Even though there were only 10 locations of the Planet Hollywood-owned All-Star Café in its late ’90s-heyday, odds are you knew about this chain, especially if you were a kid during the decade.
Sports icons such as Andre Agassi, Joe Montana, Ken Griffey Jr., and Shaq all invested in the project, and some appeared in commercials for it.
It opened in prime locations across the country, including New York City’s Times Square and Walt Disney World in Orlando. The chain was equal parts gift shop, memorabilia store, and restaurant, but it never quite had the same appeal as similar theme restaurants like Planet Hollywood itself or the Hard Rock Café.
The last All-Star, located in Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports, closed in 2007.
The automat is a defunct restaurant concept, but in its day it was a reliable way to get a quick and tasty meal. Individual sandwiches, salads, pies, and cakes were visible behind tiny glass doors.
Insert some nickels into the slot, the door would open, and the dish would be yours.
Horn and Hardart, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1888, was the undisputed king of the automat during its golden years from the 1920s through the 1950s, with more than 150 locations in Philadelphia and more than 50 in New York.
Unfortunately, with the rise of fast food in the 1960s and ‘70s, the chain took a major hit, and the final location, on 42nd Street and Third Avenue in New York, closed in 1991.
Founded in 1957, Gino’s was the very first chain to combine fast food and sports.
The brainchild of NFL Hall of Famer Gino Marchetti, the chain was a huge hit, and featured Dom DeLuise in its commercials.
By 1972 there were more than 330 outlets across the country, but 10 years later Marriott bought the chain and merged it with Roy Rogers.
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Best hamburger ever. Better than McDonald's. Really miss this restaurant.
so do i so sad.
We still have a Howard Johnson's here in Arlington Texas as well. Right next door to Six Flags over Texas. The best burger you ever ate at Griff's. One name i was surprised to not see was Kip's Big Boy Restaurant. But they are still in Ky. and Ca. As of this writing.
Really nice restaurant. Good food.
Used to eat lunch there a lot. Also, dinner was great. Loved those Chicken Croquet s. They had great ice cream for after the ball games.
Too bad, so many folks put their hearts and souls into these restaurants, Then others opened with copy=cat deals and therefore lots of them couldn't stand the heat in the kitchen and simply gave up, sold out etc. Many dreams, hopes and cash flow was lost along with the broken hearts. Alas that's life in the business world, you gotta be strong and hard as nails to make it, make deals that break the bank , know when to hold em and know when to fold up your tent and go home, if you still have one. josie
no, burger chef lost out to mcdonalds becaue of freemason, mk ultra and mkdelta...your highly successful and stay highly successful because of who is "connected" and who follows the "nwo" agenda....
The Freemasons? MK Ultra? Why not the Illuminati? Does RB NG mean you are "ribbing" us or do you really believe what you wrote? About 50 years or so ago, I would've asked what you were on and could I have some. Well, if that was supposed to be funny, I got a little laugh out of it. Thanks for that.
Very nostalgic memories of going to Howard Johnson restaurants with my mother as a child. I loved the fried clam plate with a dessert. Very pleasant and easy going atmosphere. I really miss those days! Their Inn is still a favorite - would rather stay there than the up scale hotels and motels I've used, with it's contemporary, "Jetson"-like, orange, grey and white decor/furnishings and friendly, laid back staff.
Met my future wife at a Burger Chef in Dothan, Al in 1970. Fortunately, our franchise lasted longer than theirs. 49 years in April.
I worked for my uncle and aunt in their franchise Howard Johnson's Restaurant in New Hampshire in the spring and Summer's of the late 1950's and early 1960's during my high school summer vacations . Great memories and times at the HoJo providing food and ice cream to our customers. When you think of Howard Johnson's it is like apple pie and baseball true American fare. Unfortunately a time that has passed.
We used to go with all my cousins for the fish fry all you can eat.
Ho Jo was our scouting special on our camping trips
There was a Sambo’s near me in 1975 and we loved to go there with a quarter in our pocket and it would pay for 2 coffees with a 25% tip.