28-05-2025
10 Defunct Restaurant Chains From The '90s That Should Have Stuck Around Longer
The '90s were a radical time that we'll never get back. Along with legendary rap icons, cable sitcoms, and a slew of popular snacks unique to the decade that we'd like to taste again, casual restaurant chains helped define the vibrant culture of the transformative period. But what once thrived in the era of dial-up internet and boy bands has since faded away.
Throughout the '90s, casual dining chains started popping up in cities and suburbs like the creatures in the arcade game Whac-a-Mole. Characterized by kitschy themes and traditional American fare, these establishments set themselves apart from restaurants of prior decades, partly due to baby boomers desiring a shift from the sleeker feel of mid-century modern that dominated interiors until then. But what worked then no longer applies today.
In 2024, 20 restaurant chains that thrived at the tail end of the 20th century filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. To survive the streamlined, almost corporate feel of the modern-day restaurant, businesses must adapt. Companies that value fresh food over mass production, incorporate technology into their service, and overall cater to the preferences of the younger generations will have an easier time staying afloat. Unfortunately, the window of opportunity has permanently shut for some eateries that were (and still are) loved.
Read more: 8 Restaurants That Were Once Frequented By Al Capone
In 1990s New England, there was a place families could go to enjoy a steak, mac and cheese, or loaded baked potatoes under a talking animatronic buffalo and moose busts. The rustic Canadian-themed steakhouse was full of funky, out-of-the-box details, like a birthday song about kissing a moose and Timber the Talking Christmas Tree, who informed customers of random facts about nature in the country of pine trees and maple syrup. It was just the sort of kitschy-themed '90s restaurant that everyone raved over at the time. Sadly, it couldn't keep up with a changing industry.
Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse opened in Rhode Island in 1992, with about 30 restaurants across New England, along with states like Pennsylvania and Georgia, during its peak success. Its legacy started dying down when, in 2010, the business filed for bankruptcy, forcing the shutdown of several of its locations. The remaining restaurants slowly started closing one by one over the following years, with the last one closing its doors in 2016.
Buffet chains were so undeniably '90s, and Fresh Choice was one of the many that made an epic mark in the industry before eventually fading into gastronomical oblivion. Sure, it was known for its signature health-conscious food choices, but there was something special about its soft and fluffy muffins that you could eat all day. The buffet made it a point to prepare its meals in front of its customers, proving the freshness it reputed itself for. It sold its quality, locally-sourced items for just $5.99 for lunch and $7.49 for dinner, a steal considering there was no cap on how much you could fill your plate with.
The brand began in Sunnyvale, California, in 1986, spearheaded by two brothers with a vision for health-focused dining but no prior managerial restaurant experience. Their passion outshone their lack of experience, and their business expanded from coast to coast with over 48 restaurants by the late '90s. However, it overplayed its hand, opening too many locations and losing profitability. Over time, its success declined, and by 2012, the chain shut down all of its restaurants. Now, it's just one of a handful of forgotten buffet restaurants of the 1990s.
La Petite Boulangerie never quite made it as one of America's biggest bakery chains. Still, it boasted a mini-empire with over 140 locations at the height of its success, including in California, Colorado, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Translating to "The Little Bakery" from French, the casual breakfast chain served fresh French-style pastries like croissants as well as delicious warm baguettes. Its sweet aroma and saccharine selection of treats won the hearts of many in the 1990s, but unfortunately, the sugary craze died down, and the popular breakfast chain disappeared at the turn of the century.
A lot of drama went down before the chain reached peak success. La Petite Boulangerie was born in 1977 in San Francisco by Food Resources Inc., starting off with two bakeries before it was bought by the food industry giant PepsiCo in 1982. However, the partnership turned sour when Food Resources sued PepsiCo for allegedly misleading them about sales and profit potential in 1986. The chain shifted hands to Mrs. Fields' Original Cookies, Inc. in 1987, then Interwest Partners in 1993, and Java City just a year after. Java City successfully ran the business throughout the decade, selling the company to Cucina Holdings, Inc. in December 2000, where it was promptly shuttered.
As to whether IHOP is really an international chain, the famous breakfast joint is named the International House of Pancakes because it serves the sweet breakfast food globally. It's a titan of its culinary genre, but in the '90s, it had some stark competition in the form of The Royal Canadian Pancake House. But while its misleading name inferred the chain was from Canada, it actually opened in New York City back in 1989, with its name as an ode to its overall Canadian theme. It opened various locations across NYC and even made it to Miami Beach, but never Canada.
RCPH, as its loyal customers called it, was known for its behemoth pancakes that, according to Amanda Cohen of Eater New York City, had to be flipped with a snow shovel (very Canadian) and taken home in a pizza box. While that might be an exaggeration, so was the size of RCPH's servings. Other famous menu items of the chain included Womlettes, a giant waffle topped with an omelet, and Canadian Crackers, composed of waffles with eggs and loads of melted cheese.
The Royal Canadian Pancake House had a good run before closing down in 1998 despite its cult following and quality food. In fact, it wasn't a decline in popularity that forced its shutdown but rather its investment banker, who was reported by the Securities and Exchange Commission for ethical violations. Now, its chocolate chip cornbread will forever exist only in our memories.
'90s chain restaurant Roadhouse Grill didn't know it would have a relatively short run as a business when it first launched in 1992. At its peak, the business had about 85 restaurants in states like New York and Florida. Known for its artful wall murals and American fare, the casual dining restaurant defined the '90s-style culinary experience. But its success abruptly ended shortly after the decade closed.
In 2007, the company was forced to file for bankruptcy a second time when a $1.3 million loan from MCF Development fell through. It was the nail in the coffin for MCF Development, which already owed about $5 million in overdue rent in 2002. The company was forced to liquidate and abandon all the capital equipment in its restaurants, and the abrupt closure came as an unpleasant surprise to both employees and customers, who were blindsided by the impending failure of the company.
Despite it all, some locations were able to weather the storm, and in 2002, the company officially exited bankruptcy. But the relief was short-lived because a Florida hurricane severely affected some of its restaurants just two years later. Duffy's Holdings stepped up to the plate by purchasing 85.5% of the business; however, it almost immediately abandoned ship when realizing how dire its financial situation was. It handed the stock over to Willie's Roadhouse Grill LLC like a hot potato, and Willie's, which couldn't handle the heat, fell quickly back into bankruptcy. It shuttered all of its restaurants by 2008. One location reopened in 2009 under the name "Buffalo Roadhouse Grill," but it closed in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Shopping malls are a relic of the recent past, and China Coast was a key part of its retail-centric culture. If you ever frequented your local mall in one of the eight-plus states it was located in, chances are you tasted this fast-casual restaurant's savory sesame chicken and noodles. Nestled among other vanished mall food court restaurants like Orange Julius and Blimpie, this Chinese restaurant chain, known for its turquoise pagoda, offered shoppers a place to refuel in between visits to FYE and Limited Too.
In the 1980s, Chinese food grew to become the most consumed international cuisine in the U.S., according to the National Restaurant Association. In response to high demand, China Coast opened in 1990 in Orlando, first as a standalone, full-service fast casual spot before integrating itself into mall cafeterias. Its menu, which was curated by Chinese-American biologist-turned-chef Terry Cheng, was designed with the western consumer in mind, featuring an Americanized version of the country's cuisine.
One newspaper stated that China Coast was "to Chinese food what the Olive Garden is to Italian or Red Lobster is to seafood." It made sense, considering the chain was owned by General Mills, which owned all three establishments. But unlike Olive Garden, which had virtually no competition, China Coast faced stark rivalry that it failed to beat. By 1995, all 51 locations of the chain were permanently closed.
People in the '90s loved a hearty chain buffet. These establishments were affordable, convenient, and provided a sense of comfort in the sense that no matter where in the country you found yourself, you could always rely on tasting the same bottomless dishes in the same rustic-themed ambiance. But like the drying chicken under the heat lamps, Old Country Buffet didn't last. For better or worse, it's now on the list of the many chain buffets that you'll never see again.
In its golden era, Old Country Buffet boasted around 650 locations. Though it opened in the '80s, it defined the '90s with its nostalgic homestyle vibe that attracted families with low prices (kids ate for just 50 cents with each year of age). It was just as loved as competitors like Golden Corral, but it didn't stand the test of time due to a combination of poor management and inconsistent quality control.
Things started to go sour when the comfort food chain first got sued in 2014 for salmonella, but that was only the beginning of the business' woes. Its parent company, Fresh Acquisitions, which once dominated the buffet chain domain (owning big-name locales like Furr's, Hometown Buffet, and Ryan's, along with the California-centric meat lovers restaurant, Tahoe Joe's Famous Steakhouse) was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2021 after the pandemic hit. This caused the once-thriving Old Country Buffet to cease its operations forever.
Just because Don Pablo's was a chain restaurant doesn't mean it lacked in quality. Specializing in flavorful Tex-Mex fare, the dining destination served scratch-made salsa and warm, house-made tortillas with its sizzling fajitas that rapidly became a crowd favorite across the nation. But while the business rode the '90s nachos and tacos bandwagon, it earned its achievement as the U.S.' second-biggest Mexican chain, just behind Chi Chi's, for its fun and wholesome service, just as much as its hearty and spicy dishes.
The Tex-Mex eatery made its debut in 1985 in -- you guessed it -- Texas. After a few years, Don Pablo's reached the summit of its success with a total of 120 restaurants spread across Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, Texas, Maryland, Michigan, and Oklahoma. Then, in 1995, the little Lubbock franchise launched by DF&R Restaurants was sold to the industry giant Apple South, owner of the wildly successful American dining chain, Applebee's.
In what was, in hindsight, a bad business move, Apple South eventually changed its name to Avado Brands and dropped Applebee's to focus solely on the expansion of Don Pablo's. The company filed for bankruptcy twice in the 2000s while facing growing competition from emerging fast-casual spots. It clung on to the remnants of its former empire as its restaurants continued shuttering, but even with a change in ownership, the place that introduced the masses to the bold flavors of Tex-Mex said its final farewell in 2019.
In a sea of themed dining chains in the U.S. like Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Hard Rock Café, All Star Café is often forgotten. Back in the '90s and the aughts, however, it made waves with its whimsical sports motif that included baseball glove-shaped booths, athletic collectibles, and more than enough screens to watch the game of the moment.
As the brainchild of Planet Hollywood, the funky restaurant started off strong, opening its first location in Times Square in 1995 and featuring 70 TV screens, around the same time that so many other chains were launching. Shortly after, other hotspot destinations like Cancun, Las Vegas, and Disney World got their own venues. But with a bland and unoriginal yet overpriced menu consisting of your standard burgers and wings, the establishment didn't have much to offer beyond its aesthetics. In the '90s, patrons were willing to overlook flavor for vibe, but what worked in the final decade of the 20th century no longer resonated with customers as the years progressed, and in 2007, the sports restaurant's final location in Orlando shut down.
Sadly, Koo Koo Roo has been a part of the defunct '90s chain restaurants club since its extinction in 2014. Stepping foot in one of these spots in its heyday, with lines around the block, you would have never guessed its impending fate. Since 1988, it had marketed itself as a healthy fast food option, specializing in flavor-rich chicken with a Middle Eastern flair that was low-calorie, fat-free, and cholesterol-free. The idea was a hit, and the company expanded from California to New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Canada. But a competitive market and menu changes that didn't resonate with customers ultimately caused its demise.
According to a little birdie, there will be a return of the mac (and cheese). The Koo Koo Roo website is officially up and running again, but for now, it's only selling merch and nothing edible. The restaurant is set to open one location back in its original LA stomping grounds. Fairfax-based real estate developer Daniel Farasat, who grew up on the chicken and nutritious yet delectable side dishes, stated in an interview with Los Angeles Magazine that he's set on resurrecting Koo Koo Roo because "restaurants are an integral part of the fabric of a neighborhood," especially this one, that resonated with the hearts and taste buds of millennials from coast to coast.
Read the original article on Chowhound.
