Some of us remember Bolingbrook for the Old Chicago indoor amusement park; Ride the Wabash Cannonball! IIRC, there's a car dealer on the site these days.

Note how the hotel/motel chain is now Howard Johnson without an apostrophe "s". There is a difference and that is on purpose.

No more 28 flavors of ice cream.....

When the hungry's hit, hit the Red Barn! Remember the barn-shaped box the chicken dinners were served in?

Second only to Roy Roger's roast beef sandwiches. Arby's was a distant third. Whenever my travels take me on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike or by the Chesapeake House Service center on I-95 in Maryland, I always make a stop and get a couple. I've even ziplocked bagged a few a brought them home with me. Crazy, huh?

Hey Amigo, take me to Zantigo!

There's a Nickerson's Farms converted to a porn store on I-94 in Michigan. Between Ann Arbor & Battle Creek. The sign is hilarious.

I saw a Mr. Hero next to the Sandusky, Ohio Starbucks yesterday on US 250. I was wondering what they had there.

The one in Jackson, Michigan, which closed within the last year, brought out the popcorn upon welcoming when I last ate there about two years ago.

The Walgreen's drugstore chain failed experiment. Winchell's Donuts too.

Nice that they are making a comback. There were a lot of them throughout the country. Even one just Noth of Flint in beautiful Clio, Michigan. There were at least four in the Detroit area.

There has always been a small seasonal one at the San Diego County Fair (Former Del Mar Fair) that is decorated like the original ones. The new ones popping up are really nice. The days of the $1.50 banana split and $6.00 Pig's Trough are long gone.

IMAG3876.jpg

The were the first to entice kids to bug the parents to eat there with the Fun Burger that came in a box and a toy "prize" was inside. They also pioneered the fast food salad bar. Too bad Burger Chef and Jeff went out of business. Corporate McBurger of Oak Brook, Illinois undercut them to take them out.

I believe that honor belongs to the Toledo, Ohio location on Central Avenue that I happened to eat at yesterday with my daughter.

Loved "The Mighty Wurlitzer" at the Organ Grinder in Toronto.

We had a few in the Detroit area.

Anyone remember Lum's Restaurants with their trademarked Hot dogs steamed in beer™ menu? And no, the one near Offutt Air Force Base South of Omaha is not a real Lum's any more.

How about Chick-N-Joy? They were a Kentucky Fried Chicken knock-off chain with an elliptical yellow and brown sign? Their motto plastered on the wall was "Made with "Betty Bonner's Better Batter"? There were several in the Detroit and Chicagoland areas. Tasted really good and their buckets were like a buck less which was huge in the early '70's.

Or Wuv's? Great burgers and awesome onion rings. Ate at them in the Detroit area as well as one on Lake Street in Elmhurst, Illinois. Their signature drink was "Wuv Juice". An old GF had fun with that when we would go there.

Wuv's was the one I wish survived.

Does anyone here remember when McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Toxic Bell etc had no Drive Thru's? I sure do.

Lums.jpg

Wuvs.jpg

Yes, went to one on my first NYC trip in (IIRC)1975. Times Square location was already gone. We walked several blocks to get there.

Kind of creepy inside, but I was quite young.

I remember them as well. Ours had Windows all around as it gets cold here. First one I saw that as windowless was in San Diego in '83.

Also, I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Vacaville last year.

Both Farrell's and Friendly's had mall locations in the '70's and '80's but even more stand-alone restaurants/Ice Cream Parlors.
Friendly's still survives close to where they started from in the Northeast while Farrell's is making a comeback with locations in California.

Bonanza is alive and well. I ate at the one on Tom Brokaw Boulevard in Yankton, SD not long ago. Although Jo Dean's a block away is way better.

Bonanza and Ponderosa merged years ago and in many areas, only one name is used. Several Bonanza steak houses became Ponerosa steak houses and vice-versa. The menu's are the same.

We've had Del Taco's in the Detroit area for awhile. I was shocked when I saw the first one here as I only remember them from SoCal and maybe The Meadows (Las Vegas). I like Taco Bell's hard shells better than Del but Del has better food product stuffing the shells.

Speaking of Mexican restaurants, anyone remember "Hey Amigo, take me to Zantigo"?

I like how many were rebranded to Toxic Bell. I heard that the founders are making a comeback now that their 25 year non-compete agreement after the buyout by PFS (Pepsico Food Services) ended. Near LTG's neck of the woods.

Zantigos.jpg

There was a Chicken Delight across the street from the Holiday Inn in Winnipeg (on Pembina Road) that I stayed at two weeks ago, I was going to take a picture of it as I didn't realize they were still around. I saw a 2nd location in town when I was driving around.

Free Big Tee burgers? Mmmm.......

I was there.....

IMAG2986.jpg

That's great stuff. Well done!

If I lived near Omaha, I'd go to Johnny's Cafe for all of my beef requirements.

My Dad & I stayed there on our 2nd overnight trip to Chicago in 1977 or so. Our first stay was at the long-gone Avenue Motel on South Michigan & Roosevelt (1200 S). My memory of the Ohio House was that not long after we checked in, a hooker knocked on our door. She propositioned my dad. I kid you not. Anyway, we had breakfast in the coffee shop the next morning.

Nice to see the "hipstered out" the rooms there.

Some of the full service Hilton and Marriott's still have this. Along with the major Las Vegas strip resorts.

Burger Chef started the toy gimmick with their "Fun Burger" which was a regular hamburger in a box with a toy prize inside. This was prior to any of the fast food "meals". You ordered the drink and fries separately.

IIRC, Burger Chef called the "Make it bar" the "Works Bar".

I remember one of the original closed burger chefs in Detroit that had the orange polygon sign and building trim motif. Also saw one less than 15 years ago abandoned near *Kent, Ohio. They then went modern and "Burger Kinged" the look of their buildings. Then they folded up.

* Do not throw rocks at men with guns.

O'Connell's in Woodfield Mall was pretty good for breakfast. Took a GF there when we spent a weekend in Chicago. Dinner on Saturday night was at The 95th. This was prior to it being renamed "The Signature Room at the 95th®"

You're in luck; The one in Bloomfield Hills, on W. Maple & Lahser is still open.

For a restaurant chain associated with Pinball; Does anyone here remember Bally's Tom Foolery Restaurants from 1981-85? Bally bought out the Barnaby's chain in August, 1981 and remodeled the restaurants with lighter color schemes and added a non-smoking game room loaded with pins & video games. Smoking was allowed in the bar/restaurant area though. Pizza was still featured.

First Conversion was the Park City/Waukegan Illinois location followed by Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin. Then the rest of the Chicagoland locations. A few new from the ground up ones were built. I ate at the one in Oak Brook. As the disaster unfolded once video games revenues went down the toilet, the non-Barnaby's conversions were re-themed into a California Style upscale restaurant. IIRC they were called Malibu Beach or something. Pastel colors and palm trees were the theme.

Eventually, Bally sold them off. For a huge loss. Some to the Barnaby founders who made out like bandits as they got them back for less than 30% of what they sold them for. Plus they had a Bally paid vacation for four years.

The Woodfield Ice Arena. I remember it well.

Correct. The corporate ones were all sold. The franchised ones remained as-is.

I work near there. When they started to close them up, the one you are talking about on 16 Mile/Big Beaver changed name and decor to a white with green trim look which is why you are thinking Bennigan's. I believe it was a one-off retheming since the one in Southfield closed and was torn down. The Troy remodel only lasted a couple of years and then was torn down too.

Yes, railroad cars joined together. All of them With the sides of beef in the glass doored meatlockers to view a the entrance.

For a food court, not in Philadelphia, Charley's Philly Grill at the Minneapolis airport has pretty good ones for someone transferring flights there.

As long a s they change out the beer they use to steam the hot dogs; I'm good with it.......

It just hit me, the name of the re-themed Victoria Station was "Bonkers". Another Victoria Station in Southfield, at the foot of Northwestern was torn down, along with Ark West Lanes to become a multi-story office building.

The route operator I worked for had the coin-op equipment at all of the Ark bowling centers in the Detroit area. The "R" in Ark stood for Robinson, Roger Robinson. He was a real gem.... not.