20 Restaurant Chains From the 1970s That Faded Into History

20 Restaurant Chains From the 1970s That Faded Into History Hardee's has around 5,000 restaurants worldwide. In 1982 its parent company paid forty-four million dollars for the second-largest hamburger chain in America, then took the sign off every building it bought. Second largest. In America. In 1969 a full sirloin dinner at one of these chains cost a dollar thirty-nine. The cheapest steak dinner on a national chain menu today starts near sixteen dollars, and the salad bar is gone at any price. Most people assume these restaurants closed because Americans stopped walking through the door. Almost none of them did. They were bought, borrowed against, stripped and converted by holding companies that wanted the real estate and had no use for restaurants. This video counts down 20 restaurant chains that faded from American life, and the decision that ended each one — the buyer, the transaction, the year, and what stands on the lot today. Arthur Treacher's. Burger Chef. Gino's Hamburgers. Red Barn. Victoria Station. Bennigan's. Ground Round. Chi-Chi's. Lum's. Beefsteak Charlie's. Rax. Mr. Steak. Bonanza. Ponderosa. Wetson's. Henry's. White Tower. York Steak House. And the orange roof. Number fourteen lost a court fight to its biggest rival in the 1930s and had to redesign every building it owned. Number seven was started by the star of the biggest western on television. And number one had a thousand restaurants and the best-known roof in America — today not one is left. ⬇️ Which one did your family eat at? Tell us in the comments. 🔔 Subscribe for a new video every week. HOW THIS VIDEO WAS MADE Research & scripting: original, written in-house from primary sources — SEC filings and acquisition records, bankruptcy court filings, trade press including Nation's Restaurant News, period newspaper advertising with dated prices, and corporate annual reports. Narration: original, produced in-house for this channel. Visuals: all footage, images and music are licensed or public domain. Nothing on this channel is aggregated, reused, or repurposed from other channels. © 2026 The American Table. All rights reserved. #RestaurantHistory #ForgottenBrands #HowardJohnsons #BurgerChef #1970s #Nostalgia #VintageAmerica #TheAmericanTable