Rather support local mom and pop restaurants than large chains. With internet reviews it’s easy to spot hidden treasures. PS - Appreciate a good root-beer float in summer!

@derbagger22

Ай бұрын

But when you travel, you often want that guaranteed experience a good chain gives.

@suppylarue220

Ай бұрын

mom and pops have been contracting since 2000. in another 50 years there will be almost none, except in rural or remote areas. that's the whole idea, to legislate non standard, hard regulate businesses out of existence. when Newsome takes the Whitehouse he'll mandate standardized businesses into fixed profiles for the good of the people. MacDonald' s big Mac will evolve into a tofu glob.

@archstanton6102

Ай бұрын

​@@derbagger22 i never want a dull, formulaic chain. Woukd much rather risk a small local place than a national chain.

@jr56440

Ай бұрын

Chains are great for when you need a quick bite. AI makes reviews so easy to fake, last month I tried a local Asian place that had hundreds of good reviews. Nope, worst restaurant I've ever been to.

@suppylarue220

Ай бұрын

@@jr56440 please name that restaurant.

I remember going to an old-school A&W hidden in the Adirondacks while on vacation, and while loving it, thought it was a bit outdated and not surprised it was on the decline. Imagine my surprise when a brand new location opened up in Niagara Falls on the American side, just last year!

@ZCFHUAfhnvjf

Ай бұрын

There are still a few A&Ws in my family's northeast neck of the woods in Wisconsin. I have been as recently as a year ago and it still hits. I think it actually still holds up against all of the other fast food chains. If we had them here on the west coast I would eat there ALL THE TIME.

@DJVexillum

Ай бұрын

For real. The cheese curds are amazing and the root beer out of their fountain is literally the best I've ever tasted, way better than the A&W you can get in stores

Perkins was a absolute go to. Loved going there but moved away and no locations anywhere close.

I miss a&w

Red Lobster closed most, if not all, their locations across the country yesterday.

@josepherhardt164

Ай бұрын

That is sad. Though I will say that when the wife & I used to go to RL, I never really left feeling full. And, any kind of seafood away from the coast is just outrageously expensive--doesn't matter what restaurant you're talking about. So the overall concept of the place, unless a location is near a coast with local sourcing, just isn't going to work.

I had one of my first birthday parties at A&W in Malaysia. Remember it so well. Love the root beer.

@floydsemlow8253

Ай бұрын

Absolutely the best❤

I thought you were going to mention Old Country Buffet, which collapsed much harder than Golden Corral.

@ZCFHUAfhnvjf

Ай бұрын

i guess past their prime and dead are not the same thing

@jamesfinendale4898

Ай бұрын

I liked ocb. The kids loved it also

@ZCFHUAfhnvjf

Ай бұрын

@@jamesfinendale4898 I remember enjoying OCB when I was younger, but the last time we went as a family i might have been 10 or 11. I dont recall eating anything other than pepperoni pizza and french fries which could definitely be attributed to being a picky eater as a kid but I do remember that food being dry as hell.

Golden Corral does just fine in Hialeah, Fla. I enjoy going there to eat, Seniors Lunch Special.

Perkins and Golden Coral have closed around here in the last 2 years. I didn't think we would miss them but, sometimes we do. So much fast food these days.

A&W is going gangbusters in Canada right now, growing like mad in the last ten years.

Perkins is great, never really went to the other chains mentioned. Nice video.

The root beer at the A&W restaurant is different than what you get in stores. I’d recommend it if you have the chance.

@G.S.Holland

Ай бұрын

And directly out of their frosty mug!

I miss Perkins. There used to be one in my area with green ceiling fans. It was torn down about a decade ago to expand the nearby interchange and build a tunnel.

Country Buffet, Red Lobster, TGIF Fridays, Western Sizzler...

Only time I've been to a standalone A&W was somewhere in either Arizona or Nevada, it was on a random highway exit in the middle of the desert with literally no other buildings visible for miles, it must have had it's own well and septic tank and everything lol, my city also had one that went half and half on a building with long John silver's, long johns did ok for awhile but almost nobody ordered a&w there because they didn't have thier own dedicated counter or anything, most people who walked in would assume it was just long johns with some strange barrel decor. Also that new logo shown scares me, the simplification was bound to happen with current trends and it looks ok but they shouldn't have dropped the orange color, those plain white letters are going to cost them brand recognition.

I remember as a kid going to a sit down version of A&W in Michigan in the 1980’s. What was notable is that the waitress would refill your root beer float like it was a regular soda.

Great video! I find the first choice funny because here in Canada like you alluded to? A&W is the biggest burger chain... It's the McDonald's of Canada despite us having McDonald's for NEARLY as long... Every town of 5000 people has an A&W and it's usually the hive of the grey hair coffee crowd who sit around for hours on free refills shooting the breeze... Plus it has a monthly rotating special that is generally innovative even for a burger chain... Piri Piri Potato burgers were last month's special for example and it was a near sell out... mostly because it successfully tapped into Canada's massive South Asian (Indian/Sri Lankan/Pakistani/Nepali/Bangladeshi) population that doesn't eat beef although it was also an option for non-vegan diners...

@simontchang

Ай бұрын

Another Canadian here and yeah A&W is everywhere, including a 24-hour one within walking distance from me. The featured burgers have been decent though like everything else they're crawling into the $15+ range which is more than I'd pay for a fast food burger.

@josepherhardt164

Ай бұрын

@@simontchang A $15 burger damned well better do a dance on my table before lying down on my plate to let me eat it. Holy moly!

@stynnieuwenhuis9999

Ай бұрын

It’s really expensive too

Seeing A&W and Perkins on this list killed me a little bit inside

I'd like to give A&W a try. I don't know that I've ever been to one. I have never been to a Golden Corral, but I heard too many horror stories before the pandemic so I'm definitely not going now. Every time I went to a Perkins between about 2000 and 2015 it was always packed on weekend mornings. They must have massively mismanaged things to fail.

@viewer-of-content

Ай бұрын

Private Equity bought out Marie Calender's and Perkins and proceded to pump all the money from the Perkins franchising into opening Corporate owned Marie Calendar's. Marie Calendar's never had many locations, but all of the physical Marie Calendar's locations lost money and were in more expensive real estate location like NYC. After the parent company sold of Marie Calendar's frozen tv dinner business to Conagra the parent company floundered a bit before closing all corporate owned locations. Perkin's Franchisees bought out the remaining corporate assets to keep the Perkin's company open, but that was only after corporate closed all of the Marie Calendar's and several corporate owned Perkins.

@josepherhardt164

Ай бұрын

I've been to a couple of Golden Corrals. I can believe the stories.

The Perkins that was near me was great. The staff was amazing and the milk shakes were the best.

I love your restaurant themed videos, please keep them coming. The A&W near me already closed down years ago. I remember them having good curly fries and bacon cheeseburgers.

Perkins is great A&W is fine

I like the buffet restaurants. Really liked Old Country Buffet & even when it became Hometown Buffet, but unfortunately they're all gone in my area. But never cared too much for Golden Corral for some reason.

I remember when the Brooklyn OH Perkins burned down 7-8 years ago and people jokes that it was arson and the owners were trying to get an insurance payout. Also, a few good college memories of midnight breakfasts at the one near the Notre Dame campus in South Bend following a certain annual prank.

I think I've been to Golden Corral once or twice but we used to go to Sirloin Stockade all the time before we moved.

A and W done right, with good rootbeer on tap tho...

I've been to all three, with Perkins being the one I more frequently visited. There's still one 25 miles from here in Meadville, PA. It isn't quite the same, but I'll check it again my next time up there and see what is on the menu. The French Dip with Au Jus is gone. I hope the pot roast stays. There was an A&W on Route 268 between Butler, PA and Chicora, PA. It closed a long time ago, but the drive in structures remained for awhile, but I haven't checked on it in years. There was a Golden Corral in Butler and another in Monroeville, but I think it might be gone. They experimented with breakfast. Don't know how that worked out.

A&W is good, wish we had one in town

The Golden Corrals in Houston, as far as I've seen, are thriving. AYCE steak for about $16 is hard to beat.

The Golden Corral at Albany and Saratoga had been closed since the pandemic hit back in 2020. I remember going there every Veterans Day for the free dinner.

Great video! I was pretty upset when I found out that the A&W in W. Harwich had closed. I had been going to that location all my life. Anyway, you didn't mention that they invented the Bacon cheeseburger in the early 1960s. Anyone want to go back in time with a time machine? Remember not to set your flux capacitor to anything before 1963, unless you are a vegetarian.

Everything has a beginning & an end. What happens in between is a simple twist of fate.

I remember taking road trips from Vancouver 🇨🇦 to Bellingham 🇺🇸 as a kid and always begging my Mom for A&W at the food court. The funny thing is, A&W always gave me diarrhea, and I'd spend the rest of the afternoon in a mall washroom with serious mudbutt. Childhood memories are truly special.

Buffets. If you're feeling good, and you want to feel bad, go to a buffet somewhere. Exception: Cafeteria-serve buffets, where the customers do not touch the food. E.g., Piccadilly's.

Those really stand out to me. I used to wish I could go to A&W more, but there were so few locations. Perkins was my grandparents favorite restaurant. I loved Old Country Buffet, but when they all closed Golden Corral was left, and now that's far away too.

I only went to one A&W restaurant in my life, and it was at Woodfield Mall in suburban Chicago. I haven't seen any other A&W restaurants near me. My hometown had a Perkins restaurant for a number of years, but the parking lot always seemed to be half empty, but I went there once. It was okay but nothing spectacular. However, that restaurant closed down in 2018.

I learned that I liked root beer drinking draft at an A&W back in the 50s. I still like root beer, but A&W in cans is nothing like the original. I drink Barq, Mug or Faygo when I can find it.

I have been to Golden Corral 3 times and every time I was legitimately concerned for my health. Nothing was ever clean, nobody seemed concerned about basic hygiene around the buffet tables, warm stuff wasn't very warm and cold stuff wasn't especially cold. It's been a very long time since I've been to one, but the only real memory I have of it is just how disgusting the place felt. I know my experience is probably not like everyone else's but every time I see an ad for them I just marvel at how it's possible they're even still in business in one shop, let alone hundreds

I thought Golden Corral was gone. Then I moved to Alabama. I guess it's an exceptions, but that one in Hoover is hopping every day and night.

Golden Corral forced very expensive redesign/updates on their franchises a couple of years before pandemic times that bankrupted many owners or nearly so…

Bennigan’s has declined a lot although there are still a few around. It used to be significant enough to be mentioned in TV shows like “South Park” and “How I Met Your Mother”.

I will take A&W over McDonalds any day of the year. Who else ate LOTS of Perkins food at 3 AM back in the 80's and 90's?

I love A&W in Canada, very good, overpriced but more reliable than the other burger joints

Can we expect a part 3?

@forgottenplaces9780

Ай бұрын

Depends on how this video does

Perkins still survives in Minnesota. No other restaurant can match their pancakes.

Golden Corral was decent the first time I went, but when I went back, I saw a kid projectile vomit on the floor on his way out. Noped outta there. The location closest to me is usually referred to as "ghetto trough". Also, A&W is criminally overpriced for fast food.

Don’t know how Golden Corral stays in business. The food is absolutely disgusting!

Not surprised about the amount of A&Ws around. I've seen most shut down in the Northeast. But see them all over the place in Canada. But I'm very surprised there are that many Perkins and Golden Corral restaurants still around. I would've guessed much fewer....

We go to Perkins just to take home their muffins. They make an Upsidedown Pineapple Cake muffin to die for...

Our A&W closed after drug busts and i went to a mexican restaurant TODAY at 1p that was perkins then a italian place thats now mexican

I love Perkins better than Dennys I’m sad to see it go down

a year ago- 2023- i took my friend out to eat at the elgin, il golden corral. started to downpour while we were eating. and then the roof started leaking. onto our, and nearby tables... i don't think i want to go back

Many A&Ws are only open in the summer. There was a Perkins we used to eat at. Until we received terribly rude service from the hostess, which may have been racially motivated. Corporate reached out to us, which was wonderful, but the damage was done. The two Golden Corrals near me seem to be doing well.

Shoutout to the random ass A&W in Orwell Ohio aka middle of nowhere Also love me some Perkins still have a bunch in western Pa, I honestly thought it was a regional thing like Eat N Park or King’s

A&W U.S. and A&W Canada split in 1972...

Only seen ONE A&W restaurant, what region are these in?

@butcheredalive

Ай бұрын

They seem to have clusters of them in different states. I saw Michigan had 6 or 7 of them and New York has 4, and there’s also one in Maryland

Never understood buffets past 2008 or so. Quality of food was usually bad and entry was same or close to a decent sit down place. There's the all you can eat benefit, but unless one has a job/hobby requiring excessive calorie intake or an eating disorder- portions at other places should be plenty.

There was cool old (1967) A&W here in my central California city. It closed a few years ago and turned into a chicken spot. But up until 2021 it still had the old drive in where you park and order from your car and they bring your food on a tray hanging off your window. I wonder how common that is with remaining A&W's or was it rare? They would have classic car shows there all the time. Here's a vid of it kzread.info/dash/bejne/mayszLxxm5a5j84.htmlsi=Y3htgeJtHHcjXote&t=42

@DJVexillum

Ай бұрын

Great video! I've been to three different A&Ws but none of them had the park and order, only ever seen that at Sonic. They really should lean into that sort of 'vintage' feeling

I miss golden corral.

The only buffet still remaining anywhere near me, and I'm in a densely populated suburban area, is a mediocre - and I'm being charitable - Asian one.

Steak n shake really did it to themselves

Are there still a lot of indepenent A&Ws out there? The two I pass by in the Bay Area are KFC and A&W combined.

A&W and Hires root beers were popular until they had to change the root beer formula. No more sassafras.

I'd like to know the prices of A&W. I'm over spending money at McDonalds, even though I like it.

@theschiznit8777

Ай бұрын

A&W in Canada is more expensive.

@stickynorth

Ай бұрын

Here in Canada they are priced slightly above McDonald's but below Five Guys and Fatburger which makes them pretty successful here...

@stickynorth

Ай бұрын

A Teen Burger Combo runs about $13.50 CAD which is like $11 USD...

@edman1357

Ай бұрын

@@theschiznit8777 Disappointing.

BD's Mongolian Grill is dying too.

@tonywalters7298

Ай бұрын

I am interested in this one. I remember BD’s being an up and coming place in the 2000s decade

We have A&W mixed with KFC here around Portland, Oregon. Sadly, the food is meh, and the root beet seems to be a little watered down. But $2 root beer floats, sign me up.

@hobbs12cats

Ай бұрын

Lebanon Oregon has the mixed A&W/KFC Sweet Home Oregon has a stand alone A&W

golden corral neer me cloed doors and ower walked away one day

gorden ramsey could change spice cheese butter or whatever. pay him his big bucks and have extra tasty food.

Whatever happened to broasted chicken? In fact, what is broasted chicken?

Steak & Shake used to be considered a notch above McDonald's or BK, but it's ho-hum these days.

A&W is the states is pure GARBAGE. It is uneatable. However the Canadian version is completely different. It is possibly the best fast food burger in the world. It's quality is that of even mid tear sit down restaurants. It's legit.

1st

Perkins is good if the cooks are competent