TAKE A TRIP DOWN FOODIE MEMORY LANE

Do You Remember These 10 Vanished Restaurant Chains?

Image: Tim Mossholder

As the writer J.L. Borges said, "It is not the places that we miss, but the moments spent in them." We all have memories of family dinners and friend gatherings in places that no longer exist. Often located in mall food courts, but also in the middle of the city, in highway stops, or many other locations, these once popular places faded into obscurity, devoured by the competition or simply fell out of pace with the modern tastes.

From big celebrity-backed restaurants like Planet Hollywood to the more humble family-oriented Chi-Chi’s, many of these chains went quietly and without much notice but were once beloved meeting points. Read on and try to remember if you ever attended any one of these.

Image: Bindydad123 CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Even if you’ve never been there, you probably have heard of this one: a wood-fired rotisserie chicken restaurant chain fronted by The Gambler himself, Mr. Kenny Rogers. That was the idea and, for several years, it worked quite well. The brand advocated healthy eating, by claiming that roasted chicken has less fat, salt, and calories than fried chicken.

The brand was a 90s creature, as it was born and saw its heyday in that decade, with locations all over the United States and even many abroad. But, as it happens, it filed for bankruptcy in 1998 and the last Kenny Rogers Roasters in America shut its doors in 2011.

Surprisingly, the brand is still very much alive and thriving in Asia, where it's still going strong.

Image: Phillip Pessa, via Wikimedia Commons

A staple of the so-called "fern bars" scene (upscale bars that featured plants, wooden bars, and fake Tiffany lamps in their decoration), Bennigan’s was born in the 1970s and it quickly grew with locations all over the country.

While the concept was not new or special,Bennigan’s restaurants were popular hangouts in their respective locations, catering to families, after-office workers, and local clientele. To this day, there are still a few Benningan’s left in the United States and abroad, with plans to make a comeback sometime in the future.

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As the name implies, the premise was simple: a steak dinner experience at affordable prices. Steak and Ale restaurants featured an unlimited salad bar or a choice of soup with most of its entrees on the dinner menu. It also featured free drink refills, honey wheat bread, a lunch menu with many items for $6.99, and even wine samples for only 25 cents.

Despite all these amenities, the Tudor-styled chain’s market presence was eaten up by the competition and most of its restaurants closed its doors by the late 2000s.

Image: Pub. by Howard Johnson Publishing Department, Bedford, PA. Tichnor Quality View, Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. Made Only by Tichnor Bros., Inc., Boston, Mass., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Howard Johnson’s might be a familiar name in the current hotel industry but, believe it or not, there was a time when the brand was known as a restaurant chain. Howard Johnson’s restaurants were as popular as McDonald’s and Starbucks are today. With more than 1000 locations in the 1970s, it was once the biggest food chain in America.

The first restaurant opened in the late 1920s and a few years later, franchises started opening all over the country. In 1954 the first Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge was opened in Georgia next to the restaurant and history was made. But, a few decades later, the restaurant business was separated from the hotel business and the eateries started losing its public until the final HoJo’s restaurant closed its doors in 2022.

Image: Hien Nguyen

A restaurant chain famous for its barn-shaped locations, Red Barn was born in Ohio in 1961 and featured items like the "The Big Barney" and "Barnbuster" hamburgers and the first self-service salad bar.

After passing hands a few times, the food chain ended up being sold for the land and the franchises were allowed to expire but, to this day, many Facebook groups plead for a comeback of the Red Barn brand.

Image: amirali mirhashemian

With a very straightforward name, Burger Chef opened business in Indianapolis, in 1954, and expanded throughout the country until peaking in 1973 with 1050 locations. The restaurant offered a double burger, called the Big Shef, the quarter-pound hamburger, Super Shef, and the Works Bar, where customers added their own toppings to hamburgers.

In 1973 the chain introduced "Funmeal," a kids’ menu meal that included a small toy. A few years later, in 1979, McDonald’s introduced its own Happy Meal. Burger Chef sued the big M but ultimately lost the case. The brand was sold to Hardee’s and the name phased out in favor of the latter.

Image: Sarah Stierch via Wikimedia Commons

If you went out for Mexican food in the Midwest in the 80s and 90s, there was a big chance you were going to a Chi-Chi’s. While the food might not have been the most authentic Tex-Mex you could find, it provided an introduction to Mexican flavors for many families.

By the early 2000s, the brand filed for bankruptcy but the final blow came the year after that, when a major hepatitis epidemic in the Pittsburgh area was traced back to a batch of green onions in one of the chain’s restaurants.

Image: Ray or Jane Schumin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Did anyone call for weird animatronic stage shows? Showbiz Pizza Place was a family restaurant pizza chain that entertained its guests with a large selection of arcade games, coin-operated rides, and stage shows featuring singing and dancing robots disguised as animals.

The chain saw its heyday during the 80s thanks to the rising popularity of arcades but, a decade after that, it rebranded all its locations to the Chuck E. Cheese we know today.

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Maybe you even owned a hat or a T-shirt with this logo. Few restaurant chains started as big as Planet Hollywood. Backed by heavy hitters like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis, among many others, each location was decorated with memorabilia from movies, famous actors and actresses, music stars, and more.

The first location opened its doors in New York City in 1991 and it continued an aggressive expansion and diversification into other themed restaurants including the All-Star Cafe, a sports-themed restaurant, superstores, and even television game shows. But, a mere 8 years later, in 1999, the company filed for bankruptcy. As of today, only a handful of Planet Hollywood Restaurants remain open.

Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Keeping on with the big themed restaurant chains, ESPN Zone was a major operation, also including arcades, TV and radio studios. It started with a modest sports bar in Disney World, but quickly developed into a full chain of sports-themed restaurants all over the United States.

One might be forgiven to think that a sports-themed restaurant backed by such a prestigious brand as ESPN would have been a huge hit in such a sports-loving country but, alas, by June 2010, all but two locations were closed -the parent company citing the financial crisis as the cause.

Time-tested phrases

Time is money — And we'll tell you how and why

Image: Aron Visuals

Clocks, alarms, calendars: since ancient times, humans have been finding ways to measure time. And because time plays such a central role in our lives, it’s no surprise that it’s also a key part of our everyday language, often without us even realizing it. From trying to "beat the clock" to learning to "hold our horses" or waiting for something that happens "once in a blue moon," today we’re exploring the origins and meanings of 10 time-related idioms you’ve probably never stopped to think about.

Image: Michal Balog

"She kept pacing while waiting for the test results, but a watched pot never boils."

Remember that class in school that felt like it would never end? The more you watched the clock, the slower the minutes seemed to pass, making time feel like it stood still. That’s exactly when the idiom "a watched pot never boils" fits perfectly, capturing that impatient feeling we get when we’re desperately waiting for something to happen.

Image: Liam McGarry

"With the current mayor nearing retirement, several ambitious candidates are already waiting in the wings."

Theater has given us many of the idioms we use every day, most of them inspired by its traditions and stagecraft. The "wings," for example, are those areas on both sides of the stage, where actors stand before stepping into the spotlight. That’s where the expression "waiting in the wings" comes from; it describes someone who’s ready and poised for the perfect moment to act.

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"Don’t waste your morning scrolling through social media. Remember: time is money."

There’s one thing humanity has tried for ages but still hasn’t been able to achieve: turning back time. You can regret the past or wish with all your heart to relive it, but once time is gone, it’s gone. That’s where the popular saying "time is money" comes in, reminding us of the value of time and why we should use it wisely. Often credited to the brilliant Benjamin Franklin, it’s a phrase nearly everyone has heard or used at some point.

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"I told my friend to see a doctor when her cold started, because a stitch in time saves nine."

Originating from the world of sewing—where a quick stitch can stop a small tear from turning into a big rip—this idiom reminds us that the sooner we deal with a problem, the easier it is to fix. Do you live by that rule, or are you the type who waits until the hole in your shirt becomes impossible to ignore?

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"We go to the beach together once in a blue moon, but it’s always special."

In astronomy, a blue moon refers to the second full moon in a single calendar month. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with the moon’s color. Since this event happens only about once every two or three years, the expression "once in a blue moon" is used to describe something that occurs very rarely—or almost never.

Image: Andy Beales

"The firefighters beat the clock and stopped the flames from spreading."

You wake up at 8:15 and need to be at the office by 9. If you actually make it, you can proudly say you "beat the clock." This expression, meaning to finish something just in time or before a deadline, likely originated in the world of sports, especially racing. But it really became popular thanks to the TV game show Beat the Clock, where contestants had to complete fun challenges before time ran out.

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"Grandpa had a whale of a time telling us his old adventure stories."

We’ve all had that moment after a fun night out with friends when you get home, smile to yourself, and think about how great the event was. That’s when you can say you had "a whale of a time." This expression dates back to the 19th century and uses the whale’s enormous size as a metaphor for the big, unforgettable experience you’ve just had.

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"I know you’re excited about the trip, but hold your horses until we finish packing."

You don’t have to live in the countryside to know that when you’re riding a horse or driving a cart, you need to pull on the reins to slow down or stop. That’s exactly what this idiom is about: patience and self-control. When someone tells you to "hold your horses," they’re suggesting that you should wait a moment or proceed more carefully in a situation.

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"She felt the time was ripe to tell her family about her plans."

No matter how hungry you are, if you take that delicious pie out of the oven too soon, it probably won’t turn out right. Sometimes, it’s better to wait for the perfect moment. Just like when harvesting fruit, you wait until it’s fully ripe before picking it. That’s exactly what the idiom "the time is ripe" communicates: it’s the right moment to take action.

Image: Petra Reid

"I’ll hang fire on making my decision until I’ve spoken with everyone involved."

Back in the 17th century, things weren’t like they are today; even firearms worked differently. Flintlock guns, for example, sometimes had a delay between pulling the trigger and the bullet firing. This specific malfunction gave rise to the idiom "hang fire," which refers to any situation or person that is delayed or hesitant.