Didn't realize Bill Knapp's were dead, although, guess I haven't really thought about them for 20 years either. But, was a place we frequently stopped on family trips between Chicago and Detroit. I remember they had good pot pies.

Just Rite

1.) Coon Chicken Inn

2.) Doggie Diner

3.) Victoria Station

4.) Zim's (Best Burger/Shake combo in the world)

teto85: 1.) Coon Chicken Inn

2.) Doggie Diner

3.) Victoria Station

4.) Zim's (Best Burger/Shake combo in the world)

Coon Chicken Inn was before my time but I heard stories about it. Great food but "decor" like one would not believe. My aunt said she felt like it was the Twilight Zone.

Naugles.

bigpeeler: Naugles.

[i.imgur.com image 307x464]

Oh Naugles. Yum.

Farrell's was a great place

/unless a frikkin F-86 flew in the front door

dletter: Didn't realize Bill Knapp's were dead, although, guess I haven't really thought about them for 20 years either. But, was a place we frequently stopped on family trips between Chicago and Detroit. I remember they had good pot pies.

Still miss their choclate cake for my birthday

Vodka Zombie: Arthur Treacher's.

They're still around, combined with A&W restaurants now. Not many of them, but there are a couple in the DFW area.

My vote would be for the old-school original Shakey's pizza place. Not the crappy buffet version, but the original, with long plank tables, and Three Stooges playing on a projector screen.

markie_farkie: Vodka Zombie: Arthur Treacher's.

They're still around, combined with A&W restaurants now. Not many of them, but there are a couple in the DFW area.

My vote would be for the old-school original Shakey's pizza place. Not the crappy buffet version, but the original, with long plank tables, and Three Stooges playing on a projector screen.

Heh... the ORIGINAL original Shakey's was in Sacramento. That was a great place

/I'd vote for that one, too

hillary: Arthur Treacher's is still in business.

Indeed. There's one in Alexandria VA I go to sometimes.

Heraclitus: I think if they brought back Sambo's it would be a riot!

That's the one I was thinking of too. I vaguely remember one in the town I grew up in but it was gone/renamed by the time I was 10 or so.

/I told my kids about it a while ago when something brought inappropriate names up. The looks of amazement I got from them were that shiat could be piled so high as I must be full of it....

I remember going to Red Barn as a kid-great burgers and fried chicken, and a salad bar (almost unheard of in the 60's) for Mom. Plus the building was a red barn, which was kind of cool.

Recoil Therapy: Heraclitus: I think if they brought back Sambo's it would be a riot!

That's the one I was thinking of too. I vaguely remember one in the town I grew up in but it was gone/renamed by the time I was 10 or so.

/I told my kids about it a while ago when something brought inappropriate names up. The looks of amazement I got from them were that shiat could be piled so high as I must be full of it....

Huh, apparently the original restaurant is still around. And even though it was named after it's owners (Sam & Bo) that little fact would be sure to get lost in the uproar these days (not that I knew that myself until a minute or two ago...).

A&W

Not totally dead yet, but nearly there.

cman: A&W

Not totally dead yet, but nearly there.

The root beer sure isn't the same

/doesn't taste different from any other now

MaudlinMutantMollusk: cman: A&W

Not totally dead yet, but nearly there.

The root beer sure isn't the same

/doesn't taste different from any other now

A&W had the best fries bar none. McDonalds is considered to be the best by most, but that is only because of geography; far more McDonalds than A&Ws

bigpeeler: Naugles.

[i.imgur.com image 307x464]

Bless you.

Holy crap almost forgot my favorite from being a kid
Farrell's ice cram parlor
I guess two still exist but they used to be all over the midwest

Belisle's in Anaheim near Disneyland.

robmilmel: I remember going to Red Barn as a kid-great burgers and fried chicken, and a salad bar (almost unheard of in the 60's) for Mom. Plus the building was a red barn, which was kind of cool.

There are still a few of the Red Barn buildings around the SF Bay Area and most of them are still restaurants. Just not Red Barn. I could go for a Big Barney and a shake right now. Urp.

lohphat: Belisle's in Anaheim near Disneyland.

Huh. Never thought it was actually in Garden Grove but city boundaries in developed SoCal are invisible; crossing the street or traveling a few blocks can result in traversing several city boundaries.

MaudlinMutantMollusk: Farrell's was a great place

/unless a frikkin F-86 flew in the front door

Farrell's is making a comeback. There are now four in southern California.

Farrell's

The place is just as much fun as I remember from being a kid, and now my son gets to enjoy it.

Kilthan: Farrell's is making a comeback. There are now four in southern California.

Farrell's

The place is just as much fun as I remember from being a kid, and now my son gets to enjoy it.

Oh cool! And they still serve The Zoo

/tried to eat one by myself in my youth
//sweet, sweet failure

I didn't know Chi-chi's was dead, I thought I just moved away from them all.

Also, I thought Showbiz Pizza turned into Chuck-E-Cheese... But they were competitors in the "bad pizza and worse animatronics" segment of the market.

/and after further reading, I was right. Showbiz locations were transformed into C-E-C. TMYK!

/jk
//most of their food offerings qualified as culinary depth charges

Taco-Tico ... it was taco bell before there was taco bell

You know, that one with all the wacky sh*t on the wall. What was the name of it?

NewportBarGuy: You know, that one with all the wacky sh*t on the wall.

Colonel Angus' Fried Chicken.

They remembered Wetson's - yay!

(there was one next to the drive-in movie my parents used to take us to)

San Francisco entry: Doggie Diner

Kenny Rogers Roasters, how I miss their chicken!

This one's the only original left:



But there's apparently a real nice, sit-down type one in DC.

Chi-Chi's

Mexican food just tastes better with Hepatitis A

Kredal: I didn't know Chi-chi's was dead, I thought I just moved away from them all.

Also, I thought Showbiz Pizza turned into Chuck-E-Cheese... But they were competitors in the "bad pizza and worse animatronics" segment of the market.

/and after further reading, I was right. Showbiz locations were transformed into C-E-C. TMYK!

I remember going to a CEC for some party in elementary school and some of my classmates were all excited because they supposedly had the greatest pizza ever. I informed a couple of them that the pizza was awful and they were clearly thinking of some other place, to which I got the usual 8-year-old "Nuh-uh!" response.

5 minutes later they came back to me and apologized. To this day, I think it was the only unforced elementary school apology in the history of ever.

Bob's Burger Express, an Oregon based fast food company. It pre-dated McDonald's in my area by quite a few years and even after we got our first McDonald's, it was far superior.

MaudlinMutantMollusk: Farrell's was a great place

/unless a frikkin F-86 flew in the front door

Ooh, my dad used to drive me by that site and tell me that story. Chilling.

I don't really have any nostalga for any chain restauraunts. But then again, we rarely ate out as kids.

/Cheap-ass parents

Pizza and Pipes.

Vallee's Steak House. I trotted tray there for 10 years. The lobster thermidor was to die for.

We had the first, and last.... Sambos. I think it's gone now.

Oh, and another vote for Shakey's. Good memories when i was litttle.

2xhelix: Kenny Rogers Roasters, how I miss their chicken!



Kramer agrees