Friendly’s was our high school hang out. Not aware of any still open around here.
Chi-Chi’s was where I had my first chimichanga. 
That place was huge and super popular.
Big Boy here in Northwest Ohio (and Southeast Michigan) was known as either Big Boy or Elias Big Boy.
I don’t know if Ponderosa is totally closed but none around here anymore. We used to call it “Pondergrossa” because of their buffets and how much people would eat.
I miss Chi-Chi’s.
We used to go to Friendly’s a lot when the kids were younger but they have all closed in our area - I don’t think I would go now anyway. Way too many calories.
We still have an IHOP not far from us. I have never been. Its not my kind of place but the parking lot is always busy.
We went to Howard Johnson’s a lot as a kid, It was the place to go when we were traveling and my Dad loved their fried clams. When I was in high school we used to go for ice cream.
My husband worked a lot of long days especially in the summer months so I got to know where I could take the kids for a meal prep break and not spend too much $$$. Friendly’s and Fazoli’s were two places that offered “kids eat free” options on certain days.
I have fond memories of going to Ground Round when our children were little - it was someplace a step above fast food but kid friendly We were there once early on a New Year’s Eve and they celebrated every hour (half-hour?) with a big countdown and gave balloons to all the kids.
@austinmshauri - our church in the early 1990s in the Albany NY area used to have an annual Brooks Barbecue as a fundraiser. They came in and did all the work with the BBQ pit and chicken and sides we just had to provide the desserts and drinks. It was hugely popular. Looks like they are still in Oneonta, NY.
I don’t think there are any Brown Derby restaurants left in Ohio. Those were considered “upscale”. We went there after my high school graduation.
Ah yes…Howard Johnson’s. There was one near us when we first got married, and didn’t have a lot of money to eat out. They had an all you can eat fish fry, I think on Wednesday’s for something like $4.99 each. We went a lot…it was eating out we could afford. And really their fried clams were excellent!
Our IHOP is still packed with a wait outside even during the pandemic!
Chi Chi’s - sigh. I loved that place. That’s where I learned to like mexican food. I haven’t been in one since high school.
They used to have a Friendly’s a Myrtle Beach, but it’s been a few years since we’ve been. That was our special treat place growing up as a kid.
This is such a throwback thread and is making me hungry!
Ground Round was “going over the border” when I lived in Michigan near Ohio.
If it was 30+ years ago, I can guarantee I know whichever Jreck’s you ate at. Our primary one was in Ogdensburg, NY. A close 2nd would be Canton’s. Since I moved away they’d expanded quite a bit. We found a few on our journeys, but I think they’re still all in NY.
Otherwise, unless it closed recently, there were still two Ponderosas I know about. One is in Ashland, VA and the other in Potsdam, NY. Both my dad and my FIL took us there often. My dad is gone now, and Covid is the only thing stopping FIL from wanting to go to his. I’ve eaten in both not terribly long prior to Covid.
I think all their locations closed by the 90s, but in the 70s/80s, we loved The Magic Pan restaurants. Their dinner crepes were good, but their dessert crepes were simply delicious.
Brooks BBQ in Oneonta - still going strong apparently!
No love lost for Chi Chi’s after not one but two bouts of food poisoning there.
HoJo’s - here in New England you will still run across repurposed buildings that you can tell used to be a Howard Johnson’s. The same is true of old A&Ps.
Friendly’s - loved it as a kid, but honestly, it should have died long ago. We had all 3 of them close, and then, for some reason, a drive thru one appeared on the site of a defunct McDonald’s. I’m still scratching my head over that one. I also vaguely remember Brighams, which I think was kind of the same thing as Friendly’s.
A&W - I always wanted to go to one of these, but my parents never would. I’m still bitter.
Ground Round - was that the place with the popcorn? There were so many of those kind of places back in the 70s and 80s they’ve all become a blur to me.
I remember Ground Round for the peanuts when I was a kid.
I remember Ground Round for the creamsicles when I was older - they tasted just like the orange and ice cream treat, with a definite kick.
Friendly’s was our hangout in high school also. French fries and a strawberry milkshake was my usual order (oh the days of not worrying about calories!). I cringe now thinking of how we took up table space while chatting away long after finishing and our thinking we were tipping well but probably weren’t. My kids grew up in the South where there are only a couple of Friendly’s but on many vacation trips to visit family in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast we always stopped at Friendly’s at least once so I’ve imprinted it on them to continue the fond memories of Friendly’s. As of a couple of years ago there were 2 in Myrtle Beach, which we’ve also visited, and there was one in Daytona Beach but I think it’s closed. Howard Johnson’s was a college hangout.
What about places that have changed? I used to love Dunkin Donuts donuts as a kid but they definitely don’t taste the same now (and it’s them, not me).
The Ground Round we went to had peanuts. The floor was littered with the shells.
I went to college on LI, and my hall would go out for a nice dinner usually before fall finals to Beefsteak Charlie’s.
DH, a LI boy, introduced me to Jahn’s. Never had the Kitchen Sink, but saw them being served.
I think Dunkin’s is a victim of its own success. It used to be just a donut chain, now it’s a “thing” (at least in NE).
I’ll pass on the bland microwaved sandwich, thank you very much.
Where I grew up (downriver Detroit), it was Elias Brothers Big Boy. We had A&W (best root beer, still around), The Long Dollar (first salad bar in town), Ram’s Horn (huge menu, family-style place, still going). The best donuts were from Amy Joy, and the best ice cream was a Sander’s hot fudge sundae eaten at the lunch counter downtown (my mother used to work in the Penobscot Building). And, of course, Burger Chef (and Jeff!) and Chicken Delight (Don’t Cook Tonight, Call Chicken Delight!).
@ChoatieMom I grew up not far from you! There are still A&W’s in Southeastern Michigan. The one I’m thinking of does not offer the window side service though.
On Sunday’s in Southeastern Michigan we would go to A &W or a spin off and get the frosty mug (literally frozen glasses) filled with root beer (remember how you would then get like root beer ice shavings in your glass?)
I was never a big fan of Arthur Treacher’s, but we went there often for my little sis.
Apparently there are still 7 or 8 standalone locations (down from 800 at their peak).
@ChoatieMom yes to Amy Joy donuts. There was only one on the east side of Cleveland, and it was a drive to place for donuts.
Remember when Kentucky Fried Chicken actually had chicken and not just batter??
@abasket, imagine how disappointed I was when I moved to Boston and found that no one there had ever heard of a Boston Cooler — a Vernors vanilla ice cream float. I didn’t know it was named after Detroit’s Boston Blvd. For the ten years we lived in MA, everyone who visited us from Michigan knew they were required to bring Vernors with them.