50 Iconic Restaurant Chains We Still Miss
There's nothing better than having a night out with the family at your favorite restaurant. The issue is, with so many people opting to stay home and eat in, restaurant chains are being put in jeopardy. Over the years we've seen countless restaurants close their doors for good, and some of those restaurants were family favorites. It's always sad to see restaurants close because some restaurants are attached to some of our favorite memories, maybe a first date, a job interview, or even a memorable server. However, in some cases when it closes, it takes the memories with it. If you want to take a trip down memory lane, scroll through this gallery to see iconic restaurant chains we still miss.
Old Country Buffet
Old Country Buffet was a standout dining spot that unfortunately got shut down after its parent company, Fresh Acquisition, went bankrupt in 2021. The chain got a new owner in BBQ Holding, yet it doesn’t look like there’s an active plan to breathe new life into the chain.
The extensive chain recorded significant losses at the beginning of 2019, and soon enough they went from having hundreds of locations to less than 17. Its sibling brands, Ryan’s and HomeTown Buffet, also suffered the same fate.
Howard Johnson's
Howard Johnson's quickly went from being a remarkable restaurant with exceptional service to a thing of the past. The last Howard Johnson's restaurant somehow survived longer than the others in Lake George, New York, remaining the chain’s ultimate survivor for a while until it eventually succumbed too.
Howard Johnson's became famous because they had a reputation for delivering excellent service to customers and serving up a consistent quality of food and ice cream. There were more than a thousand HoJo's restaurants in the US at the chain’s peak.
Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips
In the 1960s, British actor Arthur Treacher became famous in the US, where he hosted a talk show along with Merv Griffin. Treacher then decided to lend his name to a fast-food chain, whose first restaurant was opened in Colombus in 1969.
The franchise had expanded to more than 800 locations across the US about a decade later but about four decades down the line, only two locations existed in 2021, and a year later, only one remained. There were some rumblings the brand would get revived in 2022 but those died off as well.
Burger Chef
Burger Chef was launched in Indianapolis in 1957 with the primary motive of showing off the company’s broilers and milkshake machines. However, twelve months down the line, the business had become so famous that the founders, brothers David and Frank Thomas Jr., simply had to cash in by going into the burger business fully.
They did quite well in the burger business too, expanding and owning 500 restaurants in less than ten years. In 1968, the brothers sold their business to General Foods, which expanded the outlets further to over 1,000 outlets. General Foods ended up selling its burger chain to its competitor, Hardee’s, and all Burger Chefs were converted to Hardee’s.
Official All-Star Café
The Official All-Star Café was a celebrity-owned restaurant that allowed people to reimagine star-powered feeding. The successful chain had the backing of superstars like Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky, and Shaquille O’Neal when it opened in New York City’s Times Square in 1995 and its restaurant served sports-bar-themed food like burgers, pasta, booze, and sandwiches.
The restaurant also had lots of sports memorabilia from several athletes. Lots of live games and greatest-hit videos were also screened at the restaurant to the delight of guests. The franchise soon expanded to Cancun, Mexico and Las Vegas and it enjoyed a short-lived winning streak before filing for bankruptcy in 1999.
D’Lites
The late 1970s and early 80s were characterized by a fitness boom that left fast-food chains in a scramble to create options that customers who desired a healthier lifestyle could also enjoy. D’Lite emerged in this period, promising customers burgers made from extra-lean beef, salads, sparkling juices, and other healthy vegetarian options.
Five years after the first D’Lite restaurant was opened, the franchise was booming and expanding as there were 100 stores in 19 states within two years. Unfortunately, the business model collapsed as people didn’t bother so much about the nutrition that D’Lite promised, and the company went bankrupt in 1986.
Luby’s Cafeteria
Luby’s Cafeteria was a Texas cafeteria chain that opened in 1947 and won lots of people over until the pandemic hit. The chain simply couldn’t recover from the effects of the pandemic despite its best efforts as more than half of its staff were laid off or furloughed.
The surviving workers had to take 50% pay cuts, and a Paycheck Protection Program loan of $10 million was awarded to the company in a bid to save it, but it was beyond saving at that point. The company filed for bankruptcy in September 2022, and the liquidation of assets began in earnest.
Bennigan’s
In 1976, Bennigan’s was created by Norman Brinker, the same man that created the famous Steak & Ale chain. He created Bennigan’s with a faux-Irish pub energy that became famous with diners that wanted a burger and a beer at the same time, but without all the bells of a fancy restaurant.
In 1983, more than 150 Bennigan’s existed in the US, yet Brinker still bought Chili’s as part of an expansion drive. Unfortunately, the expansion was prioritized over the development of signature dishes, and at the end of the day, the chain was toppled by competitors like Applebee’s, and its parent company declared bankruptcy.
Chi-Chi’s
Chi-Chi’s was a Mexican restaurant chain that was launched in Minneapolis in 1975. At first, the restaurant had to make do by sharing its space with a bar but that didn’t stop the restaurant from becoming a resounding success. Owners, Max McGee and Marno McDermott made so much money from their restaurant that they were able to quickly bring on a third partner to oversee expansions.
They owned more than 200 restaurants by the mid-90s, most of them in the Midwest. Eventually, a combination of intense competition and the chain’s own aggressive overexpansion killed the business, and the parent company declared bankruptcy in 2002.
Bill Knapp’s
Bill Knapp’s was a famous restaurant for those that grew up in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, or Indiana. It was especially famous among people that took lots of road trips as these restaurants were plentiful in those states. In 1948, the first restaurant was opened in Battle Creek, Michigan thanks to the founder, and former traveling salesman, Clinton B. Knapp.
He wanted traveling families and businessmen like himself to have access to inexpensive and tasty food regardless of where they were headed. This motivated him to grow his chain, and as a result, he owned nearly 70 restaurants after being in business for some years. However, he was never able to make his vision a reality as the chains slowly began to close down.
Gino’s Burgers
NFL Hall of Famer, Gino Marchetti, founded Gino’s Burgers in 1957. In the beginning, Marchetti’s chain got off to a terrific start thanks to the innovative decision to combine sports and fast food.
In the end, though, that glory was short-lived because even though Gino’s Burgers had expanded to over 330 locations across the country by 1972, the business was slowly fading off. The chain was purchased by Marriott in the 1980s, and it was effectively merged with Roy Rogers.
VIP’s
VIP’s was an Oregon-based restaurant chain that once had over 50 locations in the western United States alone. Unfortunately, it shared some similarities with Denny’s, a super-successful chain at the time, that would eventually lead to its failure.
It folded up a bit over twenty years after it was founded and now, only memories remain of this once vibrant restaurant chain. The Denny’s-style restaurant was built in a structure not far from what people called a coffee shop at the time.
Chooks Fresh & Tasty
Chooks Fresh & Tasty was a fast food chain founded in 1991. The Western Australian fast-food chain served up delicious fried chicken and barbecue, and at a point in its existence, it had about 34 locations across the country.
However, the chain’s popularity and patronage declined quietly over the years, and by 2010 another Australian fast-food chain, Chicken Treat, had purchased all surviving Chooks locations and they were all rebranded as Chicken Treat. The implication is today, Chooks no longer exists like we used to know them.
Doggie Diner
Doggie Diner was a small fast-food restaurant that became famous for serving delicious hamburgers and hot dogs in Oakland, California, and San Francisco. The diners were canine-motivated restaurants that existed from 1948 to 1986, and at one point there were about 30 locations around the San Francisco Bay area.
Unfortunately for Doogie Diner and its management, there’s more to successful restaurant chains than cute mascots. At the end of the day, Doggie Diner shut down for good in 1986 thanks to stiff competition from the likes of McDonald’s and Burger King.
Henry’s Hamburgers
In 1954, Henry’s Hamburgers was founded as a drive-in restaurant. It quickly became known for its tasty French fries, milkshakes, and hamburgers so it was expanded into a chain with about 35 locations in the Chicago area at its peak.
Business boomed so well for Henry’s Hamburgers that the chain had more locations than the likes of McDonald’s which have become industry giants today. Business got progressively worse for the chain, and in the mid-1970s things got even worse, as several locations were closed down for good.
Little Tavern
The first Little Tavern was launched on the East Coast only six years after White Castle was founded. And just like White Castle, Little Tavern restaurants also served delicious hamburgers in block construction and in castle-inspired design buildings.
At one point, there were more than 40 Little Tavern locations around the Arlington, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. areas but not even one of them is open today as the last location was shut for good in 2008. This was just one of those chains that were doomed to fail from the jump.
Lum’s
Lum’s was a Miami-based restaurant chain that became famous thanks to its delicious hot dogs steamed in beer. Despite some modest success at first thanks to its delicious, yet unhealthy fast-food options, the business model eventually failed, and it didn’t help that Lum’s parent company bought Caesar’s Palace for $60 million.
The business began to change hands, and after changing hands multiple times, it eventually filed for bankruptcy, and all locations were shut down for good in 1983 thanks to unstable ownership and a dying business model.
Valle’s Steak House
Most of the restaurants prioritized lobsters and steaks, and there was even an exclusive deal with a Chicago slaughterhouse. However, in the end, it was the mistake of aggressive overexpansion that killed the franchise as all locations were eventually closed forever.
Kenny Rogers
Singer Kenny Rogers launched the Kenny Rogers restaurant along with KFC mogul, John Y. Brown, in 1991. In the beginning, the restaurant prioritized rotisserie chicken but it soon expanded its menu to include other tasty treats, and likewise, it also expanded its locations to 425 at one point.
Unfortunately, the success of the chain was always hinged on an expiring item, Kenny Rogers’ fame. It turned out that not even Rogers’ fame could keep the business booming, and in the end, the business went bankrupt in 1998 and was bought by Nathan’s.
Pizza Haven
For over twenty years, the Pizza Haven pizza restaurant chain operated in New Zealand and Australia. Four brothers, Evan, Louis, Bill, and Gabriel Christou came together to collectively launch the restaurant with a $24,000 mortgage on their homes.
The four brothers actively participated in running the restaurants, and they managed to grow it for a bit before their business locations were sold off to competitors, Pizza Hut and Domino’s gradually, starting in 2006. In July 2008, the Eagle Boys pizza chain acquired Pizza Haven Australia, and the surviving Pizza Haven locations were converted to Pizza Hut stores.
Pumper Nic
Pumper Nic was an Argentine fast-food chain founded in 1974. They had a menu that featured sandwiches regularly, and as a result, the chain became quite famous among locals, and to date, Pumper Nic is still regarded as a cult classic among Argentine locals.
While the chain withstood internal pressure nicely, it eventually succumbed to external pressure as it couldn’t survive intense competition from the likes of McDonald’s and Burger King, and was therefore shut down for good in 1999.
Pop ‘n’ Taco
In 1956, Pop ‘n’ Taco was founded by Russ Wendel, the founder of Big Donut. The new chain was founded in Southern California, and at its peak, it had more than 100 restaurants in the region. This chain served rich tacos and hot dogs on its menu, and a nice selection of burgers and slushies as well.
Yet, like Pumper Nic above, Pop ‘n’ Taco also couldn’t withstand external pressure, and 99 of its locations were bought out by Taco Bell in 1984. The surviving three outlets eventually folded up in the 2010s as well.
Red Barn
The Red Barn fast-food chain was founded in Springfield, Ohio in 1961. As the name suggests, the restaurants were built like barns, and they were all painted red. Red Barn became famous for its remarkable Big Mac-like burgers and its excellent self-service salad bars.
At the peak of its existence, Red Barn had between 300-400 restaurants in 19 states, and it also opened some restaurants in Australia and Canada at one point. Unfortunately, operations ceased for good after ownership was changed a couple of times in 1988.
Wetson’s
Wetson’s was a fast-food chain that existed from 1959 to 1975. At its peak, its remarkable signature Big W burger, and its range of 15-cent burgers and 10-cent fries pulled lots of customers into its restaurants. Wetson’s had roughly 70 locations in the greater New York metropolitan region at its peak.
However, the thing with the fast-food business is there’s intense competition from big-time players like McDonald’s and Burger King, and Wetson’s was forced to close up after an unfortunate merger with Nathan’s Famous.
Wimpy
In 1934, Wimpy was created in Bloomington, Indiana and the fast-food chain was grown steadily until it had 25 restaurants in the US, and 1,500 beyond the shores of the US. The chain’s owners soon found out how difficult it is to run a chain outside the US, and their international restaurants changed owners a couple of times.
The result is those European restaurants still exist today, but they’re branded differently. The South African locations are also branded differently now.
Beefsteak Charlie’s
In 1910, Beefsteak Charlie’s was opened in New York City, and it quickly became famous among residents thanks to its horse racing theme and the delicious specialty steak sandwich. In 1976, it officially became a chain as part of a wider revival of the bankrupt Steak & Brew restaurant chain.
Thanks to its unlimited sangria, beer, and salad bar, Beefsteak Charlie’s became famous among a wider selection of customers, and it had more than 60 restaurants along the East Coast. However, that didn't last long as the restaurants were forced to close their doors for good.
Steak And Ale
Steak and Ale was founded by Norman Brinker in Dallas in 1966. Brinker is the same man that introduced Jack in the Box and Chili’s all those years ago. Steak And Ale set out to provide a lush steak experience for customers at cheaper prices.
Their emphasis on price is the reason customers could buy an eight-ounce filet for $1.95 at one point. The success of that model enabled the owners to expand to 280 locations but that success was short-lived, and the chain closed for good in 2008.
White Tower
White Tower Hamburgers was founded in 1926 by a father and son team in Milwaukee. At a point, it was apparent that White Tower found plenty of inspiration in White Castle as it featured a similar white fortress-esque building and even served customers a similar menu.
Minnie Pearl’s Chicken
This chicken chain became a hit with diners after famous country singer, Minnie Pearl, lent her name to the chicken chain in the 1960s. Business boomed, and as a result, the chain expanded to more than 500 locations across the US.
Unfortunately, the expansion was of the aggressive kind that couldn’t be sustained, and a combination of that with poor management and confrontations with the US Securities and Exchange Commission all caused the chain’s gradual demise. Minnie Pearl’s had shut down for good by the late 1960s.
Yankee Doodle
Yankee Doodle restaurants stood out thanks to the patriotic name, and the restaurants soon became fixtures around Chicago. The chain shared some similarities with Burger King, and at one point, it boasted about 27 restaurants in and around Chicago.
Like many unfortunate fast-food chains that had come before it, Yankee Doodle couldn’t withstand external pressure, and the intense competition in the restaurant space caused it to close down in the 1980s.
The Stork Club
In the early 1900s, the Stork Club was a major part of the social scene in New York City. The restaurant existed from 1929 to 1965, and it operated as a nightclub and restaurant. Regular folk and celebrities alike flocked there to enjoy steak dinners, some dancing, and remarkable cocktails.
In the midst of talks about the chain being relocated, the owner, Sherman Billingsley, died and the hot spot was closed in 1965. Likewise, its iconic location was eventually demolished and transformed into Paley Park.
Toots Shor’s Restaurant
Toots Shor’s restaurant is where all the magic happened in the 40s and 50s. The restaurant was so famous back then that every A-list celebrity frequented it. The likes of Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, and Frank Sinatra all found their baked potatoes, grilled steak, and other menu items delightful.
However, the real attraction was the crowd, and there were some things that weren’t done right behind the scenes. Toots Shor was seized because of taxes, and it never quite recovered from that.
The Cloud Club
The Cloud Club was founded in 1930, and it offered more than food to patrons. The club was nestled into one of New York City’s most iconic buildings, the Chrysler Building, and located nearly 70 floors above Manhattan.
Patrons had access to a two-story view of Manhattan, a cigar collection, and a private locker room. All of these combined to attract patrons from near and far but the business model didn’t last. The club was closed in 1979, and its space has remained empty since.
Sambo’s
Sambo’s was a casual diner that was launched during the roadside dining boom in 1957. It became incredibly popular thanks to its delicious fluffy pancakes, and soon enough it expanded to 47 states in the country. Unfortunately, the eatery was marred by controversy because its name is a derogatory slang directed at African Americans.
The tone-deaf marketing was therefore resisted by customers as the chain expanded to bigger cities. They attempted to rebrand by becoming No Place Like Sam’s and Jolly Tiger, so Sambo’s no longer exists like we used to know it.
Dubrow’s Cafeteria
Dubrow’s Cafeteria was a New York City family-owned venture and cafeteria-inspired business that was a rallying point for politicians and a famous dining spot for locals.
Both Ed Koch and John Kennedy dined at Dubrow’s Cafeteria at one point, proving it is a historically-relevant diner but unfortunately, the model of diners wasn’t the most sustainable, and in the end Dubrow’s closed for good in the late 80s. Other chains had emerged at that point, and Dubrow’s simply failed to evolve into the new era.
Brown Derby
The Brown Derby was a restaurant that became a Hollywood institution. The original Wilshire Boulevard location was launched by Herbert K. Somborn in 1926, and it quickly became famous thanks to a host of celebrity clientele that flocked there.
It also helped that the building was unique, with a bowler-hat-esque shape and its walls were designed with caricatures, providing a unique dining experience. In the end, Brown Derby didn’t survive the end of the Golden Era in Hollywood, and all four locations were closed in 1987.
Boston Sea Party
In the 1970s, there were lots of theme restaurants, and most of them did remarkably well. The Boston Sea Party was one of the most remarkable and inventive-themed restaurants at the time.
It was essentially a nautical-themed restaurant that served mouth-watering deals on its seafood, and it had a number of locations across the country. In the end, the chain couldn’t survive external pressure for long as it underwent a steady decline, and the last Boston Sea Party location was shut down in 1994.
Sign of the Dove
Sign of the Dove is a historic restaurant that existed in New York City. It became considered one of the city’s lost gems after it was demolished in 1998, and it left a gaping hole that was beyond just physical.
At its peak, Sign of the Dove was an iconic Upper East Side eatery managed by the Santo Family Group. The business became successful thanks to the fine dining experience that patrons enjoyed. Patrons got to dine in a garden of stained glass that was magnificent but the restaurant suffered a steady decline until it was closed.
Fashion Café
Fashion Café was owned by a restaurant group that decided to cash in on the supermodel era by creating a dining experience tailored to supermodels and aspiring models. New York City’s Fashion Café was a gathering of iconic models like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Claudia Schiffer, who all came together to endorse the restaurant.
The diner offered a unique combination of fashion and dining, and while it managed to survive locally, its international operations were shut down for good in 1999. However, various scandals from the owners led to the restaurant closing down for good.
La Petite Boulangerie
La Petite Boulangerie was an American baking restaurant that started out as a small bakery with only two locations at first. Things changed once PepsiCo acquired the company in 1982 as the restaurant was immediately expanded with multiple new locations across the country.
The delicious warm croissants that the bakery had become known for were the centerpiece of the delicious confectioneries that Americans enjoyed while dining at La Petite Boulangerie. At the peak of its existence, there were some 93 La Petite stores scattered across the US but the final one was closed in 2000.
Lyon’s Restaurant
Lyon’s was a fierce threat to Denny’s at its peak, thanks to its casual-dining style and the low-cost breakfast options on offer for patrons. Customers at Lyon’s restaurant were encouraged to eat like kings once the chain was created in 1952, and that model spurred some success that led to rapid expansion as the years passed.
Unfortunately, the low-cost meals had an effect on profitability in the long run, and soon enough the company filed for bankruptcy. Three years after it went bankrupt, it was sold to another company in 2001 and it never quite recovered after that.
Pastis
Pastis launched in 1980, and it immediately stood out among the crowd of restaurants and diners thanks to its unique Parisian bistro décor that made it a fixture in the Big Apple’s restaurant network.
It was a well-patronized and iconic spot in New York that did well to survive some adverse economic conditions and intense competition until it eventually succumbed to pressure in 2014. The restaurant’s doors were shut, and it appeared as though the French bistro had become a thing of the past until Pastis opened in a new location in 2019, though it's not looking good for that location.
Da Silvano
Da Silvano provided its customers with a unique dining experience characterized by an outdoor dining space frequented by celebrities that were drawn to the tasty and authentic high-end Italian meals on the menu.
Unfortunately, the restaurant business model was much easier to sustain in the 1900s than it is today, and the increased external pressure of the new age caused Da Silvano to fold up for good. A combination of increased rent and high minimum wage costs did too much damage to the business.
Sushi Samba
Sushi Samba was a restaurant and a unique cultural experience all at once. It was a Peruvian, Brazilian, and Japanese restaurant that generated lots of buzz at its peak operation in the late 90s and early 2000s.
The restaurant had many famous locations in cities like New York and Miami, and it managed to capture the attention of lots of celebrities and regular folks looking for a unique dining experience. Until 2017, New York residents could still frequent the lounge there as the New York location was shut down in that year.
Ground Round
The Ground Round was the brainchild of Howard Johnson's, who wanted to give fast-food patrons a more refined option. The restaurant was created with a family sit-down dining arena, and also a separate bar region for adults.
It had a half-pound burger called "The Ground Rounder" as its signature dish but there were other exciting offerings for customers like free popcorn for kids, free peanuts, and a pay-what-you-weigh option for children. Ground Round had as many as 200 restaurants in 1991 but corporate mismanagement and low turnover combined to bankrupt the business in 2004.
Specialty’s Café and Bakery
Specialty’s Café and Bakery felt the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic as much as any other restaurant chain out there. The pandemic caused the chain to close down all its 50 restaurants scattered across California, Illinois, and Washington.
Before the pandemic crashed the chain, it had become famous for its oversized sandwiches and cookies that kept people coming back for three decades of operation. Unfortunately, the chain’s reliance on lunchtime traffic in business regions meant it was badly hit by the pandemic lockdown restrictions, forcing the management to close down all locations in 2020.
Souplantation
Souplantation’s buffet dining model enabled the restaurant chain to survive and thrive for four decades until the pandemic hit. The management failed to make a pivot to takeout as the pandemic demanded, and as a result, the chain was forced to shut down its doors for good in 2020.
Souplantation ultimately failed because the management couldn’t continue their business model as a result of the pandemic, and also because the pandemic brought intense financial difficulties. In the end, the business was shut down amidst all those challenges, although there are rumblings that it might resurface with a unique business model.
Elaine's
Elaine's restaurant, a long-standing local favorite, announced its official closure in 2011 after the death of founder Elaine, who passed away in 2010. With its history spanning nearly three decades, Elaine's was beloved by many for its signature dishes, friendly atmosphere, and excellent service.
Chasen's
The legendary Chasen's restaurant, a staple of Los Angeles' dining scene, opened its doors to customers in 1936. For nearly six decades, Chasen's served as the go-to dinner spot for celebrities, politicians, and other luminaries in Los Angeles.
The restaurant was known for its classic American cuisine, its cozy atmosphere, and its signature dish, Chili Con Carne. It was equally famous for its Academy Award after parties, but sadly with its outdated vibe, the restaurant was forced to close down in 1995.