People have strong feelings about their favorite dishes from restaurant chains. I am thankful to all those who poured their hearts out on the subject on Jane & Michael Stern’s ever-fascinating Roadfood forums. I have excerpted the following wistful memories from “Long-gone regional franchises” which took on a life of its own and ran for years. After each snippet is the pertinent chain restaurant.
– The burgers were awesome, the onion rings superb and the soda cold. [Charco’s]
– Oh, those hot dogs steamed in beer. [Lums]
– Loved those frosty mugs of root beer and Big Boy hamburgers! [A&W]
– I went for the Ollie Burger. They bought the sauce from “Ollie’s Trolley.” [Lums]
– Shrimp salad. Chili spaghetti size. Navy bean soup. [Bob’s Big Boy]
– Frothy orange drinks and orange chili dogs. [Orange Julius]
– Tuesday night 10-cent “Coney Island Dogs.” [A&W]
– Orange colored cheese on their cheeseburgers, not the pale yellow stuff of today. [Wetson’s]
– The Cheese Frenchies were unique. [King’s Food Host]
– They also had a Tuna Frenchie, a Hot Dog Frenchie. [King’s Food Host]
– Greasy fish and plank-style chips. [Arthur Treacher’s]
– Orange drink with pulp in it. Tuna sandwiches. What fast food chain would have a tuna sandwich today? [Chock Full O’Nuts]
– How exotic it was to have a sandwich on a bagel. [Bagel Nosh]
– Good hot dogs. Never touched, cooks used plastic gloves. [Chock Full O’Nuts]
– My first straight cut fry. [Wetson’s]
– I remember eating and loving my first Apple Fritter there! [Hamburg Heaven]
– Coffee and Apple Fritters (hush-puppy shaped apples in dough, deep-fried and powdered sugar coated). [Dutch Pantry]
– Pickles, diced onion, relish, mustard, ketchup and mayo were all available. [25 Cent Hamburger]
– Yummmm. A cheeseburger with ham and barbecue sauce. [Roy Rogers]
– Broasted chicken and french fries with a sweet sauce to die for. [Arctic Circle]
– I can remember stopping in for a soft drink and a basket of crumbs. [Squire Jacks]
– Ketchup was free. The fries weren’t like the “wavy,” half-fried or quick fried potatoes of today’s ilk. [Toot ‘n Tell]
– I haven’t had the heart to stop in and see if they still had Strawberry Pie. [Big Boy]
We eat in restaurants several times a week and yet know very little about their history. I plan to dip into my archive of research and images every so often to present a little tidbit that highlights aspects of our American restaurant culture. Let me know your thoughts.
4 Comments
July 1, 2009 at 10:25 am
[...] Link: Ode to franchises of yesteryear [...]
July 2, 2009 at 1:20 pm
I’m singing…Thanks for the memories…
July 15, 2009 at 7:33 pm
I worked at King’s Food Host while in college and always appreciated King’s Food Host as an employer. Every employee accrued vacation tme from Day One. I remember new menu additions such as the fried chicken dinners that we implemented while I was there (1970 or so).
Griff’s is another regional chain (MO/KS) that bit the dust.
August 28, 2009 at 12:48 am
We went to Dutch Pantry on our Honeymoon…
long ago! The London Broil was delicious!