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OT: Restaurant chains you miss

MtNittany

MtNittany

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Some that come to mind...

Burger Chef


Roy Rogers


Dutch Pantry


Rax Roast Beef


Howard Johnson's



Tony Roma's
 
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MtNittany

MtNittany

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TiogaLion said:
My number that I miss is Howard Johnson's. AYCE Fried Clams every Friday. They were, IMO, the best fried clams I have ever eaten and it's not close.

There are still a few Roy Rodgers around.
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There's still a few Rax's, one Dutch Pantry (in Dubois), and yes one HoJo's left - in Benton Harbor, MI.
 
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NittPicker

NittPicker

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MtNittany said:
There's still a few Rax's, one Dutch Pantry (in Dubois), and yes one HoJo's left - in Benton Harbor, MI.
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There is also a Dutch Pantry in Clearfield. I've never been inside but you can see it as you're headed eastbound on I-80. Could be the same owner as the place in DuBois since they're close to each other but I don't know that for sure.
 
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TiogaLion

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MtNittany said:
There's still a few Rax's, one Dutch Pantry (in Dubois), and yes one HoJo's left - in Benton Harbor, MI.
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Unfortunately, it doesn't have a restaurant nor does it have fried clams. I checked a few years before a trip to Michigan.
 
MtNittany

MtNittany

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TiogaLion said:
Unfortunately, it doesn't have a restaurant nor does it have fried clams. I checked a few years before a trip to Michigan.
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You're right. I was misled. The last HoJo's restaurant (Lake George, NY) closed in 2022. Unless I'm being misled again.
 
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wbcbus

wbcbus

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MtNittany said:
Some that come to mind...

Burger Chef


Roy Rogers


Dutch Pantry


Rax Roast Beef


Howard Johnson's



Tony Roma's
Click to expand...

The chain isn’t gone, but I do miss the Pizza Hut lunch buffet.

Edit: now I’m reading some of the stores still offer it. I haven’t seen one in a while that does, but glad to hear it may still be option.
 
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MtNittany

MtNittany

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wbcbus said:
The chain isn’t gone, but I do miss the Pizza Hut lunch buffet.

Edit: now I’m reading some of the stores still offer it. I haven’t seen one in a while that does, but glad to hear it may still be option.
Click to expand...
Loved the old sit down Pizza Hut in the Port on the Golden Strip. Big red plastic cups full of beer or pepsi, great salad bar, and really good pizza.

KFC used to have a good buffet up until around the turn of the century. Taters, gravy, slaw, and all the bird you wanted.
 
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Lion84

Lion84

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Oct 7, 2021
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Beefsteak Charlies only because I worked at the one in King of Prussia when I was 16 and we all used to drink beer after work in the downstairs room which was usually closed buy had a full bar.

Chi Chi's bar was good - the food not so much.
 
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psykim

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Funny- there used to be a lot of Howard Johnson's and they had great stuff especially ice cream. HOWEVER, my dad LOVED Coke and Coke only-not Pepsi or other Colas. Even as a poor depression era teenager, he would spend the extra nickel buying Coke over Pepsi. And Howard Johnson's had HOJO cola, not Coke. Perhaps my dad had root beer-not sure. And I really like Roy Rogers, their roast beef and "fixins bar".
 
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rudedude

rudedude

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psykim said:
Funny- there used to be a lot of Howard Johnson's and they had great stuff especially ice cream. HOWEVER, my dad LOVED Coke and Coke only-not Pepsi or other Colas. Even as a poor depression era teenager, he would spend the extra nickel buying Coke over Pepsi. And Howard Johnson's had HOJO cola, not Coke. Perhaps my dad had root beer-not sure. And I really like Roy Rogers, their roast beef and "fixins bar".
Click to expand...
 
manatree

manatree

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Biff Burger, which stood for Best In Fast Food. There used to be one on the strip between Sunbury & Selinsgrove that was the great. Biff Burger was known for their double deck, rotary broiler. The burgers went on the top layer and the buns on the bottom layer so the buns would catch the drippings as they were toasted.
 
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MtNittany

MtNittany

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Zenophile

Zenophile

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TiogaLion said:
Well, care to share more about this day?
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You're sweet for asking, but there's really not much to tell. Watched us stomp Pitt in Pitt Stadium (I was nearby but not in-stadium) instead of traveling for Turkey Day with the family, and later had myself a lovely meal from the GR.

Seems to me there may have been some tailgating mixed in around those things also.
 
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BobPSU92

BobPSU92

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wbcbus said:
The chain isn’t gone, but I do miss the Pizza Hut lunch buffet.

Edit: now I’m reading some of the stores still offer it. I haven’t seen one in a while that does, but glad to hear it may still be option.
Click to expand...

I loved the Pizza Hut lunch buffet when I was in graduate school. Of course, I had little money back then, so a cheap trough was revered. Any buffet.
 
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Bwifan

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wbcbus said:
The chain isn’t gone, but I do miss the Pizza Hut lunch buffet.

Edit: now I’m reading some of the stores still offer it. I haven’t seen one in a while that does, but glad to hear it may still be option.
Click to expand...
The red glasses that you had Pepsi in is what so many of my family and friends remember about Pizza Hut restaurants.
 
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jshell

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MtNittany said:
Loved the old sit down Pizza Hut in the Port on the Golden Strip. Big red plastic cups full of beer or pepsi, great salad bar, and really good pizza.

KFC used to have a good buffet up until around the turn of the century. Taters, gravy, slaw, and all the bird you wanted.
Click to expand...
Not sure if they still have the lunch buffet because I haven't been in for a while, but the Pizza Hut in Indiana, PA is a combo Pizza Hut/KFC. The lunch buffet had pizza and chicken.
 
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Bwifan

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Also still around but don't see them much anymore were the A&W restaurants. Having a burger and a A&W rootbeer. Used to be one on LBI (Long Beach Island) that I always went to growing there in the summer.
 
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Bwifan

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Also technically a chain restaurant for eastern PA was Seafood Shanty. I used to go to the one on the Warrington/Doylestown border. Was a big deal back in the day to go out there. Started in Berks county I believe here is a link on the the restaurant chain back then...

Seafood Shanty Link
 
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