20 Fancy Restaurants From The 1970s, That No Longer Exist! 

Bonanza.... immediately brings memories of my first restaurant job at 17 washing dishes, "Baker Street" playing on the kitchen radio and the prep girl I had a crush on....

anyone remember Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips

These were never “fancy” restaurants. They were family restaurants.

Does anyone remember Sizzler? My favorite steak place! Those were the days when dining out was affordable! Great video.

Ah yes. The 70s. When family style restaurants were considered fancy. I miss that.

Ponderosa had the best salad buffet back in the 80’s

I don't consuder most of these fancy, but to our blue collar family with 5 kids they certainly were as fancy as we ever got to go to. Bonanza was our favorite.

I grew up in the barely middle class, and my dads idea of a weekly “fancy” night out was taking us to Bonanza

They didn't do The Ground Round justice in this video. They didn't mention the TVs everywhere showing cartoons like Woody Woodpecker and Heckle and Jeckle, the constant supply of peanuts that they encouraged the patrons to throw the shells onto the floor. The floor was always covered in peanut shells and sawdust. It was one of my favorites as a kid because it was always filled with kids going crazy and living their best lives! It was pure PANDEMONIUM in there!❤❤❤

Wow!! I never knew “Hoss Cartwright” invented Bonanza!

Anybody else remember Perkins? We had them in SE Michigan. Not sure how widespread of a chain they were, though.

As a kid I remember traveling and begging my dad to stop at Stuckey's.

I saw a werewolf drinking a Pina Colada at Trader Vic's. His hair was perfect!

They didn't mention Bennigans. I loved that place!

Not to mention (which they didn't) A&W Root Beer stands. That root beer was delicious.

I worked at Sambos in 1977/78 when I was 19. Started out as a waiter, then started cooking. That was a winter when Louisville was paralyzed by a blizzard. I was working graveyard shift, and watched the snow pile up all night. By the time the shift ended, snow was all way up to the bumper of my car. Didn't think I would make it home.

I have lots of fond memories of stopping at Sambo's as a child in the late 60's whenever my family took road vacations!

Shakey's pizza parlor and Bonanza are and always will be very fond memories of going out for dinner with my mom and dad. Very fun times when we could afford to go.

As a child in the 70's I was very excited if mom and dad said we're eating at Bonanza after church. I will never forget the Texas toast!

It sounds like around 1975, every city in America had approximately 958 steakhouses.

I also miss Bonanza and Ponderosa. The salad bars, delicious steaks and low prices were awesome.

Howard Johnson was famous for fried clams, which no other restaurant offered.

There was a place called The Red Barn and another place called Training Table. They both served burgers and fries, etc..

Bonanza was the best. Still remember the salad bar and great smell of their grill.

I drive over an hour to eat at a Bonanza once a month. It’s in a little town called Lebanon Virginia. Always packed. It’s a time capsule.

I remember going to Western Sizzler every sunday after church in the 70s. Food was so much better then.

Beefsteak Charlie’s was the best! Our whole family would get together every Mother’s Day to go to their buffet. I still remember eating piles and piles of peel and eat shrimp with my Pappy. Now 1/4 of that family has passed away but those memories will stay with me forever.

We stopped at a&w Root beer places when we went on vacation in Central New York and Lake George. The root beer was ice cold in Frosty mugs and we especially love their hot dogs with it. Good times.

Used to love Chi Chis. The fried ice cream was amazing

My favorite steak house was Western Sizzlin'. I also loved Victoria Station. Still can't believe these great places are gone.😢

The crazy thing about the 70s was when you ordered a steak it actually tasted good back then....I dunno what they are doing now but the only time I have a good steak is when I grill it at home...believe it or not Golden Corral was a nice place to eat back in the 70s...then somewhere in the 80s it became a buffet and went downhill.

The restaurant I miss most is Morrison's Cafeteria man they had the best food and always fresh !!

Arthur Treachers Fish and Chips

My favorite was Steak and Ale! My husband and I married in ‘ 78 and this was our place to go for our anniversary’s

I was really sad, when I found out the Mall where they filmed the 70s version of Logan's Run, no longer exists...now that's a reboot I'd love to do!

My mom used to take me to Howard Johnson's for my birthday. I got the clam strips. And they had a special birthday cake. My mom passed away a couple years ago. I'm glad RU-vid brought back a happy memory, which I forgot.😊

Bonanza my first job at 16. Loved it.. Im now 61 . Drive by the empty restaurant every day..Brings back memories 😊

20 years from now there will be a video of Texas Roadhouse, Chilis, KFC, Red Lobster all being gone

As a young child in the 80s we used to go to Bonanza almost every week I still remember their food was the best

Bonanza was a place where my dad would take us, I have fond memories of that place! Howard Johnsons had the best clam strips on the planet! Everytime we went there, I would get the clam strip dinner with fries, slaw, and those rolls with butter was life! Chi Chi's was another place we would frequent they had great drinks! This takes me way back! Thanks for this video!

Ahh Ponderosa, all you can eat buffet..the best friend of a lot of college students..also Perkins

My favorite restaurant from this time period is Steak and Ale. Absolutely loved their food. We ate there 3-4 times every month. (Remember Stouffer's restaurants? Yummy.)

Burger Chef, Findley's, Mr. Steak, Sweden House, Dog & Suds... a million others.

It's such a shame these great places are no longer with us. Wish they would try a come back. ❤

My grandparents took me to Bonanza all the time back when I was a kid. I thought we were royalty eating there.

During my military service my favorite’s were Chi Chi’s and Tastee Freeze had the best fish sandwich I’ve ever had. Yup miss them. Treated myself to chicken fried steak meals at Dennys, but they are no longer high on my favorites list.

7:40 When I was in college in the early 1970s we used to go to Steak and Ale on a regular basis. It was a fantastic place to have a hearty steak, baked potato, vegetables, and an ice-cold mug of beer. Dining didn't get much better than that. In fact, in 1974 we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the University of Miami chapter of the American Chemical Society, chemistry club at a Steak and Ale, where we reserved a private room.

Did anyone notice who is sitting in the forward booth at the Brown Derby? George Burns and Gracie Allen. The golden years of Hollywood. I used to love the fried clams at Howard Johnson. This brought back so many memories. Victoria's Station at Universal City Walk was also a favorite place on weekends. There food was excellent. The good old days. "Le sigh". If memory serves me correctly there was a Velvet Turtle in Fullerton near Cal State Fullerton and next to it was the Velvet Hog where my friends and I would go to dance on weekends. Loved having dinner there. OK enough ......I am feeling 1000 years old after watching this.

The good old days are gone. Mom and pop restaurants were some of the best restaurants you could ever eat. What we have today is left over from yesterday with high prices and fast food.

Thank you for a beautiful walk down memory lane...I remember them all❤😊

Brought back fond memories of others too: Frisch's, Shoney's, Friendly's, Arthur Treacher's, Zantigos...

In what universe was Bonanza and Ponderosa ever fancy?

I miss Howard Johnson's...They had an all you can eat fried fish night and one night was for fried clams. Wonderful memories of eating there with my parents.

Farrells Ice Cream parlor and restaurant.... it was amazing..!

When I was a kid I got a teriyaki steak at Bonanza, Grama said "ok you're not going to like it but you better eat it anyway!" Boy was she wrong, I loved it, one of my favorite steak flavors still. Forgot all about that place, thanks for the memory.

I ate got food poisoning the first time I ate at Chi-Chis. It was like 10 years before I could eat at another one. When I finally gave it another try I got food poisoning again. I didn't have to run that experiment again.

My dad took me to Bonanza at lot - it was always a great place

Ponderosa Steak House! I sure do miss those places.

My first job was at a Bonanza's Steak House. Started at 16 as a busboy and moved up the chain, dishwasher, set-up and finally cook.

Being from Midwest (Central IL)the ones I remember and was frequent to be in as a child are Ponderosa, Bonanza, and Howard Johnson's. Others I frequent that are not listed are Old Country Buffet, Mavericks, Ryan's and Shakies. Best word that described these restaurants is affordable. Whole family meals 6 of us for $30. Now days $30 can barely do one and a half people.

Had my first Mai Ti at Trader Vics...always loved the fun tiki experience! The Magic Pan had the most delicious crepes too. Mom and I would go there often.

Our Bonanza was operational up until about 6 years ago. It was sooo popular and managed so well. The only reason it closed was because the owner wanted to retire and couldn't sell the franchise. He was a good man who supported all the schools and sports teams in our town. We miss it very much. Anyone remember the 'Clock' restaurant?

I loved Sizzler and Bennigans. ❤❤ I think if you brought them back that would be huge again. I know Gen Z loves the nostalgia of the 80's so I think they would do well.

When i lived in Arkansas during college. My bathroom window opened up over the Bonanza behind my apartment and you could smell the steak being cooked everyday. Yummy yummy

Such great places! I miss them! Talk about nostalgia!

When I was 14, I was hired to watch dishes at Howard Johnson. The food was great. Miss those fresh clams.

There was one that I think might have been local to Philadelphia called Ground Round. Some of the juiciest thickest delicious burgers. You could smell them being cooked in the vicinity and with that smoke stack coming out from the cooking.

You forgot to add TAD's Steaks to your list....extrremely popular and prevelant in the 1970's NYC area...( especially near the Times Square 42nd street area)....affordable Steaks, Potatoe drouwning in butter a veggie and a hunk of italian bread...I miss that place.

The Ground Round ❤ brings back so many memories for me when my daughter was little ❤

Lebanon Virginia still has an original Bonanza! Menu has changed over the years but it is always full.

Magic Pan was a family favorite. Miss them.

I loved going to Bonanza on the weekends!!! The 80’s ruled!

Me and my family always went to Bonanza and Ponderosa every weekend when I was young. Fond memories of those days!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Dude - that’s Scott Bakula doing that Magic Crepe ad!

Both Viktoria's Station and Steak & Ale were date night favorites way back when. Fond memories.

The good ole days. Life was simpler, respectful & appreciated. 💖🌹💖🌹💖🌹🙏🌱 The pics are priceless 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💖

I really enjoyed eating at Bonanza when I was a kid.. but they left out family restaurants like Piccadilly and Kopper Kettle.. also Monterey House

I have fond memories of Bonanza - not in my hometown, but in Singapore. I was in the Navy and there was a Bonanza in one of the malls there. When we went on deployment, Singapore was usually the last stop before we headed into the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. My buddies and I would always go to Bonanza on our last day there and feast on the salad bar because after that, fresh vegetables were going to be hard to come by.

I loved eating at Bonanza, Steak and Ale, and Victoria Station.

I remember Ginos, had many a lunch there on my lunch break in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I believe they had a salad bar as well. Also remember Ponderosa Steak House and the fixings bar. Used to go there when my daughter was little.

Back in the day when I was traveling a lot with my family we always stop at Howard Johnson's for breakfast or lunch. It was the best

Steak and Ale is the one I miss. Great food and a unique experience. Man, I miss it..

I remember going to Love's and Bob's Big Boy.

I soo miss Ponderosa!! I'm from and still live in Kokomo, Indiana. I'm 45 and my parents took my sis and I there all the time when we were growing up in the 80's! I LOVED that place!! It shut down here a really long time ago, but there's one in Vincennes, Indiana still and another in Coldwater, Michigan, both about 2 and a half ours away from Kokomo. I'm absolutely planning a trip to Coldwater (it's technically closer) in the near future JUST to eat there again!! Lol Fun fact: the original Ponderosa location is now an Indian cuisine restaurant. 😊

I'm picking up a theme here, with Marriott buying a restaurant chain and then it dies. Farrell's Ice Cream parlor was another one that Marriott killed. BTW, Little Black Sambo was an Indian kid. Nothing to do with Africans!

The only restaurant on this list that I would even remotely consider "fancy" was The Brown Derby. The rest were mostly so-so family fast food.

Just ate at Bonanza for my birthday.

Howard Johnson had the best all-you-can-eat fish sticks every Friday. 🐟

I remember going to Sandy's in the late '60s in Iowa, the "mascot/logo" being the little Scottish girl with the kilt

In my area Sambos become 'Mels Diner' and is still very popular. Hmm, steak tips and over easy eggs and a side of browns smothered in tabasco.

So, we were all down at this Bonanza Steakhouse in Bangor, Maine, on Union Street, just enjoying a quiet dinner celebrating my grandparents' anniversary, right? The place was buzzing as usual, all cozy and filled with locals. Then, outta nowhere, this wicked drama kicks off just a couple tables over. Felt straight outta a soap opera, no kidding. There’s this young waitress, see? She storms up to this table with what looks like the perfect family. She’s all teary and goes, “You’re my father!” pointing straight at the dad. The guy looks like he’s been hit by a truck, face all pale, and the whole joint goes quiet as the grave. To be honest, my memory’s a bit muddled on all the specifics, but man, it was wild. The waitress is there pouring her heart out, saying her mom told her about him right before she passed and she just had to come see him. This dude, supposedly her dad, just freezes. Doesn’t say a peep. Meanwhile, his wife starts crying something fierce, all, “How could you, huh?” and his kids look like they wish they could just melt away. Granny squeezed my hand, whispering, “Oh dear,” under her breath as we watched the whole scene. It was intense. The manager came hustlin’ over, trying to calm things down, but that room was thick with tension you could cut with a knife. Now, whenever we drive past that Bonanza, now Union Laundromat, I can’t help but remember that night. Everything might not be crystal clear, but that showdown? It’s stuck in my mind, clear as day. Absolute chaos, right there in the middle of dinner.

Miss HoJo used to eat there wherever there was one. My family and I used to go to Beefsteak Charlie's frequently - we stocked up on their shrimp and salad bar. There was a location in Queens, NY in Forest Hills Gardens across from the old tennis stadium and one in Manhattan I used to go to near Lincoln Center around 72nd Street and Amsterdam I think. I also remember Steak and Brew in the Queens Center Mall before the mall was redone.

My small town had a Bonanza before the McDonald's was built. I recall in the early 80s as a teen, my family and another family ate there one evening. The dad of the other family left a $5 tip. The waitress was so thrilled to get that much. The Bonanza closed shortly thereafter.

My friend worked at Bonanza when we were in high school. I couldn't afford a steak but would get the chicken strips with fries and pigged out on their amazing soup/salad bar! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

I worked at both Victoria Station and Steak and Ale. Both were great to employees, had good employee meals and solid management. Victoria Station had the best prime rib i've ever tasted, and Steak and Ale had excellent steaks and a wonderful salad bar. Miss them both.

I loved Bonanza and Ponderosa, it's interesting how they both have a connection to Bonanza TV show.

Bonanza.... wow! My parents used to take me all the time. Ours had a huge cow in front...(to me huge being little) they took a pic of me on it. Loved their salad bard and cfs!!!!!❤❤❤

My first job was at Rax. They had great sandwiches and baked potatoes. Chi-Chi’s was my first introduction to chips and salsa; used to eat there quite frequently. There was also a chain of restaurants called Red Bull Inn. The atmosphere was dark and heavy, perfect for a cozy dinner but I believe they’re all closed now. Who would have thought that a video about long gone restaurants could evoke such fond memories. Thank you!

There were so many steak restaurants that the market was just saturated with them. It was only a matter of time before they started to take each other out. Steak & Ale, Bonanza, Ponderosa, Sizzler, Bennigan's, Darryl's, Quincy's, and others I can't recall off the top of my head. In my hometown area, we even had a Mexican-Irish restaurant; Carlos Murphy's. It was one of the more interesting early fusion concepts.

I worked at Ponderosa when I was 16 as a dishwasher, really liked the buffet and the steaks were delicious