The "fish & chips" thread, and Mark CMG's comment about Dog & Suds, got me thinking about other fast-food chains that have been sent to the dustbin of history.
So, feel free to add your memories of other chains you remember...you can add your memories of "mom and pop" places, too, but I'm specifically remembering places that probably had a dream of being the "next McDonald's", but never made it.
As Mark noted, Dog & Suds was an A&W-style drive-in, known for its root beer (the "dog" was hot dogs).
Some others I'm remembering:
- Yankee Doodle Dandy was a McDonald's-style hamburger joint that was popular, at least in the Chicago area, in the early-to-mid '70s, when I was a kid here. When I moved back to Chicago in the late '80s, there were still a few left, but they appear to be all gone now.
- Mars was another McDonald's wannabee. When we moved to Green Bay WI in 1975, Mars was the #2 fast-food restaurant, behind McDonald's, there. I have no idea if they existed anywhere else besides Wisconsin. I seem to remember the restaurants were a little nicer than McDonald's. They're long gone.
- Burger Chef was a bigger hamburger chain than the first two; when I was a kid, I think they were probably the #3 burger chain, behind McDonald's and Burger King. IIRC, they had "kid's meals" even before McDonald's did. They, too, are long gone...according to this site, the Burger Chef name is now owned by Carl's Jr., which also now owns Hardee's (though Hardee's is still around, for now.)
- Chicken Unlimited was another chain that was big in Chicago when I was a kid. They were a lot like a Kentucky Fried Chicken, IIRC. Searching the web shows me a few Chicken Unlimiteds that are (or recently were) in operation in various parts of the country; I have no idea if they're related to the one I grew up with.
So, feel free to add your memories of other chains you remember...you can add your memories of "mom and pop" places, too, but I'm specifically remembering places that probably had a dream of being the "next McDonald's", but never made it.
As Mark noted, Dog & Suds was an A&W-style drive-in, known for its root beer (the "dog" was hot dogs).
Some others I'm remembering:
- Yankee Doodle Dandy was a McDonald's-style hamburger joint that was popular, at least in the Chicago area, in the early-to-mid '70s, when I was a kid here. When I moved back to Chicago in the late '80s, there were still a few left, but they appear to be all gone now.
- Mars was another McDonald's wannabee. When we moved to Green Bay WI in 1975, Mars was the #2 fast-food restaurant, behind McDonald's, there. I have no idea if they existed anywhere else besides Wisconsin. I seem to remember the restaurants were a little nicer than McDonald's. They're long gone.
- Burger Chef was a bigger hamburger chain than the first two; when I was a kid, I think they were probably the #3 burger chain, behind McDonald's and Burger King. IIRC, they had "kid's meals" even before McDonald's did. They, too, are long gone...according to this site, the Burger Chef name is now owned by Carl's Jr., which also now owns Hardee's (though Hardee's is still around, for now.)
- Chicken Unlimited was another chain that was big in Chicago when I was a kid. They were a lot like a Kentucky Fried Chicken, IIRC. Searching the web shows me a few Chicken Unlimiteds that are (or recently were) in operation in various parts of the country; I have no idea if they're related to the one I grew up with.