I Track Down And Eat At The Last Surviving Locations Of Nearly Defunct Restaurant Chains

A relic of the 1960s, the Uncle John's Pancake House in Toledo, Ohio was the sole survivor of an otherwise defunct chain that was once national for many years. That changed when a brand new one opened in California well into the current century.

The Toledo location is still going strong, though, and still offers an incredible variety of pancake-based options, plus a few things that aren't pancakes.

G.D. Ritzy's (sometimes just called Ritzy's) was a chain of art deco themed burger and ice cream joints that had around 120 locations in the 1980s and early 1990s. As a child, Ritzy's was my favorite place to go to eat thanks to a unique atmosphere, and award-winning ice cream made from scratch in-house. The sudden closure of all the G.D. Ritzy's locations in my hometown served, partially, as my inspiration to track down other endangered chain restaurants.

Today, seven (G.D.) Ritzy's locations remain in business, including three in Evansville, Indiana, which are nearly identical to the long-gone locations I grew up with. An Evansville location is seen here behind my trusty Ford Festiva.

Unlike its discount steak predecessors, Lone Star Steakhouse was priced slightly higher than Ponderosa and friends. It also only dates back to the late 1980s.

The chain once had 265 locations in the U.S. but is now down to three, including this one I visited in Crestwood, Illinois a few months ago.

Big Boy was a chain of chains. Small regional operators would buy into the Big Boy system, put their name in front of the words "Big Boy" and become a regional chain. The loosely affiliated regional chains of the Big Boy system constituted a national chain before the whole thing fell apart in the 1980s. Today, there are still a couple of hundred Big Boys in operation, controlled by two completely separate companies, but only one Azar's Big Boy is left.

It's located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and operates like an especially well-run example of its nearest cousin, Frisch's Big Boy.

Late in the first half of the twentieth century when drive-in restaurants were popular, many drive-in chains offered their own proprietary root beer. Dog n Suds was one of these. There were once 650 Dog n Suds locations before they and drive-in dining, in general, fell out of favor.

Today there are around 14 locations still open, including this one in Muskegon, Michigan that not only makes their own root beer but all of their soda flavors.

Stuckey's was a chain of a combination of gas station and souvenir stores that also sometimes sold hot food to highway travelers, much like Horne's (whose founder got his start working for Stuckey's). The business evolved from a roadside pecan stand in Georgia to a 300 unit chain that sold T-shirts, hot dogs, and pecan candy to travelers in locations all over the US before falling on hard times in the 1970s.

Today there are technically 82 Stuckey's locations open, though many of those are nondescript modern gas stations that may have a box or two of pecan logs on some dusty shelf, and little to no Stuckey's branding. This location in Johnston City, Illinois, however, is a rare gem. It's a fully restored vintage Stuckey's building that still offers an authentic experience with aisles lined with Stuckey's branded merchandise, cheesy souvenirs, and every pecan product you ever dreamed of.

Except for the one remaining Bonanza Steak and BBQ location, which is the sole survivor of a failed effort to start a new chain to reinvent and modernize the Bonanza brand.

This place felt like a thoroughly modern steakhouse, and stood in stark contrast to the antiquated Ponderosa and Bonanza locations I had visited, while still giving nods to the original Bonanza brand.

Rax was a chain specializing in Arby’s-like roast beef sandwiches. Of the 500 that were open in the 1980s, five remain in operation today, including this one in Harlan, Kentucky, which is one of only two Rax locations that still offers the Endless Salad Bar. I've visited all five remaining Rax locations, (plus one that has since closed) but the Harlan location is my favorite thanks to its iconic building design and the aforementioned salad bar.

There were once 80 Happy Chef locations spread across Minnesota and the Dakotas, each with its own talking, two-story, bowlegged chef statue out front. Today, only this one in Mankato, Minnesota remains.

It seemed popular with the elderly, which may explain why the chili I ordered was completely devoid of any spices. They make a decent pork tenderloin sandwich, though.

In the 1980s, several no-frills chains attempted to bring fast food back to its roots, setting up shop in small buildings with no inside seating, often employing two separate drive-thru lanes for maximum efficiency, and selling food at ultra-cheap prices.

Central Park, which once had 100 locations across the American south, plus a few outposts in Utah and Idaho was one of these ultra-cheap establishments. The chain has fewer than ten locations today, including this very popular one in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Named for the Kewpie dolls that were popular in the 1920s, Kewpee was a chain in the Great Lakes region that had 400 locations open at the beginning of World War Two. The chain fell into decline in the 1960s when they failed to keep up with the modern fast food chains.

Wendy's founder Dave Thomas cited Kewpee as an influence on the food offered at Wendy's. There are five Kewpees still open today, including this one in Lima, Ohio which serves food that tastes like Wendy's food, but somehow better.

Don Pablo's was a chain of full-service Mexican restaurants, similar to Chi-Chi's. This location in Norwood, Ohio, closed a week after I ate there.

There were once 120 Don Pablo's locations, but only one remains open today following a series of bankruptcies.