12 Chain Restaurants That Used to Be Everywhere in the '80s

These once-booming chain restaurants ruled the ‘80s but have mostly vanished like perms and mixtapes.

Sophia Zapanta
May 2, 2025
4 min read

12 Chain Restaurants That Used to Be Everywhere in the '80s — Harrison Keely on Wikimedia Commons

The 1980s were packed with neon lights, cassette players, and chain restaurants on every corner. These spots served up greasy goodness, big booths, and family vibes before quietly fading away. Some still exist in scattered pockets, but their golden age is long gone.

1. Chi-Chi’s

Nostaljack on Wikimedia Commons

Chi-Chi’s brought Mexican food to the masses—or at least the Midwestern version of it. People came for the chimichangas and stayed for the fried ice cream. It was loud and colorful, and it always felt like a party inside. Then, a brutal hepatitis outbreak hit, and Chi-Chi’s became a memory with a warning label.

2. Bennigan’s

Daniel X. O’Neil on Wikimedia Commons

It was the Irish pub where you didn’t need an ID to enter. Bennigan’s was the place for Monte Cristos, green decor, and early office birthday parties. In the ‘80s, they were everywhere — malls, airports, you name it. A slow decline and poor management nearly killed it off, though a few rogue locations still hang on.

3. Steak and Ale

Steak and Ale on Wikimedia Commons

With dark wood, salad bars, and affordable sirloin, this place was fine dining for the average Joe. It made you feel classy without being pricey. In the ‘80s, it was packed on weekends with date nights and family outings. Bankruptcy struck in the 2000s, and the chain faded into the fog of nostalgia.

4. Rax Roast Beef

Dan Keck on Wikimedia Commons

Rax tried to take on Arby’s, but with extra weirdness. They offered salad bars, baked potatoes, and even cottage cheese. The food wasn’t bad, but the branding got strange — one mascot looked like a rejected Muppet. By the ‘90s, most Rax locations disappeared, leaving behind only questions and curly fries.

5. Sambo’s

Sambo’s Restaurants, Inc. on Wikimedia Commons

This one had pancakes, coffee, and… a very problematic name. Sambo’s was everywhere until people realized the name was steeped in racist history. Protests and bad press followed, and the chain tanked fast. Only one rebranded location remains, serving flapjacks and side-eyes.

6. Bonanza Steakhouse

John Phelan on Wikimedia Commons

It was the cowboy cousin of the steakhouse family. Bonanza served big portions, buffet-style sides, and country vibes for cheap. Families loved it, especially after Little League games and church. However, competition and changing tastes turned this once-thriving chain into a rare sight.

7. Ponderosa

TenPoundHammer on Wikimedia Commons

Bonanza’s sibling, with basically the same menu and vibe. You got your meat, mac and cheese, and a tray to pile it all on. It was comforting and consistent, like a steak-scented time machine. Now, it’s mostly gone, living on in the occasional truck stop town.

8. York Steak House

York Steak House on Wikimedia Commons

These were tucked into malls and shopping centers like a food court fever dream. They offered cafeteria-style steak and potatoes on brown plastic trays. The menu was simple but dependable in that “mom just got new shoes” kind of way. Once the malls started shrinking, York quietly vanished with them.

9. Red Barn

John Margolies on Wikimedia Commons

It looked like a literal barn and sold burgers by the sack. Their mascot — a smiling tomato — still shows up in nightmares. They were quirky, fast, and oddly wholesome. Franchise drama ended their run, but their jingle still lives rent-free in old-school heads.

10. G.D. Ritzy’s

Linux rules, Windows drools on Wikimedia Commons

This one tried to blend diner charm with upscale fast food. You could grab a burger, then sip a banana milkshake under stained-glass lamps. Ritzy’s was unique, but maybe a little too quirky to go mainstream. A handful of stores still survive, like rare ‘80s fossils.

11. Howard Johnson’s Restaurants

tichnor bros. lusterchrome on Wikimedia Commons

An orange-roofed empire that once ruled the roadside. HoJo’s served 28 flavors of ice cream, plus fried clams that weirdly slapped. In the ‘80s, they were the unofficial stop of every family road trip. As fast food exploded, HoJo’s couldn’t keep up — the restaurants fizzled out, leaving only the hotels.

12. ShowBiz Pizza Place

SilverJapan2006 on Wikimedia Commons

Think Chuck E. Cheese, but with scarier animatronics and more arcade noise. ShowBiz Pizza was every kid’s dream birthday spot, with the Rock-afire Explosion band performing robotic jams. It was chaotic and magical — and then it merged with Chuck E. Cheese and lost its soul. The pizza wasn’t great, but the memories were.