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Chain restaurants

TenPoundHammer

By TenPoundHammer
in Grand Rapids

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6th Gen local Whistle-Stop

6th Gen local

Posted
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What is your definition of "chain" and how far back are you going?
  • There were many Fables Restaurants that closed (small chain).

  • Burger Chef used to have a few locations in West Michigan.

  • Hot n' Now closed some stores.

  • Schelde's was a chain that closed stores.

  • Sambo's Resturants closed a number of stores.

  • Dog and Suds had a number of locations

  • Friendly's closed

  • Bill Knapp's

  • Kenny Roger's Roasters was in a strip on 28th for a while

  • Didn't the Tony Roma's in Grandville close?

  • Holly's Restaurants

Not chains, but anyone remember these?

  • Backroom Saloon

  • Penthouse (top of Pantlind Hotel)

  • Ottawa Grill

  • Zak's Dinner

  • Hong Kong Inn

  • Pearl Street Bar

  • Afternoon Delight

  • Granny's Kitchen

  • Kewpee Burger

  • Kum Back's

Kum bak...They used to have the best burgers. I used to work at a Burger Chef in Wyoming on 28th st. as a youngster. Who can forget the Hong Kong? Backroom Saloon with the peanuts on the floor, Grannys kitchen on 28th between in Madison and Eastren...lots of good memories.

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civitas Burg

civitas

Posted
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If i remember correctly i think there was a big boy way back in the day at diamond and michigan where taco bell is now and the phone place. Also does anyone know why the Burger king on michigan closed? Seemed as though it was a good location. :dontknow:

If you mean the one near downtown, it closed because Spectrum Hospital paid them about 4 times what it was worth.

If you mean the one on Fuller north of Michigan, I think the South Bend Company that owned the franchise declined to renew their lease. They had bought the franchise rights to many of the restaurants around here a number of years ago. The local guy who started them still owns the real estate.

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grandrollerz Whistle-Stop

grandrollerz

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Let us not forget Spad's Pizza. Their breadsticks with the Itallian dressing were to die for.

RIP :cry:

The breadsticks, man, the breadsticks.

I counted myself lucky when I would get a corner peice with the crusty cheese.

The used-to-be Spads spot on Chicago drive is now a Todds .99 cent pizza, haven't tried it yet though.

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grandrollerz Whistle-Stop

grandrollerz

Posted
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Also - Sveden House!

There used to be two Sveden Houses right? I know one was in the plainfield area, in the Northfield Plaza by the old D&W...and the other is now ZapZone on 28th?

That's reminds me, GodFather's Pizza used to be in the MC Sports plaza just off the PlainField/96 area. I guess they'd be a chain.

While not really a chain, and not even really gone, the old In-and-Out on Fulton deserves some recognition.

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TenPoundHammer Whistle-Stop

TenPoundHammer

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There used to be two Sveden Houses right? I know one was in the plainfield area, in the Northfield Plaza by the old D&W...and the other is now ZapZone on 28th?

Sveden House counts. I didn't know there were so many - the only ones I knew of were Livonia and Bay City, the latter being in the (very mismanaged) Bay City Mall.

That's reminds me, GodFather's Pizza used to be in the MC Sports plaza just off the PlainField/96 area. I guess they'd be a chain.

Goddfadduh's Pizza counts.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Sveden House counts. I didn't know there were so many - the only ones I knew of were Livonia and Bay City, the latter being in the (very mismanaged) Bay City Mall.

Goddfadduh's Pizza counts.

There was a Sveden House in Lansing on Waverly Rd. Gawd awful buffet.

We used to call Hot-N-Now: Rot-N-Cow.

The BK on Michigan was torn down to make way for the Cancer Center (how fitting). Was there ever a McD's where the Heart Center is now?

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grrwymg Hamlet

grrwymg

Posted
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Where is this holy mecca?

Chicago Dr. almost to 196 in Grandville. Near the intersection of Chicago Dr and Fairlanes Ave. North side of the road. Right by Adobe. (mmm....Adobe....)

EDIT: Haha - Love when 2 separate replies get grouped into 1 automagically...

A few notes...

1) Bad Guys Pizza in the old Schlotzky's on 28th between Burlingame and Byron Center is already gone and is now a Mexican restaurant. The name slips my mind, currently.

2) There's a Papa Murphy's in a strip mall in the northwest corner of Burlingame & 28th. By Bun Basket factory.

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TenPoundHammer Whistle-Stop

TenPoundHammer

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http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/forgottenmi/former.html is where I'm compiling my data, for the record. I haven't put the new GR listings up yet but I will.

To answer a couple questions, and question a few more other things:

* Papa Murphy's ( http://papamurphys.com ) is a sort-of-national chain. Their flawed store locator seems to list a buttload in Gd Rapids, as well as Muskegon/Gd Haven, Kalamazoo, a couple in Detroit Metro, as well as Escanaba and Lapeer. (I had a friend joke that they must have the laziest staff in the world if you have to cook the pizza yourself.)

* Where were the Spad's locations? I know that they had a few in the Bay City/Saginaw area; one on Wilder in Bay City is torn down, and one in Birch Run is now a DQ after about a decade of being empty.

* Where is/was McKay Tower? I know it used to have a McD's in it.

* Butterworth Hospital forced out a BK AND a McDonald's to expand?

* In my next post I'll add Muskegon and Holland.

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Nitro Burg

Nitro

Posted
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He must mean that there used to be Fuddruckers in GR somewhere. Where were they?

Near the intersection of 28th and East Paris. They tore the building down and Carraba's is there now.

I believe there was one in Grand Haven as well.

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