In My Footsteps: A Gen-X Nostalgia Podcast

Episode 98: BONUS - Cape Cod's Forgotten Chain Restaurants of the Past(12-22-2022)

• Christopher Setterlund • Season 1 • Episode 98

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Episode 98 is the monthly bonus episode.  The Christmas holiday is near, the season is in full swing. However, the bonus episode is leaving something far different under the tree.
This month we reminisce about lost and forgotten chain restaurants of yesteryear.  Yes, these all at one point in time existed on Cape Cod.  That being said it is possible for any and all people to look back at some of the restaurants named in this week's episode as some of them are only memories.
Did you go to any of these former chains when they existed on Cape Cod?  Are any of the still active ones on your favorites list?  Are there any other forgotten chains that should be included in a potential second part?
Enjoy this final bonus episode of 2022 and whatever you celebrate have a wonderful Holiday!

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Hello, world, and welcome to the In My Footsteps podcast. I am Christopher Setterlund coming to you from the vacation destination known as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. This is episode 98. It's the monthly bonus episode where we look at one topic. We do kind of a deep dive into it.
 
And the funny thing with Christmas being only a few days away, I really thought about doing some sort of Christmas holiday family sentimental type bonus episode. But I actually really wanted to talk about this topic that we're gonna talk about. And that is the former chain restaurants on Cape Cod. So first, I'll make sure to say that even if you don't live on Cape Cod, never visited Cape Cod, didn't grow up here, these restaurants we're gonna go over will definitely give you memories as many of them are defunct. They don't exist anymore.
 
So you will not be excluded. But for those of you that grew up on Cape Cod or grew up in New England in general, because I think Cape Cod and New England go hand in hand when it comes to chain businesses and such. This will be right up your alley- a nice slice of history and nostalgia. As we go back and look at some of Cape Cod's former chain restaurants on episode 98 of the In My Footsteps podcast, the special bonus episode, the last bonus episode of 2022. A chain restaurant is an establishment that's got many locations under the same company's ownership.
 
It's a similar business model to that of the franchise, where the overall restaurant concept is sold to different owners. In the United States in general, there are countless famed chain and franchise restaurants from the fast food juggernauts like McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King to the casual sit down eateries like Applebee's, Olive Garden, and Chili's. In the last fifty years, Cape Cod has definitely seen a greater influx of the chain and franchise restaurants. I think it's also just a sign of the times where the mom and pop shops, the smaller stores are starting to get swallowed up by the big box companies. I mean, when I was a kid on Cape Cod, we didn't have Walmart or Target or Home Depot down here.
 
And maybe Cape Cod was just late to the party because it's the vacation destination. So maybe we wanted to present ourselves as the alternative where we don't have all of the chains and the franchises. But when it comes to restaurants, there have been a lot of famous chains that have called Cape Cod home. Like I said, we've got our share of McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, tons of Dunkin' Donuts, and even newer places like Chipotle, Five Guys, and Jersey Mike's. But let's take a look back to years and decades gone by to some of these iconic chain restaurants, ones that used to exist on Cape Cod.
 
So, first and foremost is Howard Johnson. This name can hearken you back to either a restaurant or a hotel. Initially established in 1925, the first Howard Johnson restaurant was owned by a man named Howard Deering Johnson. The very first location opened in 1925, and at its peak, there were around a thousand locations of the restaurant. Howard Johnson, the man, purchased the drugstore he had been working at in Wollaston, Massachusetts in 1925, and everything started with ice cream.
 
Johnson added butter fat to his homemade ice cream, which became a hit. Legend has it that Howard Johnson sold as many as 14,000 ice cream cones in a day at his original location. The first true Howard Johnson opened in 1929 in Quincy, and it was burgers and ice cream and not too much more. But I think that was to be expected in a restaurant in the late nineteen twenties. They would be known for their bright orange roof, but what was also fascinating is that the franchise concept basically got its start in 1935 when a man named Eugene Sprague, who owned a tract of land in Orleans, bought from Howard Johnson the rights to use his name, logo, menu, etcetera, thus establishing the first franchise of Howard Johnson and one of the first franchises in the country in general at the junction of Route 6 A and Route 28 in Orleans.
 
This one was a huge success, and later on, there will be locations in West Dennis, Hyannis, Bourne, and Falmouth. The company ventured into hotels in 1954. The final Howard Johnson restaurant in Lake George, New York, closed this year 2022. As of this recording, there are still 284 Howard Johnson hotels in the country. When you think of the largest fast food chains in America, I'm sure your mind goes to McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, Taco Bell.
 
If you went back fifty years though, you would have had to have added Burger Chef in there. They were founded by Donald Thomas and Frank Thomas of Indianapolis, Indiana in 1954. They opened their first restaurant in 1957. At its peak, Burger Chef had a whopping 1,050 locations, and they were considered to be the number two fast food restaurant in America behind only McDonald's. They expanded rapidly.
 
Within eleven years of their opening, Burger Chef had more than 600 locations in 39 states. They were successful on the back of their signature items like the Big Chef and Super Chef burgers with chef being spelled s h e f. Perhaps their biggest contribution to fast food restaurants was the Fun Burger, which then led to the Fun Meal, essentially the very first kids meal predating the Happy Meal from McDonald's. And this was in the early seventies. Burger Chef made its way to Cape Cod in the late 1960s.
 
Their only location was on Route 28 in West Yarmouth and lasted until the early 1980s. Its location is now a Dunkin' Donuts. I think before it, it was a Burger King. In 1982, Burger Chef was sold to the Hardee's Corporation with most of the locations being converted to Hardee's or simply closed down. Although, Hardee's did bring back the classic Big Shef for a brief time in some of the Midwestern locations as a flashback to the Burger Chef days.
 
One place that I remember as a kid and that's still going strong to this day is Denny's. They were originally established in 1953, and as of 2021 had 1,487 restaurants. For more than half a century, they have been a powerhouse in the sit down breakfast business rivaled only by IHOP. Anyone who has been to a Denny's knows of the Grand Slam breakfast. Even if you haven't been to Denny's, you know what it is.
 
Denny's began as Danny's Donuts in Lakewood, California founded by Harold Butler and Richard Jezik, and they were known for a long time for just being open 2 hours all the time. It wasn't until 1961 that the chain was officially named Denny's, although it got its start in 1953. Interestingly, despite their success around the country and around the world, they've got more than 1,700 restaurants worldwide. On Cape Cod, they did not succeed. Their only location was on Route 132 in Hyannis, which opened in 1983.
 
It's now the location of, I believe, the Bamboo Chinese restaurant, which for many years, it was Pizzeria Uno. For those of you that live on Cape Cod and are familiar with the area, me giving exact locations if you're not from The Cape, you're not gonna have a clue. Anyway, Denny's only lasted a few years on Cape Cod, and I think part of it was because International House of Pancakes had already been on Cape Cod a half mile down the road. And I think it was in an area that was easier to access rather than being right on a rotary. But if you're craving Denny's, if you're craving a grand slam and you're in the area around Cape Cod, all you have to do is drive to Fall River.
 
For me, it's about forty five minutes, so it's not that bad. Although, I don't want a grand slam that bad. Those of you that have listened to the podcast for a long time, you know all about my grandpa, Sully John Sullivan, who owned Sullivan's Donut Shop in Hyannis for more than twenty years. Growing up in the donut business, I was well aware of other donut companies in the area like Dunkin' Donuts just before they went nationwide. But one that has faded from sight basically in America, but is actually bigger than ever around the world is Mister Donut.
 
It was established in 1955 and at its peak in The United States, there were around 550 locations. Of all of those, there's only one that remains in America, and that's in Godfrey, Illinois. Mister Donut was established in 1955 by Harry Winker, and he had worked with his brother-in-law, William Rosenberg, who had established Dunkin' Donuts in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1950. So he basically branched out on his own and made his own donut shop. On Cape Cod, Mister Donut had a pair of locations.
 
One was on West Main Street in Hyannis and the other was on Route 28. The Route 28 one is the one that I remember. It's basically across from the airport. It's now a Honey Dew Donuts. They were there from the late 1970s all the way up to the early 90s.
 
And like I just said, there's only one Mister Donut left in The United States. But if you go to misterdonut.com, you will find the shocking truth that even to this day, Mister Donut is one of the largest donut companies in the world. They have more than 5,500 locations with the majority being in Asia. Granted, it's nowhere near Dunkin' Donuts who has around 13,000 locations. But still, if I had told you that Mister Donut was still thriving, what would you think?
 
Until I did this research, I thought they were dead and gone. But you can go to their website still now and that famous logo with the chef hat and the double mustache handlebar mustache will stare you right in the face. One spot that I'm sure some of the younger Cape Codders will remember with love is Old Country Buffet. I think buffet restaurants as a whole are starting to trend downward now after COVID has kind of changed how people view eating out. I don't know if scooping from the same tray is a whole bunch of others.
 
Even with sneeze guards, I don't know how that's looked at. They were established in 1983. At its peak, Old Country Buffet had about 500 locations in 36 states. All of you Cape Coders, you remember it was in the Festival Shopping Plaza in Hyannis. And was there surprisingly only fifteen years, 1995 to 2010.
 
I remember going there a bunch either with family or with friends, getting the new warm plate out of the little steamer, grabbing the country fried steak like a stack of cards, and just eating until I was ashamed of myself. It was a popular and low cost spot for family meals, gatherings for sports teams after games or birthdays, But it was a combination of three bankruptcy filings combined with the increasing worry over obesity in America that started the slow decline for Old Country Buffet. As of this recording, there are only 17 Old Country Buffets left in America with that number still shrinking. They might not last through 2023. When I was looking for locations to send you to, all the ones around here have been closed.
 
The closest I see is in West Columbia, South Carolina, so you might as well get to driving if you wanna go. A lesser known one that some Cape Codters might not even have ever heard of, let alone know that existed on Cape Cod is Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips. This restaurant was established in 1969, and at its peak had more than 800 locations. The chain was named for English character actor, Arthur Treacher. He had roles in Mary Poppins and was a butler in several of Shirley Temple's films.
 
It was obviously a classic seafood fair restaurant. It began in Columbus, Ohio in 1969 with one of the principal owners being Wendy's founder Dave Thomas. So it immediately had cache. By the late seventies, it had grown to its peak of over 800 locations, and this included two locations on Cape Cod. 1 of these was on Route 28 in South Yarmouth where the current Lighthouse Landing Strip Mall is.
 
It opened in May 1977. If you're wondering where the Lighthouse Landing strip mall is, it's across from the Irish village, just a stone's throw from Papa Gino's, that area. The other Arthur Treacher's on Cape Cod was on North Street in Hyannis and that opened in 1978. They both only lasted a few years and I think part of it is because when it comes to seafood restaurants, people that live on The Cape and people that visit The Cape, I think would rather go to the mom and pop type seafood places. Maybe that's just me, or maybe they all just wanted to go to seafood Sam's if they I don't even know if they were around back in the late seventies.
 
As of 2022, there is only one Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips left in America, and that's in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. So if you really, really are jonesing for Fish and Chips named after a mid twentieth century English character actor, start driving west. Another place that's still thriving but nowhere near Cape Cod is Jack In The Box. They're actually the largest chain on this list that I'm giving you of former Cape Cod ones. Jack in the Box was originally established in 1951.
 
As of 2021, they had 2,228 locations in America. They're definitely an eclectic chain where they've got the traditional burgers and fries, but they've got things like tacos. Jack in the Box is firmly established in the West and South of The United States. Their unique commercials, especially from the nineties to now, featuring their mascot, Jack, who's basically a human with a giant creepy head. It was founded by Robert Peterson in San Diego, California.
 
And on Cape Cod, Jack In The Box only ever had one location, and it was actually inside the Cape Cod Mall and was one of the original tenants of the mall upon its opening in 1970. It survived for almost a decade before closing, and actually, that location has an interesting connection to me because upon its closing, the Jack in the Box restaurant sold most of its equipment to my grandpa for Sullivan's Donut Shop. And when my grandpa closed his shop in 1993, he sold most of his equipment to the hole-in-one donut shop in East Ham in Orleans. I haven't got a clue if any of that equipment hole in one bought was the stuff my grandpa bought from Jack in the Box, but maybe if you go to the hole in one, you're getting stuff that was created through machinery that was in that Jack in the Box in the original Cape Cod Mall in 1970. But if you're craving some Jack in the Box tacos or like when I was living in Vegas, I always loved the chili cheese curly fries.
 
But if you're craving any of that, the closest Jack in the Box locations are in North Carolina. Another more recent chain that younger Cape Codders and most of you probably will remember is Hooters. Remember when Cape Cod had a Hooters? As of 2022, there are more than 420 Hooters locations, but none on Cape Cod. They were on Main Street in Hyannis.
 
Its location is now Kkatie's Burger Bar. They were founded in 1983 in Clearwater, Florida as a prototypical sports bar, which was known more for their servers, the Hooters Girls, than it was for its actual food. If I ask you to name me something about Hooters, you're gonna mention the girls and their skimpy uniforms. Maybe you'll mention the owl logo, which was a double entendre. But I mean, who mentions the food?
 
The Cape Cod location opened in 2002/2003 and was met with major opposition before and after it opened. Despite the fact of their catchphrase Hooters makes you happy, they only lasted until 2007, so barely four years. But if you're craving Hooters wings or more likely you wanna see some Hooters girls, The nearest one is in Warwick, Rhode Island, so it's not that much of a hike for much of you in New England. One former popular chain that I was surprised had a location on Cape Cod was Sambo's. They were established in 1957 and at their peak had more than 1,100 locations.
 
This chain had a controversial name, was founded in Santa Barbara, California by Sam Battenstone senior and Newell Bonnet. And by some crazy, strange coincidence, Sambo's the name they said was a mashup of the owners' names. Sam Battenstone's first name and Newell Bonet's last name. But it was also a highly derogatory racial slur used towards African Americans so you could see where it would be controversial. They didn't see it that way and they're feigning ignorance.
 
It just reminds me of a Simpsons episode, which some of you might remember, where Krusty the clown had the Krusty comedy classic, and it was three k's on the stage. Even though he spelled his name with a k, and he just came out and said KKK, that's not good. It's sort of like that with Sambo's. It's like it's our names, but yeah, well. The restaurant was a dinner style chain promoting everything from pancakes to steak and more.
 
By the time Sambo's came to Cape Cod in 1978, there were already loud cries for the company to change its name. It opened near the Airport Rotary in Hyannis. It's the same building that held Denny's that I mentioned earlier and Pizzeria Uno among others. So maybe that building or that location was just unlucky. In 1981, Sambo's changed their name to No Place Like Sam's, and they had this chef as their mascot who looked a lot like one of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch bakers, but it didn't help.
 
And the Hyannis location closed in 1982. The company filed for bankruptcy in late 1981, with all but one of the restaurants either closing or changing their names within a year. But if you're craving steak or pancakes from Sambo's, you are in luck because the very last Sambo's, which is owned by Sam Battenstone's grandson in Santa Barbara, California is still around. It changed its name in 2020 to Chad's, named for Chad Stevens, the owner, the grandson of Battenstone. And finally, one last one to share with you is Lum's restaurant.
 
They were established in 1956. At their peak, they had around 450 locations. It's another classic American cuisine chain. It was founded in Miami Beach, Florida, and their signature item was hot dogs steamed in beer. And in fact, Lum's started as a hot dog stand.
 
It was purchased by Stewart and Clifford Perlman who then made it into a restaurant and rapidly expanded the chain. Two Lums opened on Cape Cod, both in 1972, one in Hyannis and one in Falmouth. This was around the same time that they gained national attention with famed comedian Milton Berle as their spokesperson. But that rapid expansion of the chain also led to its downfall. Both Cape Cod Lums locations were closed by 1980, and by 1982, Lums had filed for bankruptcy.
 
The next thirty-five years saw Lums slowly fade away until the final location in Bellevue, Nebraska closed in 2017. So those are some of the more well known or lesser-known Cape Cod franchise chain restaurants that used to be here. For you that lived, grew up on Cape Cod, do you remember those locations being here, any of those restaurants? And those of you not from The Cape, from New England, or from wherever you are, do you remember them in general? Because places like Lum's, Sambo's, Arthur Treacher's, Burger Chef, they don't exist anymore as it is.
 
If you go on YouTube, you can find some of the commercials. But I hope this brought back some warm memories in the holiday season as we think of old chain restaurants that don't exist in this area. I'm telling you, I went the opposite direction. Instead of sentimental stuff for the holidays, I decided to go with something totally opposite. But I wanna wish everybody Merry Christmas, happy holiday, whatever you celebrate because the actual Christmas holiday is only a few days away when this podcast goes live.
 
If you can't get enough of me, you can find me all over social media. Check out the links in the podcast description. Buy me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com. Find the link in the description of the podcast. But we're not done yet as far as podcast for the year go.
 
Episode 99 is next week, just a few days before the end of 2022. So we'll have a little bit of a year in review, but then we'll be in the celebration mood as we look back at one of Cape Cod's all-time great night spots, the Compass Lounge of Yarmouth. We're gonna take a road trip to one of my favorite places in New England, the city of Manchester, New Hampshire. We're gonna go way way back in the day and look at some of the weirdest, strangest movies that got made into video games. Some of these you won't believe.
 
And there'll be a brand new top five as we squeeze all we can out of the holiday season as I look at my picks for the top five Christmas songs. And, of course, there'll be a brand new This Week in History and Time Capsule coming up next week on episode 99 of the In My Footsteps podcast. And the first podcast of 2023 is going to be episode 100. In that episode, it's going to be a supersized podcast. As you've heard, I've recorded four parts of a mini-series podcast about the Lady of the Dunes for the ladyofthedunes.com website I am building.
 
But as a thank you to all of you for tuning in for so long, I'm going to put it together into one supersized podcast for you here, in addition to the four parts on the website. It'll give you all I can share, all I know about the Lady of the Dunes case, documentary, the book, and all the recent developments with the identification of Ruth Marie Terry. But until then, again, happy holidays. Merry Christmas. I hope you spend it with friends, family, and people that mean the most to you.
 
I appreciate all of you that tune in to this podcast because you're the reason I keep doing it. I love doing it, but knowing people listen and for some of you, it's appointment listening, that really makes it worthwhile. So this has been the In My Footsteps podcast. I am Christopher Sederland, and I will talk to you all again soon.

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