If You Miss These 8 Defunct Restaurants Then You’re Not Alone!

From first jobs waitressing at these establishments to going to eat out with the family (a rare treat) these 8 defunct restaurants are sorely missed by many. While there a few of the iconic buildings left, and maybe even the odd restaurant here and there, these shuttered restaurant chains are largely gone. It’s a bit sad to think we’ll never again taste their food!

8) Howard Johnson’s

By the 1970s this chain had over 1,000 locations which rivaled some of the biggest restaurant chains in the U.S. We can still remember getting ice cream there and the distinctive orange roof! The motor lodges are still in business today, but the restaurants were hit very hard when gas rationing and shortages meant that fewer American’s were traveling by car.

There is one remaining HoJo restaurant, though the food won’t be the same as the distribution center which once produced HoJo’s menu items is no longer servicing them. This location is reportedly for sale and often has limited hours, so it might not be around much longer.

7) S & W Cafeterias

Founded in South Carolina by Frank Sherrill and Fred Webber in 1920, two mess sergeants who had learned a lot about food service during their time in World War I. Specializing in Southern food, the chain became a hit and expanded to Washington D.C., Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia.

A few of the former S & W locations have been preserved because of their Art Deco design and many fond memories from patrons. The chain shut down in the late 1980s.

6) Lum’s

Founded by the Perlman brothers in 1956 this chain quickly expanded beyond its first location in Florida. Known as the place to get a beer-steamed hot dog, the company even made enough to purchase Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

While the last location in Nebraska closed down in 2017, the chain had already all but vanished from map by the 1980s as the company had filed for bankruptcy in 1982 after being sold several times.

5) White Tower

Often referred to as a copy of both White Castle’s style and food, White Tower burgers were none the less beloved by devotees who flocked to their locations across ten states. What began in Wisconsin in the 1920s soon became an obsession for anyone who loved burgers.

The locations were pristinely clean white and were often located on major public transit routes downtown, making them a hard hit chain once drive-ins became popular in the car crazy post-war years. There is only one remaining White Tower in Toledo, Ohio.

4) Wimpy

This chain got its start as Wimpy’s Grill in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1934. From there a chain was launched and in 1954 went global. The charismatic owner, Edward Gold, named the chain after Wimpy from the old Popeye cartoons who famously was always seeking am affordable (or free) hamburger. The chain fell off the map in the U.S. since no one had purchased the U.S. rights to the name after Gold’s death in 1977.

Wimpy is still doing business at many locations in the U.K. and is seen there as a uniquely British institution (despite faltering sales in recent years).

3) Burger Chef

In 1958, the Indianapolis restaurant Burger Chef was merely a burgeoning player in the fast food industry. By 1969 Burger Chef had grown to become a chain with over 1,000 locations. The chain was the first to market combo meals and was at one point second only to McDonald’s in popularity of fast food joints.

In 1982 the chain was bought by Hardee’s and the last Burger Chef location in Cookeville, Tennessee, closed down in 1996.

2) Red Barn

Known for their Barnbuster sandwich and their many free giveaway items, Red Barn started out in Ohio and expanded to locations in 18 other states as well as Canada and Australia. By the late 1980s however, the chain had already already suffered from stiff fast food competition and a buyout from a company mainly interested in real estate which let many of the leases on Red Barn buildings expire in 1988.

There is one remaining Red Barn in Racine, Wisconsin, though it’s not called Red Barn. After the chain officially shut down, a few remaining locations still had leases on the iconic barn-shaped buildings and made a go of similar menu items under the name The Farm.

1) Rax Roast Beef

This Midwestern chain started out in 1967 as Jax Roast Beef, then became Rix, then finally Rax. Known for their sandwiches and kids’ meals, the chain went through a series of changes which resulted in the closing of nearly all their franchise locations.

Today there are only 8 locations left in the U.S. (all owned by the same company, Rax to Riches), down from more than 500 in North America, so this chain isn’t quite gone yet.