List of defunct restaurants of the United States

Below is a list of defunct restaurants of the United States.

A–M

• The All American Burger – a regional American fast-food restaurant chain founded in 1968 in Los Angeles, California, by Aaron Binder[1][2] and made famous in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High[3][4][5][6] Last location was in Hollywood and was replaced by a Chipotle in 2010.[7][8]
• Bajio Mexican Grill – a Mexican food chain that was acquired by Costa Vida in 2011[9][10][11][12]
• Beefsteak Charlie's
• Big Daddy's Restaurants
• Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill
• Bill Knapp's
• Blue Boar Cafeterias
• Boston Sea Party
• Brasserie Montmartre, Portland, Oregon
• Bresler's Ice Cream
• Briazz
• Bridges Cafe, Portland, Oregon
• Brigham's – a Boston-area ice cream parlor and restaurant chain that closed in 2013[13]
• Britling Cafeterias
• Brown Derby
• Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse – Canadian theme family restaurant and tavern that is set like an old Canadian cafe with animatronic characters like Timber, the Talking Christmas Tree that tells customers the best food in the restaurant, and a talking buffalo head trophy who tells what is life is like in Canada. Restaurant closed in June 2016.
• Burger Chef
• Byways Cafe
• Carrols Restaurant Group
• Casa Bonita
• Chasen's
• Cheeseburger in Paradise
• Chi-Chi's
• Childs Restaurants
• China Coast
• Clifton's Cafeteria
• Clock
• Coon Chicken Inn
• Country Bill's, Portland, Oregon
• Cuppy's Coffee
• Davis Street Tavern
• Deco Refreshments, Inc.
• Dee's Drive-In
• Dime Store, Portland, Oregon
• Don Pablo's – closed in 2019
• Druther's
• Dubrow's Cafeteria
• Duff's Famous Smorgasbord – at one time, it had 150 restaurants[14][15][16]
• Dutch Pantry  – chain that stretched from New York, south to Florida, and west to Texas;[17][18] three locations (Clearfield and Dubois, Pennsylvania, and Williamstown, West Virginia) remain open as of 2015
• Earl Abel's
• Esparza's, Portland, Oregon
• Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour
• Fashion Cafe
• Forum Cafeterias
• G.D. Ritzy's – a fast food chain with a 1950s diner theme that specialized in hamburgers, sandwiches, salads, and homemade ice cream; founded in 1980 by former Wendy's executive Graydon Webb in Columbus, Ohio. At its peak, there were 120 locations. After the company liquidated, by 1991, several franchises remained open in Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia.[19][20][21][22][23][24]
• Geri's Hamburgers
• Gino's Hamburgers
• Gypsy Restaurant and Velvet Lounge, Portland, Oregon
• Hamburger Hamlet
• Henry's Hamburgers
• Hobo Joe's – IRE investigated this firm in March 1977[25][26][27][28]
• Holly Tree Inn
• Horn & Hardart
• Horne's
• Hot Shoppes, Inc.
• Howard Johnson's – a restaurant chain that featured an iconic orange rooftop, reasonably priced, consistent-quality menu items; founded in 1929 by Howard Deering Johnson in Quincy, Massachusetts; at its cultural peak, it served more meals outside of the family home than any entity except for the US Army; in 1979 it had 1,040 locations, but only one franchise remained open in Lake George, New York[29] until its owner was arrested in October 2017.[30]
• Hung Far Low, Portland, Oregon
• Huyler's
• Isaly's
• JB's Restaurants
• Kenny Rogers Roasters
• La Petite Boulangerie
• Laughner's Cafeteria
• The Liquor Store, Portland, Oregon
• Little Tavern
• Lum's
• Lyon's
• Manning's Cafeterias
• Mighty Casey's
• Minnie Pearl's Fried Chicken[31][32]
• Montana's Cookhouse
• Moore's Delicatessen[33][34]
• Morrison's Cafeteria
• Mr. Fables
• Mr. Steak

N–Z

• Naugles
• Nedick's
• Nickerson Farms
• Official All Star Café
• The Pagoda, Portland, Oregon, U.S.
• Pancho's Mexican Buffet – approximately 18 restaurants remain open as independently run restaurants in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana
• Pantera's Pizza – filed for bankruptcy in 1989 after expanding too fast, absorbing other chains such as Pizza Inn and some Godfather's locations[35][36][37]
• The Parish, Portland, Oregon
• Pazzo Ristorante, Portland, Oregon
• Pioneer Chicken
• Po' Folk's – once owned by actor Burt Reynolds[38][39][40]
• Pup 'N' Taco
• Red and Black Cafe, Portland, Oregon
• Red Barn
• Rio Bravo Cantina
• Roadhouse Grill
• The Royal Canadian Pancake Houses
• Rustler Steak House
• S&W Cafeteria
• Sambo's
• Sandy's
• Schrafft's
• Sholl's Colonial Cafeteria
• ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen
• ShowBiz Pizza Place
• Signatures Restaurant
• Sir George's Royal Buffet – founded as the Sir George's Smorgasbord House in Orange County California in 1964 and had locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas[41][42][43]
• Sisters Chicken & Biscuits – founded in 1979, this was Wendy's first attempt to expand beyond burgers[44][45][46]
• Soul Daddy
• Southeast Grind, Portland, Oregon
• Specialty Restaurant Group
• Starky's, Portland, Oregon
• Steak and Ale
• Steve's Ice Cream
• Sweet Tomatoes – Founded in San Diego in 1978 and operated as Souplantation in California. Closed all locations temporarily in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but announced in May 2020 that the closure was permanent.
• Tasty Made
• Two Pesos
• Valle's Steak House
• Velvet Turtle
• Victoria Station – one restaurant remained open in Salem, Massachusetts until it was abruptly closed in December 2017[47]
• VIP's – Oregon-based restaurant chain
• Wag's
• Weenie Beenie
• Wetson's
• White Coffee Pot
• White Tower Hamburgers
• Wildwood, Portland, Oregon
• Wimpy Grills – founded in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1934; eventually grew to 25 locations within the United States and 1,500 outside of the U.S.; its international locations were eventually sold to J. Lyons and Co. in the United Kingdom, which remains open while all of the American locations eventually closed by 1978[48][49][50][51]
• Wuv's – Ft. Lauderdale burger chain; filed for bankruptcy in 1981[52][53]
• Wyatt's Cafeteria – bought by Luby's in 1996[54][55][56]
• Yankee Doodle Dandy
• York Steak House – one restaurant remains open in Columbus, Ohio
• Zantigo – a revival of the Zantigo menu and format has seven restaurants in Minneapolis, Minnesota[57]
• ZuZu's Handmade Mexican Food – an international fast casual Mexican chain that was founded in Dallas by Espartaco Borga and Horatio Lonsdale-Hands in 1989;[58][59][60][61][62][63][64] except for 3 or 4 isolated former franchises in central Texas, the chain did not survive beyond the end of the twentieth century

See also

• Lists of companies
• List of defunct fast-food restaurant chains
• List of defunct retailers of the United States

References

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2. Martinez, Al (October 25, 1994). "Aching With Aaron". Los Angeles Times.
3. "SEC Administrative Ruling 3-4857" (PDF). Security and Exchange Commission. June 30, 1975.
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5. "All-American Burger Franchises". Wall Street Journal. January 16, 1980. p. 43. ProQuest 134418541.
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