I miss HoJo's all the fried clams you can eat. None are left in this part of the country.

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El Torito Mexican restaurant in Massapequa, NY (and a few others on Long Island). Their food was great and they made THE BEST DEEP-FRIED ICE CREAM EVER!

Well that would make sense as that's where I was! I see now there's some in TN too so I'll have to visit. Wonder if they still have games

Chili My Soul in Encino. Used to go there whenever I went to LA.

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The one near me just has redemption games and maybe a pop a shot.

One in winchester , va

Eggberts...

Manero's Restaurant Steakhouse in Paramus NJ Rt 17 South back in the '60's had the best burgers ever. Only found in Florida now I believe.

H. Salt Esquire..... Best Halibut fish and chips.

Olive Garden.......none left in Canada.

We still have Cici's here in Indy.

roll-n-roaster and beefsteak Charlie's.

We have Cici's in Texas too.

I'm proud to say we no longer have Cici's in MN.

I was born and raised in Chicago. I can't even consider calling that stuff pizza.

Hate to correct you, but. There are 6 Olive Gardens still in Canada. 2 in Edmonton, 1 in Calgary, 1 in Langley, & 2 in Winnipeg.

Winterpeg is a hell of a long drive from Georgian Bay, it might make for a nice trip!.

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor

I know there are some still in California, but I remember the one in Louisville being a place to stop before the movies or birthday parties.

Gertie's Ice Cream Parlor on Chicago's South Side. It was right next to the Colony Theatre.

Roy Fishers in North Little Rock, AR - best onion rings I've ever had in my life!

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Mine would be the Tom Sarris' Orleans House near Washington, DC. Home to a largest salad bar I'd ever seen outside Vegas (and in the shape of a steamboat), plus slabs of mouth-watering prime rib

Funny how I never knew some of the others mentioned were chain restaurants. I recall hucking peanut shells on the floor at Ground Round, eating the delicious brownie-bottom pies at Hojo's, sprinkling a little vinegar on some Arthur Treachers, or having the world's largest birthday sundae at Farrell's. Good memories...

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Chi Chi's and Lone Star, both are long gone in B.C., loved them both.

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There was a diner in Sedalia from the 1950s called The Wheel Inn, and their specialty was a hamburger with peanut butter on it. They had great shakes, too.

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Chi Chi's is still very much alive outside of North America
http://www.chichis.be/places.html

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what do your poor college students eat?

This. Oh and ponderosa

Swensens ice cream parlor, Bill Johnson's Big Apple

The satellite
Russo's Restaurant - bridge st.
Fables
Glass hut
Roaring 20's pizza (Mighty Wurlitzer Organ)
to name a few..in our area

It has been over 40 years since I went to Farrell's but I do remember they had pinball machines.

Bob's Big Boy Restaurant. The seasoned burgers were great and the strawberry pie was the best.

Chicken Delight
"Don't cook tonight ,call Chicken Delight ! "

Ramen noodles must have driven them out of business.

That's what I thought, too, until I tried one.

yeah I hear ya !!! we used to smash the desert bar, chocolate moose all day long!!!

Klinkerdagger, Bickerstaff and Petts. Steak house on the north end of Seattle. Dessert was fabulous after a good steak.

Bullwinkle's in Santa Clara, CA. This place used to put Chuckee Cheese to shame. Similar concept, but 1000 times better in every way. Best deep dish pizza. Best desserts. Best arcade. Best atmosphere, theme, charm. It was my favorite place on the planet when I was a kid. I'm sure I'm not the only who remembers this place fondly.

I remember popcorn. Not sure on the peanuts but Texas Roadhouse lets you throw them on the floor. Some lady tried to sue them and she lost.

There are still Bullwinkels in Juneau. And they have pins.

new one opened here in sacramento too. if you ever get this way look me up and we can go there and tackle the zoo.

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So many great places are gone and yet Dairy Queen is still here pumping out terrible food and fake ice cream made of who knows what. How about a thread on places we wish were defunct?

I remember Roy Rogers restaurants as a kid. I just looked them up. They have none down here in Florida or outside the northeast for that matter. Glad to see they are still around though.

There is still one open here in Sacramento. I keep meaning to get by there. A childhood favorite.

McDonalds might as well be defunct. They used to make fresh hamburgers and tasty fries. Now they pull their pre-cooked meat patties out of a drawer and cook their fries in toxic oil.

Brother, we are getting old.

Nah, it was like yesterday.

Shakeys Pizza. A staple as a kid. My kids were lucky enough to eat there before the last Milwaukee location closed. Think there might be a few left down south. I miss the mojos...
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I grew up in the so-cal area. I'll throw another to Naugles, but also there was this family restaurant, cafe style called BUFFY'S I really liked as a kid.

Another one that is but isn't dead, depending on your definition of it -- Bob's Big Boy. The original run of them seemed to fold up and die out west, but for a short time one re-opened back in the late 90s in San Marcos for a couple years and folded. Some time period years later I found there was one in Temecula (maybe still here) off I15 I ate at once.

Now here's where I get into dead but not (and damn I wish it were dead as it's an insult to the name) is that where I am now in Louisville, some douche named Frisch bought the Big Boy name and logo and has a chain of them here in town. I flipped my shit when I saw there was one 3mi from my home when I first moved here around Christmas of 02. I went in and ordered the classic Big Boy burger and tried to get the 'silver goblet' which is a big silver ice cream cup with a good chocolate shake. That got me a blank stare on the drink, but they had the malt still so I was like ok -- came in a paper cup, and didn't taste the same but was ok. So then the food shows up, and I was raving to my gf (now wife) about how awesome the food was talking up their secret sauce (which was like a mix of relish, ketchup and mayo if I recall) and I took this huge bite. YEEEEECK! I gagged and would have spit it out had I not been with her. It has Tartar sauce in it! Who the hell puts fish stick dip on a burger?! I got the waitress to complain and ask what that was, she said it was the big boy, and I was like that's supposed to have that secret sauce, and she said no it was always tartar. I gagged it down and never went back. Man that ruined a lot of memories. That Temecula one I actually went into about 5 years ago when I was back in CA for 3 years, it made the right burger at least.

Yeah, we still have Shakeys and their mojos. Good stuff! What I really miss are a couple of local restaurants that had the best prime rib. The Rose and Crown and Charlie Browns.

I know double post, but I have to ask.

Is it a coincidence? Chi-Chi's restaurant, and then in Louisville Ky there's a bottling and food plant that makes Chi Chis salsa and also this tub of taco mix. I love their salsa (hot) more than anything put it on all sorts of stuff. They do ship nationally as I could get it out in CA too. The logo is 100% identical with the red-white printing and that exact lettering font too on the bottle.

See?
http://www.chichis.com/

The about thing on the page mentions born in Mexico and having a restaurant. IT could be the same, because the restaurant page has Belgian, maybe they bought the dead chain and went international? The site I linked there says it's the same salsa and other stuff they served at their restaurants.

There are still a couple of Roy Rogers on the NJ Turnpike. I loved it as a kid, but the rest stops are so filthy, I can't bring myself to try them.