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Chain Store Food

monsoon

By monsoon
in Charlotte Coffee House

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

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There is plenty of chain store eating in Charlotte. This is thread to discuss anything about them.

Since I have lived here for a while, I'll start by listing a few that used to be here but have disappeared from the face of Metrolina.

  • DeLites - This was low calorie, healthy hamburgers. Whole wheat buns, lots of vegetables, and low fat meat. (sorry still no Tofu Burgers) When they opened lines of 2 hours or more were common, but the healthy fast food idea just didn't work. This was a Charlotte based chain as I met the owner once.

  • Holly Farms Chicken - Another fast food chicken place. Fell victim to Bojangles & KFC. I got insulted in the one on Woodlawn road once because I asked the clerk something about the size of their breasts and she did not realize I was talking about the chicken ones. haha

  • Wiener King - Home of the Big Frank, lol. I think this chain was based in Charlotte as the Wiener King College used to be located on Freedom Drive. They were found all over CLT and the Piedmont in the 70s.

  • Godfather's Pizza - Probably the best chain pizza in Charlotte. They turned into something else for a while, then disappeared. I don't remember the "something else" The did not do home delivery which killed them.

  • Pizza Inn - Introduced the Pizza Buffet to Charlotte. Another that did not do home delivery which spelled their death. You do see a few of them left in smaller towns, but I am pretty sure that all are gone from CLT.

  • The southern steak house - This isn't a name, but rather a description. Western Steer, Western Sizzlin', The Sizziler, The Ponderosa, etc. are all names for these defunct chains. You would wait in line to get your plate of meat and a baked potato. They played off the 60s fascination with the old west but mostly played out by the late 80s. Some of them introduced the idea of the food bar but with few exceptions these were all superceeded by the super duper mega bars of Ryans and the Golden Corral.

  • Space Station Earth - This was just a hamburger joint but with a future theme. The building was shaped like a planet so it appeared that you were flying in your car like on the Jetsons. You placed your order by talking to this robot, but in reality it was a person with a microphone. LOL The one near Eastland Mall is a Thai restaurant now.

There are others but these were some of the more interesting ones.

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teshadoh Burg

teshadoh

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I know Rock Hill had a Wiener King (I still love hot dogs - so I wish one would come back), Godfathers (which was one of the most popular places to be on Cherry Rd), & of course Pizza Inn. Thanks for reminding me of some...

But Godfathers is still around the southeast, don't know why they had problems in the late 80's. But Wiener King was fun, they had a cool Wiener King crown to wear.

So when was Space Station Earth around?

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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I remember Holly Farms Chicken from when I was little. They had one on Battleground Avenue in Greensboro where Buffalo's Bar & Grill is now. If I remember correctly, the chicken was really good.

Pizza Inn was a little more prominent. They were all over the place (even up here in Va.) and, like monsoon said, faded out quickly in the '90s. There still is one on (laughs) Battleground Avenue in Greensboro.

Maybe Battleground is where chain restaurants are sent to die (LOL) 'cause the Godfathers Pizza I remember was on that strip in an old Bonanza Sirloin Pit that is now The Honey Baked Ham Co.

Also, if you guys miss Western Sizzlin', we've still got them in the Roanoke area. In fact, you can have them ;) They've become a lot more like Ryan's and Golden Corral in their latest incarnation.

Here's some more blasts form the past:

  • Quincy's Steak House - Easily lumped in with the other Southern Steak Houses, but home of the "Big Fat Yeast Roll," their mascot for the fresh yeast rolls that they brought to your table.

  • S&W Cafeteria - The once ubiquitous Southeastern cafeteria chain that started in the old Ivey's in Uptown.

  • Hot 'N" Now - Not sure if this one was ever in Charlotte, but they were in the Triad for about a year or so, next to Taco Bell usually. They were a lot like Checkers or Rally's. I used to make jokes about the mildly suggestive name as a teenager.

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

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Do you remember Hardee's when they had the upside down umbrella buildings and they cooked on real charcoal grills?

Sometimes you run across one of these old unique buildings. The last one I saw was a used car lot in Kannapolis, but I think they finally tore it down a few years ago.

building-illustration.jpg

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uptowner Unincorporated Area

uptowner

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Do you remember Hardee's when they had the upside down umbrella buildings and they cooked on real charcoal grills?

Sometimes you run across one of these old unique buildings.  The last one I saw was a used car lot in Kannapolis, but I think they finally tore it down a few years ago.

building-illustration.jpg

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I even remember the jingle: "Hurry on down to Hardees, where the burgers are charcoal broiled" :whistling:

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jb4563 Whistle-Stop

jb4563

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Anybody remember Darryl's(1864 I think)? Seems like there used to be a bunch of them in Charlotte. Not sure if they're local, or still in business for that matter. :unsure:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The very first Darryl's was in Raleigh....they shut 'er down.

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

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Anybody remember Darryl's(1864 I think)? Seems like there used to be a bunch of them in Charlotte. Not sure if they're local, or still in business for that matter. :unsure:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh how could I forget. I got food poisioning at the one that used to be Albemaro Rd. Linda Blair had nothing on me. :sick:

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StevenRocks City

StevenRocks

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Anybody remember Darryl's(1864 I think)? Seems like there used to be a bunch of them in Charlotte. Not sure if they're local, or still in business for that matter. :unsure:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's still a Darryl's in Greensboro on High Point Road, just south of Four Seasons Town Centre. It's gotta be the last one standing.

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

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Po Folks - Lets bring the Hillbillies to the City kind of place. First restaurant that I remember seeing drinks served in mason jars. (more common now). This was basically a fried food 2 sides place done in chain form. Stores had big porches and rocking chairs. etc. Cracker Barrell (more over the top and more fattening) is the closet thing to it now. There were several in CLT, but the only one I remember going to was located next to the old Capri Theatre on Independence near Eastway. (back when this was an area that people actually went to). Opened in the 70s mosty gone by the 90s.

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Neo City

Neo

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Hot 'N" Now - Not sure if this one was ever in Charlotte, but they were in the Triad for about a year or so, next to Taco Bell usually.  They were a lot like Checkers or Rally's.  I used to make jokes about the mildly suggestive name as a teenager.

I know they had a Hot 'N' Now in Monroe off of 74 but I'm not sure if there was ever another location in the Charlotte area.

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BobbyS Crossroads

BobbyS

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Po Folks - Lets bring the Hillbillies to the City kind of place.  First restaurant that I remember seeing drinks served in mason jars.  (more common now).  This was basically a fried food 2 sides place done in chain form.  Stores had big porches and rocking chairs.  etc.    Cracker Barrell (more over the top and more fattening) is the closet thing to it now.  There were several in CLT, but the only one I remember going to was located next to the old Capri Theatre on Independence near Eastway.  (back when this was an area that people actually went to).  Opened in the 70s mosty gone by the 90s.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We had these Po' Folks in Tallahassee in the 80's. I remember their bumperstickers - "I'm po' but I'm proud!"

I think you could order "family-style." They'd just bring your table a big ole bowl and everyone would help themselves.

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DigitalSky City

DigitalSky

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Po Folks - Lets bring the Hillbillies to the City kind of place.  First restaurant that I remember seeing drinks served in mason jars.  (more common now).  This was basically a fried food 2 sides place done in chain form.  Stores had big porches and rocking chairs.  etc.    Cracker Barrell (more over the top and more fattening) is the closet thing to it now.  There were several in CLT, but the only one I remember going to was located next to the old Capri Theatre on Independence near Eastway.  (back when this was an area that people actually went to).  Opened in the 70s mosty gone by the 90s.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's still a Po Folks in Greensboro

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Gastonite Unincorporated Area

Gastonite

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You can add Morrison's Cafeteria to the list. It was a prominent fixture at Eastridge Mall for a long time, probably had other locations in Charlotte too, but cant remember exactly where at the moment. I was sorry to see it go, the food was actually pretty good.

I saw mention of Hardee's and I read in some business magazine that they are actually doing pretty well right now, to my surprise. It made mention that their thickburger is bringing back business that had left for other fast food places. It is good, but WAY too big. If you want a smaller version, Backyard Burger is a good choice.

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