✔ Updated · new lost menu collection
Remember these? Here are eight forgotten restaurant chains of the 70s and 80s, what happened to each one, whether you can still eat there, and the famous dish you can make at home.
Forgotten restaurant chains of the 70s and 80s include Howard Johnson's, Lum's, Burger Chef, Gino's, Arthur Treacher's, Steak and Ale, Bennigan's and Chi-Chi's. Their famous dishes ranged from fried clam strips and the Big Shef to prime rib, the Monte Cristo and chimichangas. Steak and Ale and Chi-Chi's have each reopened one restaurant.
The Chains and Their Famous Dishes
In the order of one long day out, from a turnpike lunch to a late Tex-Mex dinner.
1. Howard Johnson's: Fried Clam Strips
The orange-roofed highway stop opened in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1929 and passed 1,000 restaurants by 1975. The order to know was fried clam strips: thin, tender and fried for under a minute.
Can you still eat there? No restaurants left (the name lives on in hotels)
2. Lum's: Beer-Steamed Hot Dogs
It began as a Miami Beach hot dog stand in 1956 and grew to about 400 restaurants, famous for hot dogs steamed in beer. The very last one, in Bellevue, Nebraska, closed in 2017.
Can you still eat there? None left
3. Burger Chef: Big Shef Burger
Once second only to McDonald’s, with about a thousand restaurants. Its 1973 Fun Meal is widely credited as the first fast-food kids’ meal, and its Big Shef was a double cheeseburger with special sauce. My Big Shef recipe is below, with crinkle-cut fries.
Can you still eat there? None under the name
4. Gino's: Gino Giant
Started in 1957 by Baltimore Colts players including Gino Marchetti and Alan Ameche. The Gino Giant came before the Big Mac. Marriott turned 359 of them into Roy Rogers in 1982, but the name came back in 2010. Make it at home: Stack two thin griddled patties with American cheese, shredded lettuce and a creamy sauce on a three-part bun. My Big Shef recipe is the same idea.
Can you still eat there? A couple left in Maryland
5. Arthur Treacher's: Fish and Chips
Opened in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio, with Dave Thomas, who later started Wendy's, among its founders. It passed 800 restaurants before the Cod Wars sent cod prices soaring and the chain switched to pollock. Make it at home: Dip cod or pollock in a cold, thin batter and fry at 375°F for about 4 minutes, until the fish flakes at 145°F. Serve with chips, lemon and tartar sauce.
Can you still eat there? A handful left in northeast Ohio
6. Steak and Ale: Herb-Roasted Prime Rib
Norman Brinker opened it in Dallas in 1966: dim lights, dark wood and an unlimited salad bar. The plate people remember is its herb-roasted prime rib. Make it with my prime rib recipe and a loaded baked potato, or try its Hawaiian chicken.
Can you still eat there? Back: one in Burnsville, Minnesota
7. Bennigan's: Monte Cristo
Steak and Ale's loud, green, Irish pub sister, opened in Atlanta in 1976. The company-owned restaurants closed overnight in July 2008, but franchised ones kept frying the Monte Cristo: ham, turkey and cheese, battered, sugared and served with raspberry preserves.
Can you still eat there? A few left, plus airport counters
8. Chi-Chi's: Beef Chimichangas
Founded in 1975 in Richfield, Minnesota, it grew to about 210 Tex-Mex restaurants. After a 2003 hepatitis A outbreak, every remaining restaurant closed in 2004. My chimichangas come with red sauce and Mexican rice, and dessert is fried ice cream.
Can you still eat there? Back: one in St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Burger Chef Big Shef Recipe
The Big Shef was Burger Chef's big burger: two patties, cheese, shredded lettuce and a special sauce, with a middle bun. This is my copycat version, built from what has been reported about it.
Ingredients
For the Special Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon each garlic powder and paprika
For the Burgers
- 1 lb ground beef, 80/20
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 8 slices American cheese
- 4 sesame hamburger buns (plus 4 extra bottoms for the middle bun, optional)
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce
- 12 dill pickle chips
Method
- Make the sauce: stir the mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, mustard, vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika together. Chill while you cook.
- Divide the beef into 8 balls of about 2 ounces each. Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast them in a large skillet or on a griddle until golden. Set aside.
- Heat the skillet over medium-high. Add 4 balls, press each one into a thin patty with a sturdy spatula, and season with salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes, until a deep brown crust forms.
- Flip, top each patty with a slice of cheese and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until the beef reaches 160°F. Repeat with the rest.
- Build: spread sauce on each bottom bun. Add a cheesy patty, the optional middle bun with more sauce, the second patty, shredded lettuce and pickles. Finish with sauce on the top bun.
Crinkle-Cut Fries on the Side
Crinkle fries make it feel like a 70s burger stop. The easy way: spread frozen crinkle-cut fries on a sheet pan, bake at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping once, and salt them while hot.
From scratch: cut russets with a crinkle cutter, soak 30 minutes in cold water, dry well, fry at 325°F for 4 minutes, rest, then fry again at 375°F for 2 to 3 minutes until golden.
More From the Same Menus
The sides and desserts that went with them:
Loaded Baked Potato
Crisp, salty skin, a fluffy inside, and butter, cheddar, bacon, sour cream and chives. The steakhouse side.
Hawaiian Chicken
Steak and Ale's other famous plate: chicken marinated in pineapple juice and soy, grilled and glazed.
Fried Ice Cream
Cinnamon cornflake crust, still frozen inside, with honey and whipped cream. Plus a no-fry version.
Why Did So Many Restaurant Chains Disappear?
Most of these chains didn't fail because people stopped liking the food. Lum's and Burger Chef were sold and resold until little of the original was left, and most Burger Chef restaurants became Hardee's. Gino's was bought by Marriott and turned into Roy Rogers.
Others were hit by things outside the kitchen. The Cod Wars made fish expensive for Arthur Treacher's, Steak and Ale and Bennigan's went down together when their parent company filed for liquidation in July 2008, and Chi-Chi's never recovered from the 2003 hepatitis A outbreak.
The good news: a few names have come back. Steak and Ale reopened in Burnsville, Minnesota, Chi-Chi's in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and Gino's in Maryland.
More Lost Menus
This page is part of my lost menu series. See the discontinued fast food items we still miss, the discontinued McDonald's items, the discontinued Taco Bell items, and every restaurant favorite in our copycat recipes collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What restaurant chains from the 70s and 80s are gone?
Well-known chains that are gone or nearly gone include Howard Johnson's restaurants, Lum's, Burger Chef, Gino's, Arthur Treacher's, Steak and Ale, Bennigan's and Chi-Chi's. A few have small revivals: Steak and Ale and Chi-Chi's each reopened one restaurant in Minnesota, and Gino's is back in Maryland.
What was Burger Chef famous for?
Burger Chef was famous for the Big Shef double cheeseburger and the 1973 Fun Meal, which is widely credited as the first fast-food kids' meal. Most of its restaurants became Hardee's after 1982.
Is Steak and Ale coming back?
It already has, in a small way. A new Steak and Ale opened in Burnsville, Minnesota, in 2024, with another planned in South Carolina. The original chain closed its last 58 restaurants in July 2008.
Did Chi-Chi's reopen?
Yes. A new Chi-Chi's opened in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, in October 2025, with chimichangas and fried ice cream back on the menu. The original chain closed in 2004.
Are there any Bennigan's left?
A few full-service Bennigan's are still open in the United States, plus small Bennigan's On the Fly counters in places like airports. The company-owned restaurants closed in July 2008.
What happened to Howard Johnson's restaurants?
The last Howard Johnson's restaurant, in Lake George, New York, closed in 2022. The Howard Johnson name still lives on in hotels.
