By 1981, more than 50 VIP's locations had sprung up along freeways throughout Washington, California, Idaho, and Nevada, in addition to the Oregon locations. > U.S. sales: $371 million There were dozens of Pancho's locations by the '80s in the Texas area and surrounding states. Another famous item on the Taco Cabana menu is the queso, which many lovers of Tex-Mex have labeled the best queso at any of Americas Mexican fast food restaurants. Family Style. Now Holidays Restaurant. It was the kind of offer they could not refuse, but it was also the beginning of the end for VIP. Any classic Mexican fast food you can think of, you can order at Taco Bueno. Whether youre looking for great-value Tex-Mex (see also 17 Most Popular Chilis Menu Items) or your standard burger and fries, you wont be disappointed by a trip to this restaurant. So, if youre in the mood for some Mexican flavors with an American twist at a reasonable price and an accessible location, Taco Bell is an excellent choice! Walgreen's has a penchant for branching out beyond your traditional pharmacy goodssome even sell beer and wine these days. El Pollo Loco is famous for its Mexican-style chicken dishes specifically, grilled chicken. xhr.open('POST', 'https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', true); He rapidly expanded to 225 outlets by 1986. Get the best food tips and diet advice It might not be as wildly popular as restaurants like Chipotle and Taco Bell (see below), but it still has a reputation for excellent Tex-Mex fast food. The Tex-Mex menu at Taco Cabana, which calls itself a Mexican patio cafe, lists all the usual items (tacos, burritos, quesadillas, etc. There are still a couple of Rax locations in Ohio today, but the chain has diminished significantly since its heyday. Of course, the fare offered by Mexican chains, whether fast-food places or sit-down restaurants, is designed for a wide American audience, and rarely reflects the way people eat in Mexico. Fast-food tacos, burritos, tostadas, and quesadillas make up much of the menu, though there are also American-style burgers. > Number of U.S. units: 100. When similar style pizza place Chuck E. Cheese went bankrupt in 1984, ShowBiz purchased it. . The best Mexican restaurant chains list includes fast food Mexican restaurants like La Salsa, Rubio's Coastal Grill, and Chipotle as well as sit down Mexican chains like Acapulco and Chevy's. Mexican chain restaurants include any taco restaurant where you can order Mexican cuisine. . There are also salads on Moes menu if youre in the mood for something light and healthy which, in addition to the customizability of the menu, means that Moes is the perfect Mexican restaurant for everyone regardless of tastes or preferences. According to Yelp reviewers, it was going downhill. In 1985, Beefsteak Charlies, Inc, changed its name to Lifestyle Restaurants and then merged with . Burger Chef. . Most notably, he was a founding partner of Del Taco. First opened a half-century ago in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and still based there, Taco Johns calls its fare West-Mex. Now operating in 22 states, the chain offers some unusual additions to the usual Mexican chain menu for instance, a meat and potato burrito, stuffed grilled tacos, and flauta-like Mexi Rolls, served with a choice of dipping sauces. Doggie Diner was a staple in Northern California's Bay Area in its heyday. The original Del Taco opened in the Mojave Desert town of Yermo, California, in 1964. The trade publication Restaurant Business releases an annual ranking of the nations top 250 restaurant chains. 4. If youre looking for something fresh and new, you can also choose to order the Taco of the Month, which never fails to impress. The Blue Horse, the Nankin, the Lincoln Del. 6. Cobb Lane Restaurant. is the restaurants focus on fresh, non-processed ingredients. Torchys Tacos isnt as widespread as some of the other Mexican restaurant chains in the U.S., with less than 100 locations spread across just 13 states. var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest(); food and drink and health, as well as entertainment, beauty, and other lifestyle > U.S. sales: $868 million It took 10 years for the chain to die a slow death, which meant that the children of the 80s have had to experience the great barn and the Barnbuster Burgers . navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); But if you killed for an ollieburger, check thisCopycat Recipe satisfy your desire. RIP: 50 Restaurants That Closed Over The Past Decade - Columbus Underground The company filed for bankruptcy in 1992 and never quite recovered. By the turn of the century, there were fewer than a dozen Howard Johnson's left standing. Franchises dominate in this market, with Taco Bell having more than twice as many restaurants as its nearest non-franchised competitor, and Qdoba and Moe's taking third and fourth place in the list of . But according toThe Washington PostHolmes "knew little about cash flows", despite the great marketing of the restaurant. RELATED: Your ultimate survival guide and supermarket is here! The lamentations on those departed culinary landmarks have been thorough and frequent . The extensive menu featured foods from around the world: potato skins and fried veggies, chicken . And the controversy is for good business! The sale has put the "completely out of food activity" of WalgreenThe New York Times reported. Lucia's Restaurant. In 1981. Pizza with Duck Sausage wins quick stardom. Don Pablo's is another Mexican-inspired chain . Bennigan had its start in Atlanta in 1976, but in the early 1980s they were everywhere. The Lone Star State is now one of the 19 in which there are Chuys units. Chuys may not have as many locations as other Mexican chain restaurants (there are fewer than 100 of these restaurants across 17 states) but when it comes to amazing Tex-Mex, its one of the top contenders in America. La Belle Vie. The chain was sold for $630 million in 1979, and heading into the '80s, HoJo's became a victim of its own success. It's risky ranking Chipotle at the bottom of a Mexican-American food roundup, considering the sheer size and ferocity of Chipotle's die-hard fan club. So if you want a scoop of that Chunky Dory Fudge, head to Ohio or Kentucky. Jolly Tiger 2080 W. Stadium Blvd. Credit: Visit Houston Texas. Oklahoma City Mexican Restaurants 1983. 58 (tie) EL TACO TOTE. } else { But all hope was not lost. Chi-Chi's took off, growing to 237 locations by 1986. The latest edition uses the most recent U.S. sales figures, from 2018, to rank the chains. If you love tacos as much as we do, this is one Mexican restaurant experience you wont want to miss out on! Howard Johnson's might just hold the title for most sorely-missed failed restaurant chain of not just the '80s, but any era. Beefsteak Charlie's was a Manhattan stalwart from the early 20th century to the late '80s. Rubios Coastal Grill Another Tex-Mex chain Taco Cabana has close to 200 locations throughout the United States, but most of them are in the restaurants town of origin, which is, of course, Texas! At its height, there were nearly 100 restaurants in The national level, which was quite the Founder Graydon D. Webb. Uncle Julios restaurants can be found in Wisconsin, Texas, Virginia, Oklahoma, Mayland, Missouri, New Jersey, Illinois, North Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee. The menu includes queso, guacamole, both soft and crispy tacos, Big As Yo Face burritos, and Elvis Green Chile Fried Chicken (breaded with crushed potato chips). Another Dallas-born chain, on the border launched in 1982, featuring mesquite-grilled meats, hand-pressed tortillas, and small-batch salsas. there was a well-known family style restaurant chain called . After a booming start in the late 1970s and a growth spurt in the early 1980s, Chi-Chi's sales and store count declined. Taco Bell was established in 1962, and since then the restaurant has become famous for its incredible Crunchy Taco recipe, which continues to be one of the most popular items on the menu. 6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e. Hi, my name is Jenna and I have been a professional chef for almost the entirety of my adult life. here is19 old joyful toys that will bring you back to your childhood. The sale put Walgreen's "completely out of the food business," The New York Times reported. The original Pioneer Chicken opened in 1961 next to a Pioneer Market, a grocery store chain in Los Angeles. The trade publication Restaurant Business releases, an annual ranking of the nations top 250 restaurant chains. Among these are the Democrat (barbacoa, avocado, and cotija cheese on corn tortillas) and the Republican (grilled jalapeo sausage, pico de gallo, and cheddar jack on a flour tortilla). The original light showcase closed in 1983. "Man, I miss him. And thanks to the boom offast food Chains In the 1970s and 1980s, we could sip the same shakes and nibble the same fries for decades. Winsight is a leading B2B information services company focused on the food and beverage industry, providing insight and market intelligence to business leaders in every channel consumers buy food and beverage - convenience stores, grocery retailing, restaurants and noncommercial foodservice - through media, events, data products, advisory . xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); Here's a list of iconic Austin restaurants who have closed in recent years: Alcomar - closed May 2018. That's what you call to live your childhood dream. One of the first major restaurant chains, it went public in 1961 with 605 . The restaurants your family ate at when you were growing up might not have been the finest dining establishments, but they probably hold a special place in your heart. Toledo was bestowed with Hardee's, Perkins Pancakes, a Mexican chain, and, in 1972, the arrival of two Bob Evans eateries. VIP's was a 24-hour West Coast casual dining chain that got its start in Oregon in 1968. By the 1980s, there were more than 350 Gino's locations throughout the East Coast. } ); However, it's also a derogatory term used to refer to Black Americans, which was part of the reason this chain restaurant eventually failed. So, not only do we owe Taco Johns our gratitude for one of the best cuisine combinations ever, but also for contributing to our vocabulary! 14. In 1988, theySold anything but some of their locations in Marriott. > Number of U.S. units: 63. 17 Failed Fast-Food Chains From the '80s You Have to See, 15 Classic American Desserts That Deserve a Comeback, Hardee's marketing executive said in 2007, 19 Old Happy Meal Toys That'll Bring You Back to Your Childhood. They sold roast beef sandwiches, fried chicken, and milkshakes throughout America. In 1982, they sold the majority of their restaurants in Marriott. Its chain, Wag's, had 91 restaurants, all open 24 hours, serving your standard Denny's-esque fare. And any New York child in the 1980s grew up love this chain, thanks to its unlimited portions. You could eat as much shrimp, salad, beer, and ribs as you ever could have wantedall for under $20, according to Bklyner. Mr. Davis was a primary investor in Big Bite.