked.

@rllapte

21 күн бұрын

@@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.

Tree-cher

@marylist1236

29 күн бұрын

There was also a Ponderosa Steakhouse

@beckycaughel7557

29 күн бұрын

@@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

29 күн бұрын

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

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

@Solitaryman70

29 күн бұрын

Best Breakfast ever!

@margarettickle9659

28 күн бұрын

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

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

18 күн бұрын

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

@danieldaniels7571

13 күн бұрын

I liked it too

@kimberlypatton205

10 күн бұрын

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

10 күн бұрын

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

@pam8962

6 күн бұрын

It was awesome so much better than pizza hut

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

29 күн бұрын

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

27 күн бұрын

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

@SewardWriter

24 күн бұрын

Howard Johnson taught me to love fried clams.

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.

I miss Bonanza. Mine closed last year.

@chiarac3833

29 күн бұрын

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

28 күн бұрын

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

26 күн бұрын

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

@sheriheffner2098

2 күн бұрын

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

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

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."

@kimberlypatton205

10 күн бұрын

Yes! Very good! And so close to what you get in the UK!

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.

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

@CindyMarie-ru9ww

29 күн бұрын

Yes I did too 😋

@margarettickle9659

29 күн бұрын

Yep and the taco salad. Yum

@SewardWriter

24 күн бұрын

That fried ice cream still lives in my dreams.

@debraball2641

9 күн бұрын

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.

@thunderroad7289

5 сағат бұрын

That fried ice cream was amazing . I miss that lol

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

@JamezzJamess

4 күн бұрын

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

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

18 күн бұрын

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

@Shorty_Lickens

18 күн бұрын

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

@onesunnyday5699

4 күн бұрын

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.

Arthur "TrEEchers"

@chiarac3833

29 күн бұрын

We used to call it Arthur Tortures lmao!

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

27 күн бұрын

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

@ogcowboy5743

26 күн бұрын

@@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

24 күн бұрын

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

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

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

13 күн бұрын

Loved pancakes at Sambo’s as a kid

@JaxonSmithers

10 күн бұрын

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

5 күн бұрын

Sambo was an Indian boy

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

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

@Solitaryman70

29 күн бұрын

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

@meedwards5

27 күн бұрын

I would actually call this video click bait.

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

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.

@yardleyj9391

29 күн бұрын

Bonjour Montréal ❤

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

@chiarac3833

29 күн бұрын

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

28 күн бұрын

@@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

27 күн бұрын

@@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

27 күн бұрын

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

@ZombieHunter37

27 күн бұрын

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

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

4 күн бұрын

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

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

@DavidLLambertmobile

25 күн бұрын

ATs was decent 🍤 . I liked the 🇬🇧 decor. Traditional.

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.

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.

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

@jrebecca0195

29 күн бұрын

I enjoyed the one in Cherry Hill, NJ.

@margarettickle9659

29 күн бұрын

The Lobster Bisque was out of this World

@666rivers

28 күн бұрын

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

25 күн бұрын

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

@senmicman6272

24 күн бұрын

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

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

@deniseherud

29 күн бұрын

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

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

@mattskustomkreations

14 сағат бұрын

I know they still had them in France in the mid-80s. Very popular when I visited Paris in 1985. I had never heard of them, and thought the name humorous / stupid, even knowing the Popeye connection.

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.

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.

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

Its not Arthur Tretchers

@pamvarner8044

29 күн бұрын

Don’t try to reason with a robot.

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

@DavidLLambertmobile

25 күн бұрын

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

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).

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

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

27 күн бұрын

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.

bonanza was damn good when it was here in kentucky.

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.

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

29 күн бұрын

I liked Bonanza a lot

@stevenkaskus6173

26 күн бұрын

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

@stevenkaskus6173

26 күн бұрын

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

23 күн бұрын

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 !!

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.

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!

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.

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

3 күн бұрын

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.

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

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

29 күн бұрын

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

@Solitaryman70

29 күн бұрын

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

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

29 күн бұрын

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

29 күн бұрын

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

@michaelschmidt4199

28 күн бұрын

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

25 күн бұрын

Riverside?

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.

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.

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

5 күн бұрын

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

@tommissouri4871

2 күн бұрын

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.

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.

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.

@danieldaniels7571

13 күн бұрын

I remember most of them

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

Some Shakeys are still around.

@ronaldheesch3723

28 күн бұрын

what cities? shakeys was always my favorite

@ravenpoe7093

28 күн бұрын

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

@MrCarter4121

23 күн бұрын

Love their MOJO potatoes

@iamthestorm1004

23 күн бұрын

La Habra CA Redlands CA

@Chorizosabroso

23 күн бұрын

@@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

I liked and miss Chi-Chi’s!

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

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!

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.

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

whoever put this together does not know sh*t.

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

@danieldaniels7571

13 күн бұрын

Pizza Hut had a good one in the 1980s

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

3 күн бұрын

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.

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

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

@JohnnySmithWhite-wd4ey

24 күн бұрын

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.

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.

Wrong. I want a lot of them back

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

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

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

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

24 күн бұрын

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

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

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! 😊

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

24 күн бұрын

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

7 күн бұрын

That was a stupid reason to change its name then close

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

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!

I liked bennigans ;).

@beckycaughel7557

29 күн бұрын

Me too especially the Monte Cristo

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.

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

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

29 күн бұрын

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

@chiarac3833

29 күн бұрын

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

@krisandersen8695

29 күн бұрын

@@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

27 күн бұрын

@@krisandersen8695 😝😁😆

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!

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

People miss that not all restaurant chains are the same level, nor are they supposed to be. Originally, if you stayed with chains and not the Mom and Pop restaurants that dotted the towns and highways in the '40s and '50, you ended up with drive-ins (1) and sit-down restaurants(4). But quickly, the fast food ones (2), like McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's Arby's, Hardee's and so on appeared. No one would ever consider them fine or fancy dining. They are fast burger joints or similar. You can include the seafood type like Long John Silver's, Arthur Treacher's, Captain D's, and others. These were slightly above the standard old drive-in (1) like A&W Root Beer stands, Sonic, Dog N Suds, White Castle, Krystal's, Sandy's, and more. Originally, you went a level up (4) to the Denny's, Wag's, Lum's, Howard Johnson's, and such that were family dining on a budget. Sit-down food but at a price families, especially those on vacation, could afford. Most of these originated in the '50s for travelers before the advent of a fast food burger place on every corner or highway exit. Too many compare them to the next level up (5), like TGI Friday's, Bennigan's, Ruby Tuesday's, Ale House, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Jacks or Better, Ground Round, Steak and Ale, and such. Still family dining, but a higher level than the typical roadside sit-down restaurant. This is also the same level many Mexican/Tex-Mex restaurants fell, like Chi-Chi's, Chili's, Don Pablo's, Chevy's, and others. Enter the family budget "steakhouses" (3) like Bonanza, Ponderosa, York, Rustler, and others. Decent cuts of steak without a break the bank price. Golden Corral, Shoney's, and others could probably be thrown in this level. These were almost like high school cafeteria level service, with various buffet level sections to get food. But along the way came higher level "steakhouses" like Longhorn, Lone Star, Texas Roadhouse, Roadhouse Grill, Outback, Logan's, and more which were along the level (5) of Friday's, Tuesday's, and such or maybe lightly higher. The problem with many is that they blurred the lines of what level these restaurants were intended to be in. As such, lower level restaurants often were unfairly compared to higher level and lost business. It is completely unfair to compare Bonanza to Texas Roadhouse, but many do, and of course, it fails.

The majority of restaurants now have lowered the quality of food and raised the prices!!

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

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

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!!!

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

Make up your mind, I just watched a video from you yesterday saying the exact opposite about these same restaurants.

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.

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!

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

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.

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

Arthur Treacher fish and chips was really tasty. Especially if you put the vinegar on it. I was kind of bummed when they went away. I think I went to one of the last ones around in the 80s, in Bloomfield, New Jersey. It was a tasty meal.