A once-popular seafood chain may be on the comeback trail. Is it returning to Michigan?
New Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips locations recently opened in Ohio and Connecticut, signaling renewed interest in the seafood restaurant.
By 2021, the company that once had more than 800 restaurants was down to a single location in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
The brand currently is owned by Trufoods LLC, which also owns Wall Street Deli, Ritter's Frozen Custard and Pudgie's Famous Chicken.
"Trufoods specializes in revitalizing great American brand names for a new generation to enjoy," the company says on its website.
Company owners haven't announced further expansion plans for Arthur Treacher's.
At one time, the restaurant chain had dozens of locations throughout Michigan.
Here's what to know.
Arthur Treacher's is a fast-food restaurant chain that focuses on British-style fish and chips.
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The restaurant chain got its start in 1969, serving fish and chips, shrimp and chicken, according to its archived website.
More: Putnam: Dave Miller closing Fish & Chips, where he started as a teen fry cook in 1970
By the 1970s, Arthur Treacher's boasted over 800 restaurants nationwide, along with celebrity promotions, The Daily Meal said. However, combining lack of interest in fish and chips cuisine and rising prices on imported British fish led to the chain's decline.
Through the years, the company changed hands and eventually was acquired by PAT Franchise Systems Inc. in 2002 through a private transaction. The intellectual property was sold to NF Treacher's Corp., an affiliate of Nathan's Famous Sytems Inc. in 2006, and Trufoods LLC became the co-franchisor in 2007, the company's archived website said.
The restaurant chain is named after British actor Arthur Treacher, who played the "perfect butler" in scores of films, and gained a star on the Walk of Hollywood, IMDb said.
More: What bratwursts are under recall in Michigan? Here's what to know
In recent years, Arthur Treacher's had been reduced to one restaurant in Ohio.
The chain has been making a comeback recently, with a third Ohio location opening in early April and a new hybrid location opening at a Connecticut mall.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Once-popular Arthur Treacher's hopes for comeback. What owners plan
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