- 7 months ago
From steak sandwiches with bottomless drinks to Tex-Mex salsa favorites, these once-iconic restaurant chains lived large before shuttering their doors for good. Join us as we dig into the stories behind these beloved eateries, recalling their rise and fall through the decades. Whether it’s nostalgic nods or surprising twists, these restaurants left quite the mark before disappearing from the dining scene.
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00:00And new today, there is one less dinner option in the Norwood area.
00:04The Don Pablo's has this sign on the doors.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:08And today, we're counting down our picks for the most iconic restaurant brands that shuttered their doors.
00:14We're trying to stay away from fast food since we already have a list on that.
00:18The restaurant has officially closed.
00:20Well, News 10 can now confirm a Fuddruckers will take its place.
00:26Number 10, Beefsteak Charlie's.
00:28You'll never guess the name of the guy who founded this restaurant, Charlie.
00:32Surprising, right?
00:33So then I went over to Beefsteak Chulies.
00:38Beefsteak Charlie's?
00:39Yes.
00:40Given his nickname, you'll be equally miffed to learn the house specialty was a steak sandwich.
00:45Soon, a chain was born.
00:47And it had an amazing pitch.
00:49An unlimited salad bar on top of bottomless beer, wine, and sangria.
00:53As soon as you can eat with your dinner, heart-free, absolutely free.
00:58We've got our salad bar.
00:59You're gonna get spoiled.
01:02We were free to ride.
01:05Despite that, or perhaps because of it, the place was leaking money.
01:10Not even a merger could save Beefsteak Charlie's from prematurely ending operations for good in the early 2000s.
01:17It's a shame, since the place sounds like a real riot.
01:19Shrimp, shrimp, shrimp, shrimp, shrimp, shrimp, shrimp, shrimp, shrimp, shrimp.
01:23Your steaks?
01:26Steaks?
01:26I'm warning you.
01:28My free shrimp and salad bar with dinner could ruin your appetite.
01:31Number 9.
01:32Mr. Steak.
01:34For special dining, try the new full-service Mr. Steak Family Restaurant, I-70 Drive, Southwest Columbia.
01:39Friday, enjoy the catfish special with coleslaw and french fries.
01:42All you can eat, just $7.95.
01:43Oh, please, just call me Steak.
01:46Mr. Steak was my father.
01:47Sorry, we had to.
01:49Originating in Colorado Springs, this steakhouse chain came about in 1962 and, at the height of its dominion,
01:56held 278 locations across the United States and Canada.
02:00Folks recall it fondly, remembering the restaurants for their affordable dinners and cozy, family-friendly atmosphere.
02:06Where quality food and service cost less, enjoy naturally great USDA Choice Steak.
02:13No tenderizers or preservatives added.
02:16Bring the family.
02:17But aside from the company's accrued debts, what struck down Mr. Steak was steak itself.
02:23Well, really, the lack thereof.
02:24The restaurant attempted to widen its offerings to include more poultry, fish, and greens,
02:29which was not what the people wanted for Mr. Steak.
02:31Its final location closed its doors in 2009.
02:34How the meaty have fallen.
02:37That's why Mr. Steak is my kind of family restaurant.
02:40Nothing but the best.
02:41I like to think that's why they give me their business.
02:44Number 8.
02:45Mother Tucker's Food Experience.
02:47Now that's a name.
02:49Who can resist a food experience?
02:51The answer is no one.
02:52And Mother Tucker's coasted through the 70s and 80s on the merits of its a la carte menu.
02:57Pat on the back for you.
03:00Gentlemen, thanks so much.
03:01Thank you very much.
03:02Appreciate it.
03:02We've got to run.
03:03Tucker's Marketplace.
03:04Come on down.
03:04Enjoy the best brunch in town.
03:06The 90s, though, were a different story.
03:08In an effort to keep up with the times, Mother Tucker's went into the new millennium with a fresh concept.
03:14An all-you-can-eat buffet.
03:15Look at it.
03:16Look at it.
03:16Look at it.
03:17Tucker's Marketplace.
03:19The best when it comes to buffets.
03:22Would that be fair to say, Tom?
03:23That would be true.
03:24Instead of focusing on individual items, the newly branded Tucker's Marketplace created tailor-made buffet stations.
03:31This new version of Mother's had its own struggles, particularly around the pandemic.
03:36But either way, the original food experience is long gone.
03:39By popular demand, a lot of people have been asking for our stir-fry and our pasta section to come back.
03:44And we just renovated the restaurant.
03:45We brought that back a few weeks ago.
03:47Number 7.
03:48Howard Johnson by Wyndham.
03:50This one hurts.
03:52Howard Johnson wasn't some little mom-and-pop shop or local chain.
03:55It was big.
03:56Like, so big, it was literally the largest restaurant chain in the U.S. during the 60s and 70s.
04:01Howard Johnson offers a wide variety for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
04:05Prepared fresh and served hot.
04:07The brand held so much weight, they leveraged it into opening a whole hotel business.
04:12You heard that right?
04:13Hotels.
04:14From a restaurant.
04:15Unfortunately, the reality wasn't all sunshine and roses.
04:18As years passed, the restaurant side began to lose serious ground to fast food competitors.
04:23They haven't cleaned it up.
04:24They haven't done anything to address the issues that are happening here.
04:26Greensboro Assistant City Manager Andrea Harrell says city officials were at the end of their rope.
04:32A revamped menu and decades of last-ditch efforts couldn't stem the bleeding.
04:36And the final restaurant closed in 2022.
04:39You can still stay in a Howard Johnson hotel, though.
04:42Where colors are more vibrant in our updated rooms.
04:45And where life is just more fun.
04:48Howard Johnson.
04:49One of 22 trusted brands by Wyndham.
04:51Number 6.
04:53Steak and Ale.
04:54You've got steak.
04:55You've got ale.
04:56What's not to love?
04:57In its hometown location in Dallas, Texas, the restaurant flourished for a good few decades in the 20th century.
05:04Come join us.
05:05It'll be like old times.
05:06Come suck with us at Steak and Ale.
05:10They expanded all around the U.S.
05:12But the brand just couldn't maintain its level of success.
05:15They tried hard, though.
05:17Introducing new menu items, low-priced samples, and more.
05:20But Steak and Ale still filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2008.
05:25Some faded brands from the past that died during the financial downturn can be resurrected.
05:31Remember, for example, Steak and Ale.
05:33The legacy lives on, however.
05:34And a revived version opened in 2024, before promptly closing again a year later.
05:40It remains to be seen if Steak and Ale still has a place in the current restaurant ecosystem.
05:45Steak and Ale come back in North Texas on hold for now.
05:47Now, that restaurant was founded in Dallas decades ago, went bankrupt in 2008.
05:51Number 5.
05:53Don Pablo's.
05:54At its peak, this Tex-Mex chain operated as many as 120 locations.
05:59Homemade salsa was that popular.
06:01An authentic Tex-Mex.
06:03The combination of the president, accompanied by a margarita,
06:07and the delicious white white fish.
06:09They're fantastic.
06:11For a great food, Tex-Mex.
06:13But in a spitting example of death by a thousand cuts,
06:16that number dwindled more and more each year.
06:19By 2016, only 10% of Don Pablo's 120 locations remained.
06:24In 2018, that number was halved.
06:27And by the end of the year, it was down to just three locations.
06:31Popular Mexican restaurant along the river is shut down tonight.
06:35And that's because a housing inspector posted a condemned notice on the building this afternoon.
06:40Don Pablo's was finally put out of its misery in 2019,
06:43where its Mexican specialties retired for good.
06:46The final bastion in Deptford Township, New Jersey,
06:49is now the graveyard of a once-excellent Tex-Mex operation.
06:53Old Mex menu has all your classic Don Pablo's favorites,
06:56plus all new freshly made entrees.
06:59Come on by for fresh hot tortillas, sizzling fajitas, and perfect margaritas.
07:04Number 4.
07:05Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon.
07:07It was time to find a good meal and have a little fun.
07:10Come across a place that wasn't too far, a little roadhouse by the name of Lone Star.
07:14Forbes' best small business of the early 90s didn't stay small for long,
07:18or in business for that matter.
07:20Within a few years, the aggressive brand expansion was starting to falter,
07:24and Lone Star sought a private buyout to steady themselves.
07:27See you Saturday.
07:28Bye, guys.
07:29Stop in and check out the new Lone Star Steakhouse.
07:32Little did they know, a massive recession was on the horizon.
07:35Hundreds of locations closed in the late 2000s,
07:38eventually leading to another acquisition in 2015.
07:41The results weren't any different, though.
07:43The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017, and that was it.
07:48A single, independently-owned location is still open in Guam, of all places.
07:52But if you're anywhere else in the world, Lone Star is long gone.
07:57Lone Star restaurants, well, they're done in Colorado.
08:00Their website no longer lists any locations as being in Colorado.
08:03We checked on the one out in Golden,
08:05and we found this sign that says the restaurant closed Friday.
08:08Number three, Sambos.
08:11Chili and beans, soup or salad, dinner bread, beverage, and dessert.
08:15And that's a lot of good dinner for $1.99 at Sambos.
08:19While you can still technically get the food today,
08:21for all intents and purposes, Sambos has gone the way of the dodo.
08:25It admirably hung on for a bit, especially considering the fierce controversy.
08:29The Samburger Jr., a delicious double burger for just 25 cents.
08:33Hey, Dad, I'll pay my own way tonight.
08:36Sambos, we're bringing down the high price of bringing up your kids.
08:39As early as the 70s, people were taking issue with its name,
08:43which is seemingly based on a term from the Jim Crow era denoting Black Americans.
08:48That, paired with some corporate misbehavings, led to its bankruptcy in the early 80s.
08:53However, one location remained in Santa Barbara.
08:55But in response to the George Floyd protests of 2020,
08:59the restaurant officially changed its name to Chad's, ending Sambos' legacy for good.
09:04Monet hasn't had a meal here at Sambos, but says with the new name, she will.
09:08And maybe with the owner, breaking bread.
09:11Or in this case, a stack of pancakes at the same table.
09:15Number two, Ping Pong.
09:17After 20 years serving up the most scrumptious food around,
09:20Ping Pong announced the permanent closure of all of its locations in 2025.
09:24While no specific reason was given,
09:27it's no secret the past few years had been tough economically.
09:30To make matters worse, a few years prior,
09:32Ping Pong spent a not-so-positive stint in the news cycle
09:35when it tried forcing a 15% brand charge.
09:38It was in the name of raising wages, but it went over poorly.
09:42Even though they rolled the change back, it was too late for the brand's image.
09:46Sorry, Londoners.
09:47You'll have to find your dim sum somewhere else.
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10:05Number 1. Cheeseburger in Paradise
10:08Shake it up with a juicy burger, endless fries and beer combo, just $9.95.
10:13Oh yeah!
10:15Say what you will, but you cannot say Cheeseburger in Paradise lacked a vision.
10:20The idea of munching on delicious grilled delicacies in an island-inspired venue was brilliant.
10:26Of course, being named after an iconic Jimmy Buffett song couldn't have hurt either.
10:29But then, reality hit.
10:38In a tale as old as time, the floundering chain was acquired,
10:42with many of its locations facing near-immediate closure.
10:46Your mini cheeseburgers.
10:49And life was good.
10:52Escape to Cheeseburger in Paradise.
10:54By 2018, only the original Cheeseburger in Paradise in New Jersey remained.
10:59It temporarily shut down in 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19.
11:03But a few months later, its assets were liquidated,
11:06and the temporary closing became a permanent one.
11:09It says that it's with great regret that we must inform you
11:12that Cheeseburger in Paradise in Indianapolis will close Tuesday, August 21st.
11:17It goes on to thank customers for their patronage over the years.
11:20If you could make one last order to any of these restaurants, what would it be?
11:24Let us know in the comments below.
11:29We'll see you next time out.
11:35Let's see, dov'ai.
11:38Let us know.
11:39You may forget to hear yourbit piece
11:42that said that it's time to invite to split in.
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