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Re: Far-flung locations of chain restaurants

Posted: June 14th, 2017, 7:38 pm
by storewanderer
There is a Winchell's Donut in Wichita, KS.

Looks like it has been there a long time.

Re: Far-flung locations of chain restaurants

Posted: June 14th, 2017, 8:33 pm
by Jeff
Sizzler, most are on the west coast with some in Idaho and New Mexico (1), then one lone Florida location

Re: Far-flung locations of chain restaurants

Posted: June 14th, 2017, 9:00 pm
by storewanderer
Sizzler used to have a much more broad reach. They recently had a unit in Missouri but that one seems to have fallen off somewhat recently.

Re: Far-flung locations of chain restaurants

Posted: June 14th, 2017, 9:17 pm
by Super S
Sizzler was also in Hawaii at one point.

Re: Far-flung locations of chain restaurants

Posted: June 15th, 2017, 6:03 am
by wnetmacman
Jeff wrote:Sizzler, most are on the west coast with some in Idaho and New Mexico (1), then one lone Florida location
The lone Florida location is in Orlando, at Maingate West near Disney, in an old Howard Johnson's. I suspect it's there for travelers, and it was pretty busy when I went in 2014.

Re: Far-flung locations of chain restaurants

Posted: June 15th, 2017, 10:04 pm
by storewanderer
There used to be more Sizzlers in Florida. That one that is left also has the distinction of serving breakfast.

Re: Far-flung locations of chain restaurants

Posted: June 16th, 2017, 4:40 am
by buckguy
Sizzler has been basically an Asian operation for quite a long time through franchises. They've been bought and sold multiple times and went bankrupt in the 90s. This kind of history seems typical for restaurant chains and they wind up with an odd collection of locations based on who has stuck with them and where they might keep a base of corporate locations.

Re: Far-flung locations of chain restaurants

Posted: June 16th, 2017, 10:58 pm
by rwsandiego
storewanderer wrote:There is a Winchell's Donut in Wichita, KS.

Looks like it has been there a long time.
Back in the 1970's and 80's they had several locations in Chicago and other Midwestern cities. I think they closed up in the late 1980's. That location in Witchita might be a remnant of those bygone days.

LOVED their apple fritters!

Re: Far-flung locations of chain restaurants

Posted: June 19th, 2017, 11:18 pm
by cathandler
Bonanza/Ponderosa is another interesting case. They were already struggling when Metromedia Steakhouses went bust, and the lack of a strong franchise system has laid waste to much of the rest of the chain. Bonanza has two remaining restaurants in Maine (Sanford and Presque Isle.) Otherwise both Bonanza and Ponderosa have no restaurants remaining in New England. Ponderosa has two lonely restaurants in Florida including one in Orlando. I guess that makes Orlando "God's Waiting Room" for failing restaurant franchises.

Re: Far-flung locations of chain restaurants

Posted: June 20th, 2017, 7:48 am
by BillyGr
cathandler wrote:Bonanza/Ponderosa is another interesting case. They were already struggling when Metromedia Steakhouses went bust, and the lack of a strong franchise system has laid waste to much of the rest of the chain. Bonanza has two remaining restaurants in Maine (Sanford and Presque Isle.) Otherwise both Bonanza and Ponderosa have no restaurants remaining in New England. Ponderosa has two lonely restaurants in Florida including one in Orlando. I guess that makes Orlando "God's Waiting Room" for failing restaurant franchises.
Although there was still a single Ponderosa in VT until just recently, which interestingly enough converted to a Ground Round (speaking of chains that have disappeared many places).

The remaining locations do seem to be kind of clustered from western NY west to Wisconsin and south into Missouri and Tennessee, excepting those couple FL locations (which, being in Kissimmee probably benefit from families looking for a cheap and kid friendly meal to offset the expensive parks nearby ;) ).