Dead resturaunt chains in the twin cities

[Spitfire 1500]

Just got done reading a fun thread on Fark.com. Got a couple questions I'm
too young to answer...

1. Was there ever a Burger Chef in Mpls/St. Paul? From the web pages, looked
like a fun place.

2. WTF happened to the Ground Ronud? ALL locations are gone

3. Why did Bonanza(or was it Ponderosa?) in Burnsville/Savage(right on the
borders) have to go bye-bye? Loved that place.

4. Same question, same location, resturaunt: Rax? A fun alternative to
Arby's.

5. Does ANYONE remember Robin's Donuts in the same area in Burnsville/Savage
area? I liked their sandwiches.

[Garster16]

Don't forget Zantigo's. It was ten times better than Taco Bell is.

[LJ]

Don't forget the Quarterback Clubs, while relatively short-lived ( I never
actually ate at one), their distinctive football-shaped resturants lived on
for years as homes to various enterprises.

Post by Garster16
Don't forget Zantigo's. It was ten times better than Taco Bell is.

[Bill Seurer]

Post by LJ
Don't forget the Quarterback Clubs, while relatively short-lived ( I never
actually ate at one), their distinctive football-shaped resturants lived on
for years as homes to various enterprises.

Ther was some other chain that had red roofed building that I vaguely
remember from the 60s/70s that died but their buildings went on
(usually) as other restaurants. I remember one in Edina on France
avenue (near 50th?) and there one one by the U.

[Steve Sundberg]

Post by Bill Seurer

Post by LJ
Don't forget the Quarterback Clubs, while relatively short-lived ( I never
actually ate at one), their distinctive football-shaped resturants lived on
for years as homes to various enterprises.

Ther was some other chain that had red roofed building that I vaguely
remember from the 60s/70s that died but their buildings went on
(usually) as other restaurants. I remember one in Edina on France
avenue (near 50th?) and there one one by the U.

The Red Barn?

[Andy Yee]

Yup! I remember those

Post by Steve Sundberg
The Red Barn?

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[Edward Bertsch]

there was a Red Barn on Snelling avenue, (east side of the street) just a
bit south of HW94. This was back in the 70's I think.

Post by Andy Yee
Yup! I remember those

Post by Steve Sundberg
The Red Barn?

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Andy Yee E-Mail: ayee AT mn dot rr dot com
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[Dan Mercer]

"Edward Bertsch" <***@Bertsch.org> wrote in message news:413c9a37$0$8080$***@authen.newsreader.visi.com...
: there was a Red Barn on Snelling avenue, (east side of the street) just a
: bit south of HW94. This was back in the 70's I think.

The Red Barn on Lake Street was turned into Brown Institute classrooms.
They wanted to build one in Dinkytown in the early 70's which sparked the famous
Red Barn riot - my brother got tear gassed there. Ironically, I think that's
where McDonalds is now.

Dan Mercer

:
:
: "Andy Yee" <***@RRmn.rr.com> wrote in message
: news:***@24.94.170.87...
: > Yup! I remember those
: >
: > ***@mm.com (Steve Sundberg) wrote in
: > news:***@news1.mm.com:
: >
: > > On Mon, 06 Sep 2004 00:44:58 -0500, Bill Seurer <***@seurer.net>
: > > wrote:
: > > The Red Barn?
: > >
: >
: > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
: > Andy Yee E-Mail: ayee AT mn dot rr dot com
: > President Home Page: http://home.mn.rr.com/andyyee
: > New Directions Engineering, Inc.
: >
: > Godwin's Law: As a USENET thread grows, the probability of a reference
: > to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.00.
: > Corollary: When such a reference is made, it is generally
: > recognized that the poster has LOST the argument.
:
:

[Jeremy S. Nichols, PE]

Post by Dan Mercer
: there was a Red Barn on Snelling avenue, (east side of

the street) just a

Post by Dan Mercer
: bit south of HW94. This was back in the 70's I think.
The Red Barn on Lake Street was turned into Brown

Institute classrooms.

Post by Dan Mercer
They wanted to build one in Dinkytown in the early 70's

which sparked the famous

Post by Dan Mercer
Red Barn riot - my brother got tear gassed there.

Ironically, I think that's

Post by Dan Mercer
where McDonalds is now.
Dan Mercer

The protests in Dinkytown were over a lot between 13th and
14th Av SE on 4th St SE Red Barn pulled out and the lot
remained vacant as a community garden for a while. Then a
building went up that housed a Team Electronics, among other
things.

The Dinkytown MacDonalds was (and is) at 15th and 4th SE.

The MacDonalds at 24th and Nicollet was once a Red Barn, if
I recall correctly.

[Shawn Barnhart]

Post by Jeremy S. Nichols, PE
The protests in Dinkytown were over a lot between 13th and
14th Av SE on 4th St SE Red Barn pulled out and the lot
remained vacant as a community garden for a while. Then a
building went up that housed a Team Electronics, among other
things.
The Dinkytown MacDonalds was (and is) at 15th and 4th SE.
The MacDonalds at 24th and Nicollet was once a Red Barn, if
I recall correctly.

I seem to recall that the Lotus restaurant on Oak st. adjacent to the
theater was once a Red Barn as well.

[Bill Seurer]

Post by Dan Mercer
They wanted to build one in Dinkytown in the early 70's which sparked the famous
Red Barn riot - my brother got tear gassed there.

It may be "famous" but there's no info on it that I can find (the riot,
not the Red Barn). I'm curious, got any more info about it?

[Shawn Barnhart]

Post by Bill Seurer

Post by Dan Mercer
They wanted to build one in Dinkytown in the early 70's which sparked the famous
Red Barn riot - my brother got tear gassed there.

It may be "famous" but there's no info on it that I can find (the riot,
not the Red Barn). I'm curious, got any more info about it?

There was a riot after an announcement about involvement in Cambodia or Laos
in the early 70s. A barricade was built at Oak and Washington (if memory
serves me), and there was a Red Barn on Oak just south of Washington. "The
Red Barn Riot"? I don't feature U of M students rioting over fast food.

[Jeremy S. Nichols, PE]

Post by Dan Mercer

Post by Bill Seurer

Post by Dan Mercer
They wanted to build one in Dinkytown in the early

70's which sparked

Post by Dan Mercer
the famous

Post by Bill Seurer

Post by Dan Mercer
Red Barn riot - my brother got tear gassed there.

It may be "famous" but there's no info on it that I can

find (the riot,

Post by Dan Mercer

Post by Bill Seurer
not the Red Barn). I'm curious, got any more info about

it?

Post by Dan Mercer
There was a riot after an announcement about involvement

in Cambodia or Laos

Post by Dan Mercer
in the early 70s. A barricade was built at Oak and

Washington (if memory

Post by Dan Mercer
serves me), and there was a Red Barn on Oak just south of

Washington. "The

Post by Dan Mercer
Red Barn Riot"? I don't feature U of M students rioting

over fast food.
I was there through all that. Memories fade, of course.

I don't think that the Red Barn protest really had nothing
to do with the war (other than the climate of protest at the
time). The protest actually was against building another
fast food restaurant in Dinkytown. I don't recall tear gas
at that one, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. The
restaurant did not get built and the land remained vacant as
a community garden for a while until a retail storefront was
built on the site.

The Washington Ave barricade was part of a protest in
response to the Nixon invasion of Cambodia, I think.
Eventually, the police just outwaited the protestors and
removed the barricade at about 4 in the morning. There were
other protests as well. There was a large demonstration on
the campus Mall that the police used tear gas on. And there
was a protest against the razing of West Bank housing to
build dozens of high rises. Only the first couple ever were
built.


I wonder if you could get more info from the Minnesota
Daily -- I expect the University archives have copies from
that era (~1971).

[Bill Seurer]

Post by Steve Sundberg

Post by Bill Seurer
Ther was some other chain that had red roofed building that I vaguely
remember from the 60s/70s that died but their buildings went on
(usually) as other restaurants. I remember one in Edina on France
avenue (near 50th?) and there one one by the U.

The Red Barn?

Yeah, that was it! I remember nothing about them other than the red
roofs. Was it a burger place?

[Andy Yee]

Anyone remember a fried chicken chain called Golden Skillet? They were
around in the late '70s/early '80s. I thought they made the best fast
food fried chicken in the cities. One was on Snelling south of Ford, which
is now an Arby's, and one was in Richfield...

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Yee E-Mail: ayee AT mn dot rr dot com
President Home Page: http://home.mn.rr.com/andyyee
New Directions Engineering, Inc.

Godwin's Law: As a USENET thread grows, the probability of a reference
to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.00.
Corollary: When such a reference is made, it is generally
recognized that the poster has LOST the argument.

[Andy Yee]

I loved their bacon cheeseburgers when I was a kid! There was one in Savage,
near where we lived at the time...

Post by LJ
Don't forget the Quarterback Clubs, while relatively short-lived ( I
never actually ate at one), their distinctive football-shaped resturants
lived on for years as homes to various enterprises.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Yee E-Mail: ayee AT mn dot rr dot com
President Home Page: http://home.mn.rr.com/andyyee
New Directions Engineering, Inc.

Godwin's Law: As a USENET thread grows, the probability of a reference
to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.00.
Corollary: When such a reference is made, it is generally
recognized that the poster has LOST the argument.

[Lutsen Lumberjack]

Post by Andy Yee
I loved their bacon cheeseburgers when I was a kid! There was one in Savage,
near where we lived at the time...

There was a chain called Judy's which was around for a few years in
the early 80's. I remember there was one on University near the Post
Office at 27th Ave S.E. I'm not much of a burger person but I remember
they too had great bacon cheeseburgers.

During lunch hour peak a rather attractive large-breasted woman would
come out and take orders in advance from the customers in line. It's
surprising the chain [apparently] folded in spite of their strategy:
1) common sense, it really made things flow smoothly to have the
orders taken in advance; and 2) Hooters Prototype - the gal generally
held the paper so that men wouldn't feel "guilty" about looking.

[Bill Seurer]

Post by Garster16
Don't forget Zantigo's. It was ten times better than Taco Bell is.

Which is still only 1/100th of a "real" Mexican restaurant.

Another (mostly) dead chain is Panakoken (sp?)

[Spitfire 1500]

The one in Burnsville may be gone(the city where all restuaunt chains die?)
but the one in Maplewood,near the mall is alive and well. I remember you
could smoke in the Burnsville one.

Post by Bill Seurer
Another (mostly) dead chain is Panakoken (sp?)
--

[Greg Kemnitz]

Pannekoeken is still around -- at least as of last month. Up around
the Maplewood mall there's one of their locations still serving up the
same menu that they used to many years ago...

I recall hearing that Embers owns the rights to the name, and had
opened some Embers Pannekoeken locations. I've not heard how that
effort has done. The Maplewood location is a traditional Pannekoeken
location.

Post by Bill Seurer
Another (mostly) dead chain is Panakoken (sp?)

: Skypoint Communications, Inc. : Greg Kemnitz - KB0OSO - ***@skypoint.com :
: Plymouth MN USA +1.763.548.2600 : Providing Internet access since Feb 28 '94 :
: National dialup service now available in over 2900 cities! :

[Jeremy S. Nichols, PE]

Post by Greg Kemnitz
Pannekoeken is still around -- at least as of last month.

Up around

Post by Greg Kemnitz
the Maplewood mall there's one of their locations still

serving up the

Post by Greg Kemnitz
same menu that they used to many years ago...
I recall hearing that Embers owns the rights to the name,

and had

Post by Greg Kemnitz
opened some Embers Pannekoeken locations. I've not heard

how that

Post by Greg Kemnitz
effort has done. The Maplewood location is a traditional

Pannekoeken

Post by Greg Kemnitz
location.

I remember Embers from 30+ years ago as having the slowest
service of any restaurant I ever patronized. Every location
was bad, so perhaps it was a cultural thing with them. They
and White Castle were the only places open after bar
closing, and I liked the Emberger, so I kept going from time
to time. They never improved their service over the years.
My local Embers was torn down and replaced by a Chipotle
Grill last year.

[John A. Weeks III]

Post by Jeremy S. Nichols, PE
I remember Embers from 30+ years ago as having the slowest
service of any restaurant I ever patronized. Every location
was bad, so perhaps it was a cultural thing with them.

Today, it is Denny's that has the slowest and stupidest
service. I have seen young people go into Dennys, and walk
out old enough to qualify for the senior citizen discount.
The one at 98th and I-35W once made me wait over an hour
from the time I walked in to when food was delivered. The
one on I-494 in Bloomington once served a person at my
table a semi-frozen piece of fish. It was never cooked, and
no one in the kitchen or the wait staff seemed to notice.

-john-

[LJ]

No one's mentioned Clarke's Submarines-they were never shy with the sweet
onions, or Jolly? Troll smorgasboard which was plugged incessantly on Casey
and Roundhouse. I always had heard that Zapata's had changed to Zantigo's
due to public pressure, but I don't know if that was true. I did like their
cheese tostadas though. There's one near 98th and Lyndale but I've been
told it's not like the original. Of course there was Arthur Treachers Fish
and Chips. I went to the one on Lake ST a couple of times but I didn't
reallly care for them. When I lived in Chicago, and friend who used to
manage a Shakey's there told me that corporate had come to loggerheads with
a number of the franchisees over certain requirements (eg. purchase approved
flour mix from the mothereship at exhorbetant prices) and that lead to their
overall decline.

All this talk of food, must be State Fair time again.

[John A. Weeks III]

Post by LJ
Of course there was Arthur Treachers Fish
and Chips. I went to the one on Lake ST a couple of times but I didn't
reallly care for them. When I lived in Chicago, and friend who used to
manage a Shakey's there told me that corporate had come to loggerheads with
a number of the franchisees over certain requirements (eg. purchase approved
flour mix from the mothereship at exhorbetant prices) and that lead to their
overall decline.

All of the fish & chips places have closed in the Twin Cities.
I know that Arthur Treachers had problems with their parent company.
In addition, they deep fried everything, and the low fat craze
really did them in. I see that two Long John Silver's have re-entered
the twin cities, one in Lakeville, the other in the Mall Of America.
Of the various chains, I like Captain D's the best--they have a
number of non-deep fried items on their menu. The closest Captain
D's that I know of is in Kansas City. Too bad, a little closer
and it might be worth the drive. Inexpensive fish and seafood is
hard to find in the Twin Cities area.

-john-

[Melba's Jammin']

Post by John A. Weeks III
All of the fish & chips places have closed in the Twin Cities.
I know that Arthur Treachers had problems with their parent company.
In addition, they deep fried everything, and the low fat craze
really did them in. I see that two Long John Silver's have re-entered
the twin cities, one in Lakeville, the other in the Mall Of America.
-john-

I think it's a LJS going up on Cty 42 in Awful Valley, too.

[Jim Elwell]

Post by Melba's Jammin'

Post by John A. Weeks III
All of the fish & chips places have closed in the Twin Cities.
I know that Arthur Treachers had problems with their parent company.
In addition, they deep fried everything, and the low fat craze
really did them in. I see that two Long John Silver's have re-entered
the twin cities, one in Lakeville, the other in the Mall Of America.

I think it's a LJS going up on Cty 42 in Awful Valley, too.

Yeah, we get such quality franchises in the 'burbs
<g>. Isn't that a Hooters going up near you (35W
and B'ville Parkway), Barb?

-Jim

[Melba's Jammin']

Post by Jim Elwell

Post by Melba's Jammin'

Post by John A. Weeks III
All of the fish & chips places have closed in the Twin Cities.
I know that Arthur Treachers had problems with their parent company.
In addition, they deep fried everything, and the low fat craze
really did them in. I see that two Long John Silver's have re-entered
the twin cities, one in Lakeville, the other in the Mall Of America.

I think it's a LJS going up on Cty 42 in Awful Valley, too.

Yeah, we get such quality franchises in the 'burbs
<g>. Isn't that a Hooters going up near you (35W
and B'ville Parkway), Barb?
-Jim

Honest to God. Can you believe it? Just what we need.

[Patt B.]

Post by John A. Weeks III
I see that two Long John Silver's have re-entered
the twin cities, one in Lakeville, the other in the Mall Of America.

There's also a LJS in Blaine, at the jumbo shopping center at Lexington
& 35W; and one in Mounds View, at Cty 10 & 35W. Both are shared
operations with Taco Bell (an odd pairing, to be sure, but I like the
idea of getting a coupla hush puppies with my soft steak taco).

Patt.

[Karen in MN]

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by LJ
Of course there was Arthur Treachers Fish
and Chips. I went to the one on Lake ST a couple of times but I didn't
reallly care for them. When I lived in Chicago, and friend who used to
manage a Shakey's there told me that corporate had come to loggerheads with
a number of the franchisees over certain requirements (eg. purchase approved
flour mix from the mothereship at exhorbetant prices) and that lead to their
overall decline.

All of the fish & chips places have closed in the Twin Cities.
I know that Arthur Treachers had problems with their parent company.
In addition, they deep fried everything, and the low fat craze
really did them in. I see that two Long John Silver's have re-entered
the twin cities, one in Lakeville, the other in the Mall Of America.
Of the various chains, I like Captain D's the best--they have a
number of non-deep fried items on their menu. The closest Captain
D's that I know of is in Kansas City. Too bad, a little closer
and it might be worth the drive. Inexpensive fish and seafood is
hard to find in the Twin Cities area.
-john-

There's a LJS in Maple Grove now as well, it is combined with Taco Bell,
which seemed to be a strange join. I remember LJS from years ago in Ohio,
and was disappointed in this new one.

[Pete Bergstrom]

Post by John A. Weeks III
number of non-deep fried items on their menu. The closest Captain
D's that I know of is in Kansas City. Too bad, a little closer
and it might be worth the drive. Inexpensive fish and seafood is
hard to find in the Twin Cities area.

There's a relatively new fish & chips restaurant across the street from
Axeman in St. Paul. It smells like pretty good fry oil whenever I stop in at
Axeman. It's in a former Burger King or similar restaurant. For some reason,
the name Captain D's sounds familiar.

Pete

[D.A. Tsenuf]

Post by Pete Bergstrom

Post by John A. Weeks III
number of non-deep fried items on their menu. The closest Captain
D's that I know of is in Kansas City. Too bad, a little closer
and it might be worth the drive. Inexpensive fish and seafood is
hard to find in the Twin Cities area.

There's a relatively new fish & chips restaurant across the street from
Axeman in St. Paul. It smells like pretty good fry oil whenever I stop in at
Axeman. It's in a former Burger King or similar restaurant. For some reason,
the name Captain D's sounds familiar.
Pete

Where exactly would that be in St Paul ?

[Pete Bergstrom]

Post by D.A. Tsenuf

Post by Pete Bergstrom

Post by John A. Weeks III
number of non-deep fried items on their menu. The closest Captain
D's that I know of is in Kansas City. Too bad, a little closer
and it might be worth the drive. Inexpensive fish and seafood is
hard to find in the Twin Cities area.

There's a relatively new fish & chips restaurant across the street from
Axeman in St. Paul. It smells like pretty good fry oil whenever I stop

in

Post by D.A. Tsenuf

Post by Pete Bergstrom
at
Axeman. It's in a former Burger King or similar restaurant. For some reason,
the name Captain D's sounds familiar.

Where exactly would that be in St Paul ?

Axeman is such an iconic place I thought everyone's been there. Sorry about
that.

It's on the north side of University Avenue about 2 blocks west of Snelling
(~4 blocks east of Fairview Avenue).

Pete

[Daniel L. Snyder]

Post by Pete Bergstrom

Post by D.A. Tsenuf

Post by Pete Bergstrom

Post by John A. Weeks III
number of non-deep fried items on their menu. The closest Captain
D's that I know of is in Kansas City. Too bad, a little closer
and it might be worth the drive. Inexpensive fish and seafood is
hard to find in the Twin Cities area.

There's a relatively new fish & chips restaurant across the street from
Axeman in St. Paul. It smells like pretty good fry oil whenever I stop

in

Post by D.A. Tsenuf

Post by Pete Bergstrom
at
Axeman. It's in a former Burger King or similar restaurant. For some reason,
the name Captain D's sounds familiar.

Where exactly would that be in St Paul ?

Axeman is such an iconic place I thought everyone's been there. Sorry about
that.
It's on the north side of University Avenue about 2 blocks west of Snelling
(~4 blocks east of Fairview Avenue).
Pete

Axeman is a must for everyone. Can't just stop once, because you never
know what you will find.

BTW - I think there is more than one location.

[AnnE]

Post by Daniel L. Snyder

Post by Pete Bergstrom

Post by D.A. Tsenuf

Post by Pete Bergstrom

Post by John A. Weeks III
number of non-deep fried items on their menu. The closest Captain
D's that I know of is in Kansas City. Too bad, a little closer
and it might be worth the drive. Inexpensive fish and seafood is
hard to find in the Twin Cities area.

There's a relatively new fish & chips restaurant across the street from
Axeman in St. Paul. It smells like pretty good fry oil whenever I stop

in

Post by D.A. Tsenuf

Post by Pete Bergstrom
at
Axeman. It's in a former Burger King or similar restaurant. For

some

Post by Daniel L. Snyder

Post by Pete Bergstrom

Post by D.A. Tsenuf

Post by Pete Bergstrom
reason,
the name Captain D's sounds familiar.

Where exactly would that be in St Paul ?

Axeman is such an iconic place I thought everyone's been there. Sorry about
that.
It's on the north side of University Avenue about 2 blocks west of Snelling
(~4 blocks east of Fairview Avenue).
Pete

Axeman is a must for everyone. Can't just stop once, because you never
know what you will find.
BTW - I think there is more than one location.

Yep, I go to the one on Mtka Blvd. and Texas......Texatonka strip mall.
Great place.

AnnE

[Andy Yee]

Practically around the corner from my place, annE :)

Post by AnnE
Yep, I go to the one on Mtka Blvd. and Texas......Texatonka strip mall.
Great place.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Yee E-Mail: ayee AT mn dot rr dot com
President Home Page: http://home.mn.rr.com/andyyee
New Directions Engineering, Inc.

Godwin's Law: As a USENET thread grows, the probability of a reference
to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.00.
Corollary: When such a reference is made, it is generally
recognized that the poster has LOST the argument.

[AnnE]

I didn't know that, did you move? Is that bike place still next door
to the Axeman?
My mom used to work at that flower place across the street when it was
Westman's.

AnnE

Post by Andy Yee
Practically around the corner from my place, annE :)

Post by AnnE
Yep, I go to the one on Mtka Blvd. and Texas......Texatonka strip mall.
Great place.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

--

Post by Andy Yee
Andy Yee E-Mail: ayee AT mn dot rr dot com

http://home.mn.rr.com/andyyee

Post by Andy Yee
New Directions Engineering, Inc.
Godwin's Law: As a USENET thread grows, the probability of a

reference

Post by Andy Yee
to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.00.
Corollary: When such a reference is made, it is generally
recognized that the poster has LOST the argument.

[Dan Mercer]

"Jeremy S. Nichols, PE" <***@umn.edu> wrote in message news:296%c.12587$***@twister.rdc-kc.rr.com...
:
:
: I remember Embers from 30+ years ago as having the slowest
: service of any restaurant I ever patronized. Every location
: was bad, so perhaps it was a cultural thing with them. They
: and White Castle were the only places open after bar
: closing, and I liked the Emberger, so I kept going from time
: to time. They never improved their service over the years.
: My local Embers was torn down and replaced by a Chipotle
: Grill last year.

I remember a big laugh the Mary Tyler Moore show got in the
twins when she bragged to Rhoda how her date took her out
to a fancy restaurant - The Embers.

That was the first place I ate in Minnesota, at the one by the U.
There was a heavenly (gag) whiff of Linseed oil in the air, coming
from the grain elevators.

Dan Mercer
:
:
: --
: Jeremy S. Nichols, PE
: Minneapolis, MN
:
:

[Jack B]

Post by Dan Mercer
: I remember Embers from 30+ years ago as having the slowest
: service of any restaurant I ever patronized. Every location
: was bad, so perhaps it was a cultural thing with them. They
: and White Castle were the only places open after bar
: closing, and I liked the Emberger, so I kept going from time
: to time. They never improved their service over the years.
: My local Embers was torn down and replaced by a Chipotle
: Grill last year.
I remember a big laugh the Mary Tyler Moore show got in the
twins when she bragged to Rhoda how her date took her out
to a fancy restaurant - The Embers.
That was the first place I ate in Minnesota, at the one by the U.
There was a heavenly (gag) whiff of Linseed oil in the air, coming
from the grain elevators.

Oh, yeah! Jumbo royal special.

Big fat bacon cheese burger with some sort of special sauce. Was
wonderful.

Used to go there at night w/my fellow photo-journalism student pal. Then
we'd prowl the streets looking for pix.

Where to find that sort of (oh, maybe only a few remember... sigh)
burger nowadays?

[Bookwyrm]

Post by Dan Mercer
I remember a big laugh the Mary Tyler Moore show got in the
twins when she bragged to Rhoda how her date took her out
to a fancy restaurant - The Embers.
That was the first place I ate in Minnesota, at the one by the U.
There was a heavenly (gag) whiff of Linseed oil in the air, coming
from the grain elevators.

I believe that the linseed oil smell was from a nearby paint
manufacturing plant. Remember that well.

'wyrm

[AnnE]

Post by Bookwyrm

Post by Dan Mercer
I remember a big laugh the Mary Tyler Moore show got in the
twins when she bragged to Rhoda how her date took her out
to a fancy restaurant - The Embers.
That was the first place I ate in Minnesota, at the one by the U.
There was a heavenly (gag) whiff of Linseed oil in the air, coming
from the grain elevators.

I believe that the linseed oil smell was from a nearby paint
manufacturing plant. Remember that well.
'wyrm

Cargill had a Flaxseed plant about 2 or 3 miles from there. On a good
windy day you might have smelled that. yuck.

AnnE

[Bill Seurer]

Post by Jeremy S. Nichols, PE
I remember Embers from 30+ years ago as having the slowest
service of any restaurant I ever patronized. Every location
was bad, so perhaps it was a cultural thing with them.

One day (15 or so years ago) a bunch of us from work went out to eat
there at lunch. They were slow to seat us despite there being lots of
empty tables. Then they were slow to get us menus. And slow to come
get the order. The food actually came reasonably fast albeit not
speedy. Then they were slow to bring the bill despite us asking several
times. It took at least 30 minutes longer than it should have and that
was the last time I ever ate there. It amazes me they stayed open and I
think they still are.

[Melba's Jammin']

Post by Bill Seurer

Post by Garster16
Don't forget Zantigo's. It was ten times better than Taco Bell is.

Which is still only 1/100th of a "real" Mexican restaurant.
Another (mostly) dead chain is Panakoken (sp?)

There's one in Savage on 42, about 3-4 miles west of County 5. A
totally forgettable experience when I was there a year ago. Ugh. Want
a puffy pancake? Make your own. This is remarkably simple. I usually
skip the orange sauce.

* Exported from MasterCook Mac *

Pannekoeken

Recipe By : posted to mn.general by Barb Schaller 9-6-04
Serving Size : 2 Preparation Time :0:25
Categories : Entrees

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Pancake:
1/2 cup Pillsbury all purpose or unbleached flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs (*or 1 whole egg + 1 egg white)
2 Tbsp. margarine or butter
Fruit Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. orange-flavored liqueur or orange juice
3 cups sliced fruits and/or berries (strawberries --
pineapple, kiwi,
melons, banana, peaches - whatever)

Heat oven to 425?. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off.
In medium bowl, combine all pancake ingredients except margarine. Beat
with wire whisk or rotary beater until smooth. Place margarine in
9-inch (glass) pie pan; melt in 425? oven just until margarine sizzles,
2 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from oven; tilt to coat bottom with melted
margarine. Immediately pour batter into hot pan. Bake at 425? for
14-18 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. (Some margarine may
rise to the surface of pancake during baking.)

Meanwhile, in small saucepan combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch; mix
well. Stir in orange juice and liqueur. Cook and stir over medium heat
5-7 minutes or until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens. Remove
pancake from oven; immediately arrange peaches and strawberries over
pancake and drizzle with orange sauce. Cut into wedges. Serve
immediately. 2-3 servings. One-third of recipe (using 2 whole eggs) is
460 calories, 145 mg cholesterol, 12 g fat.

Source: Pillsbury cookbook #159, Springtime Brunches and Parties, May
1994, page 21. *Made 5/8/94 using 1 egg white as substitute for 1 whole
egg and couldn't detect any difference.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Per serving (excluding unknown items): 322 Calories; 2g Fat (6% calories
from fat); 2g Protein; 75g Carbohydrate; 8mg Cholesterol; 298mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 4 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 4 Other Carbohydrates

NOTES : Pillsbury 5/94 booklet.

_____

[Andy Yee]

Yeah the Panakoken Huis franchise went belly up when their accountants
made off with their tax payments...

Post by Bill Seurer

Post by Garster16
Don't forget Zantigo's. It was ten times better than Taco Bell is.

Which is still only 1/100th of a "real" Mexican restaurant.
Another (mostly) dead chain is Panakoken (sp?)

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Yee E-Mail: ayee AT mn dot rr dot com
President Home Page: http://home.mn.rr.com/andyyee
New Directions Engineering, Inc.

Godwin's Law: As a USENET thread grows, the probability of a reference
to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.00.
Corollary: When such a reference is made, it is generally
recognized that the poster has LOST the argument.

[Greg Kemnitz]

Zantigo's is back. They sold out to Taco Bell, and had a non-compete
clause in their sales agreement. When it ran out, they started up
opening locations again. Same great food... As I recall they have at
least four locations open so far, over on the east part of Saint Paul.

Post by Garster16
Don't forget Zantigo's. It was ten times better than Taco Bell is.

: Skypoint Communications, Inc. : Greg Kemnitz - KB0OSO - ***@skypoint.com :
: Plymouth MN USA +1.763.548.2600 : Providing Internet access since Feb 28 '94 :
: National dialup service now available in over 2900 cities! :

[Brian Link]

Post by Garster16
Don't forget Zantigo's. It was ten times better than Taco Bell is.

Zantigo's is back

[Jeremy S. Nichols, PE]

Post by Greg Kemnitz

Post by Garster16
Don't forget Zantigo's. It was ten times better than

Taco Bell is.

Post by Greg Kemnitz
Zantigo's is back

I remember when Zantigo's was Zapata. Perhaps they thought
the name was too revolutionary and changed to Zantigo. They
had red and green chili, which I ate often. Their basic taco
had tomatoes, unlike Taco Bell.

[John A. Weeks III]

Post by Spitfire 1500
Just got done reading a fun thread on Fark.com. Got a couple questions I'm
too young to answer...
1. Was there ever a Burger Chef in Mpls/St. Paul? From the web pages, looked
like a fun place.

I grew up in Wausau, WI, and we had a Burger Chef on Grand Ave.
The place closed, then reopened several more times as different
one-off type restaurants. Burger Chef had a "works bar" where
you could fix up your own burgers, which seems to have gone
out of style these days. I suspect that there were a number
of other Burger Chefs in the midwest.

There were a lot of regional burger chains in the 60's and 70's.
They all kind of got gobbled up by the big chains such as
Hardees and Burger King. Sandy's and Chips both had a number
of locations. Sandy's merged into Hardees, while Chips had
great locations that were all bought out for redevelopment.

Post by Spitfire 1500
2. WTF happened to the Ground Ronud? ALL locations are gone

Ground Round failed to modernize, and their image was hurt badly
by mad cow, the meat cancer scare, and the all-around anti-meat
ideas that are going around.

Chi-chi's also fits into this category. They failed to adapt
to the Tex-Mex craze, and were left behind.

Post by Spitfire 1500
3. Why did Bonanza(or was it Ponderosa?) in Burnsville/Savage(right on the
borders) have to go bye-bye? Loved that place.

Both Bonanza and Ponderosa were great stocks in the 70's. They did
so well that they ended up fat and happy. A corporate raider came
in, merged the two companies, sold off the corporate HQ and the
corporate jet, and sucked all of the cash out of the operation.
Bonanza was hurt by over-expanding, and they picked some lame
locations. Ponderosa was hurt when the corporate raider cheapened
the quality of the food and raised prices. As people stopped
coming to these places, they didn't have the cash to retool and
get their customers back. The result was that they pulled back
significantly. All of the Ponderosas in Minnesota are gone, and
all of the Bonanazas in Minnesota and Wisconsin are gone. There
are still some Ponderosas in Wisconsin, notably one in Wisconsin
Dells. Bonanza has units in Brainerd and Mason City. A new
Ponderosa just opened in Fargo.

Another example is Sizzler. There used to be one on Robert
Street. I think the whole chain went belly up.

Post by Spitfire 1500
4. Same question, same location, resturaunt: Rax? A fun alternative to
Arby's.

Rax over-expanded, and collapsed when folks decided that they hated
the menu, and Rax did not adapt to the differing tastes that us
northerners have.

Another example of this was Rocky Rococco's attempted entry into
the Minnesota market. I fear that Culver's is going to meet the
same fate since they have rotten locations for the most part.

Post by Spitfire 1500
5. Does ANYONE remember Robin's Donuts in the same area in Burnsville/Savage
area? I liked their sandwiches.

Nope.

-john-

[Spitfire 1500]

(holy crap you know a lot about resturaunt chains)

Post by John A. Weeks III
Another example of this was Rocky Rococco's attempted entry into
the Minnesota market. I fear that Culver's is going to meet the
same fate since they have rotten locations for the most part.

Which is interesting since it's based in Wisconsin. They have quite bizarre
locations way out in the boonies. At my work place, I can drive 3 miles
west to Chanhassen to Culvers, or if I'm not in the mood, I can drive one
mile EAST to the other Culver's. C'mon spread out a bit, don't be like
Subway. All their locations seem to be in the 'burbs, including, but not
limited to Savage(in a seemingly run-down part of it), which was less than a
mile from the Rax, Ponderosa and Robin's! .

I remember Rocky ROcoco's in Dinkytown. Fun place. I always played The
Eagles on thier jukebox downstairs.

Lileks should do a web page on this. I can't wait to see his bit on malls.

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Spitfire 1500
5. Does ANYONE remember Robin's Donuts in the same area in

Burnsville/Savage

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Spitfire 1500
area? I liked their sandwiches.

Nope.

From what I heard it was some Canadian outfit. No information could be found
on the Internet. I'm guessing they lost out to Tim Horton's, since I went to
Tim Horton's in Toronto last November and that place was always jam packed.

[Melba's Jammin']

Post by Spitfire 1500
(holy crap you know a lot about resturaunt chains)

Post by John A. Weeks III
Another example of this was Rocky Rococco's attempted entry into
the Minnesota market. I fear that Culver's is going to meet the
same fate since they have rotten locations for the most part.

Which is interesting since it's based in Wisconsin. They have quite
bizarre locations way out in the boonies. At my work place, I can
drive 3 miles west to Chanhassen to Culvers, or if I'm not in the
mood, I can drive one mile EAST to the other Culver's. C'mon spread
out a bit, don't be like Subway. All their locations seem to be in
the 'burbs, including, but not limited to Savage(in a seemingly
run-down part of it), which was less than a mile from the Rax,
Ponderosa and Robin's! .

Hey, that's the new downtown Savage behind it. And it's right on busy
Highway 13. I don't mind that location; the one that strikes me odd is
the one on 83 near the racetrack.

Stop by El Loro if you want some good Mexican chow -- I recommend the
Chori Pollo. That place is packed on Sunday nights and busy most of
the time.

[Andy Yee]

Finally they have a decent restaurant at that location...
I enjoy their pulled pork :)

Post by Melba's Jammin'
Stop by El Loro if you want some good Mexican chow -- I recommend the
Chori Pollo. That place is packed on Sunday nights and busy most of
the time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Yee E-Mail: ayee AT mn dot rr dot com
President Home Page: http://home.mn.rr.com/andyyee
New Directions Engineering, Inc.

Godwin's Law: As a USENET thread grows, the probability of a reference
to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.00.
Corollary: When such a reference is made, it is generally
recognized that the poster has LOST the argument.

[Bill Seurer]

Post by Spitfire 1500
I remember Rocky ROcoco's in Dinkytown. Fun place. I always played The
Eagles on thier jukebox downstairs.

Rocky's is gone? Oh no! That was my favorite pizza place. Show's how
often I get to the U now.

Didn't Rocky's go into food courts? I remember seeing one in Milwaukee
a couple years ago.

[Doug McIntyre]

Post by Bill Seurer

Post by Spitfire 1500
I remember Rocky ROcoco's in Dinkytown. Fun place. I always played The
Eagles on thier jukebox downstairs.

Rocky's is gone? Oh no! That was my favorite pizza place. Show's how
often I get to the U now.

There's still one up in Brooklyn Center. Last one in Minnesota that I
know about. Close enough to make a run up to every so often for us.
I don't know why they pulled out of MN for the most part, still seems
to be a bunch in Wisconsin where they are based.

Post by Bill Seurer
Didn't Rocky's go into food courts? I remember seeing one in Milwaukee
a couple years ago.

Not in MN that I know about. Brookdale used to have one ages ago, but
it pulled out years before the general pullout of MN.

[Edward Bertsch]

during my grade school years (1970's) there was a burger chef on the north
side of marshall avenue in st. paul, between prior and cleveland.

I remember their works bar. that was a cute idea.

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Spitfire 1500
Just got done reading a fun thread on Fark.com. Got a couple questions I'm
too young to answer...
1. Was there ever a Burger Chef in Mpls/St. Paul? From the web pages, looked
like a fun place.

I grew up in Wausau, WI, and we had a Burger Chef on Grand Ave.
The place closed, then reopened several more times as different
one-off type restaurants. Burger Chef had a "works bar" where
you could fix up your own burgers, which seems to have gone
out of style these days. I suspect that there were a number
of other Burger Chefs in the midwest.
There were a lot of regional burger chains in the 60's and 70's.
They all kind of got gobbled up by the big chains such as
Hardees and Burger King. Sandy's and Chips both had a number
of locations. Sandy's merged into Hardees, while Chips had
great locations that were all bought out for redevelopment.

Post by Spitfire 1500
2. WTF happened to the Ground Ronud? ALL locations are gone

Ground Round failed to modernize, and their image was hurt badly
by mad cow, the meat cancer scare, and the all-around anti-meat
ideas that are going around.
Chi-chi's also fits into this category. They failed to adapt
to the Tex-Mex craze, and were left behind.

Post by Spitfire 1500
3. Why did Bonanza(or was it Ponderosa?) in Burnsville/Savage(right on the
borders) have to go bye-bye? Loved that place.

Both Bonanza and Ponderosa were great stocks in the 70's. They did
so well that they ended up fat and happy. A corporate raider came
in, merged the two companies, sold off the corporate HQ and the
corporate jet, and sucked all of the cash out of the operation.
Bonanza was hurt by over-expanding, and they picked some lame
locations. Ponderosa was hurt when the corporate raider cheapened
the quality of the food and raised prices. As people stopped
coming to these places, they didn't have the cash to retool and
get their customers back. The result was that they pulled back
significantly. All of the Ponderosas in Minnesota are gone, and
all of the Bonanazas in Minnesota and Wisconsin are gone. There
are still some Ponderosas in Wisconsin, notably one in Wisconsin
Dells. Bonanza has units in Brainerd and Mason City. A new
Ponderosa just opened in Fargo.
Another example is Sizzler. There used to be one on Robert
Street. I think the whole chain went belly up.

Post by Spitfire 1500
4. Same question, same location, resturaunt: Rax? A fun alternative to
Arby's.

Rax over-expanded, and collapsed when folks decided that they hated
the menu, and Rax did not adapt to the differing tastes that us
northerners have.
Another example of this was Rocky Rococco's attempted entry into
the Minnesota market. I fear that Culver's is going to meet the
same fate since they have rotten locations for the most part.

Post by Spitfire 1500
5. Does ANYONE remember Robin's Donuts in the same area in

Burnsville/Savage

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Spitfire 1500
area? I liked their sandwiches.

Nope.
-john-
--
====================================================================
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
====================================================================

[b***@visi.com]

I was wondering what had happened to Chi-Chi's. I'm down in
Death Moans/Des Moines, and the two which were down here both
closed. Then I discovered that the Roseville site--where I spent
many a Friday/Saturday evening with Texas Nachos--also closed.

Pity. Texas Nachos and margaritas were my treat for surviving
another week.

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Spitfire 1500
2. WTF happened to the Ground Ronud? ALL locations are gone

Ground Round failed to modernize, and their image was hurt badly
by mad cow, the meat cancer scare, and the all-around anti-meat
ideas that are going around.
Chi-chi's also fits into this category. They failed to adapt
to the Tex-Mex craze, and were left behind.

-------------------------------------------------
Only in America will someone |
order a Big Mac, large fries, | ***@visi.com
and a *Diet* Coke... |

[Melba's Jammin']

Post by b***@visi.com
I was wondering what had happened to Chi-Chi's. I'm down in
Death Moans/Des Moines, and the two which were down here both
closed. Then I discovered that the Roseville site--where I spent
many a Friday/Saturday evening with Texas Nachos--also closed.

As has the one on County 42 near the Burnsville Center. I think it's
called Maya Something now.

Post by b***@visi.com
Pity. Texas Nachos and margaritas were my treat for surviving
another week.

[LJ]

I think the Richfield location is open (494 and Nicollet) though I'm not a
huge fan

Post by Melba's Jammin'

Post by b***@visi.com
I was wondering what had happened to Chi-Chi's. I'm down in
Death Moans/Des Moines, and the two which were down here both
closed. Then I discovered that the Roseville site--where I spent
many a Friday/Saturday evening with Texas Nachos--also closed.

As has the one on County 42 near the Burnsville Center. I think it's
called Maya Something now.

Post by b***@visi.com
Pity. Texas Nachos and margaritas were my treat for surviving
another week.

--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> An update on 9/2/04; check the Fairs Fare tab.

[Bill Seurer]

Post by John A. Weeks III
Chi-chi's also fits into this category. They failed to adapt
to the Tex-Mex craze, and were left behind.

I think they failed because their food just wasn't that great. I love
Mexican-ish food but ChiChis never appealed to me despite people telling
me it was so great.

[Pete Bergstrom]

Post by Bill Seurer

Post by John A. Weeks III
Chi-chi's also fits into this category. They failed to adapt
to the Tex-Mex craze, and were left behind.

I think they failed because their food just wasn't that great. I love
Mexican-ish food but ChiChis never appealed to me despite people telling
me it was so great.

Did ChiChis have anything but microwaved cheese wiz and a bar? Strawberry
margaritas were good as a college freshman, though.

Pete

[Patt B.]

Post by Bill Seurer

Post by John A. Weeks III
Chi-chi's also fits into this category. They failed to adapt
to the Tex-Mex craze, and were left behind.

I think they failed because their food just wasn't that great. I love
Mexican-ish food but ChiChis never appealed to me despite people telling
me it was so great.

I *hated* Chi-Chis! Not authentic in the least. And could their demise
have been hastened because they started serving a side of Hepatitis A on
the East Coast last year?

Patt B.

[John A. Weeks III]

Post by Patt B.
I *hated* Chi-Chis! Not authentic in the least. And could their demise
have been hastened because they started serving a side of Hepatitis A on
the East Coast last year?

I think that was Red Lobster in Beaver County, PA, that you are
thinking of. They got a bad batch of green onions from Mexico.

Chi-Chi's was started by a group of former Green Bay Packer players
from the big years in the 60's. Their goal was to serve Americanized
versions of Mexican food that the masses would enjoy, rather than
authentic Mexican food that only a small fraction of the meat and
potato belt might consider trying.

At thier peak, they purchased a more authentic Mexican place called
Pedros, and then franchised it out. Pedros was much better, and they
did adapt to the Tex-Mex craze. Chi-Chi's failed to adapt, and when
the lost popularity and ran into cashflow problems, they failed to
modernize and freshen up their locations. They also lost big time in
their attempt to juice up the lunch trade with a noon buffet.

In the end, about all Chi-Chi's were a series of excellent locations.
The locations became more valuable than the business that Chi-Chi's was
generating, so they closed most of them. I only know of one Chi-Chi's
still left, the one in Richfield next to Menards. Their web site
lists 62 locations, including one left in Duluth. Given the number
of locations they still have, it must just be us Minnesotans who
have a taste for real Mexican food.

-john-

[Patt B.]

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Patt B.
I *hated* Chi-Chis! Not authentic in the least. And could their demise
have been hastened because they started serving a side of Hepatitis A on
the East Coast last year?

I think that was Red Lobster in Beaver County, PA, that you are
thinking of. They got a bad batch of green onions from Mexico.

No, it was *definitely* Chi-Chi's: see
http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/11/14ky/update_chichis.html
. You were right about the green onions, though. :)

Patt B.

[John A. Weeks III]

Post by Patt B.

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Patt B.
I *hated* Chi-Chis! Not authentic in the least. And could their demise
have been hastened because they started serving a side of Hepatitis A on
the East Coast last year?

I think that was Red Lobster in Beaver County, PA, that you are
thinking of. They got a bad batch of green onions from Mexico.

No, it was *definitely* Chi-Chi's: see
http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2003/11/14ky/update_chichis.html
. You were right about the green onions, though. :)

Yes, you are right. I thought I remembered hearing it as the
Red Lobster. In doing some googleing, I found that there were
four major outbreaks in late 2003 in North Carolina, Georgia,
and Knoxville, as well as Beaver Falls. All were traced back
to a single eating place in each city, and all were traced
back to the Mexican onions. In the US, it is illegal to use
human waste to fertalize crops. In Mexico, that is standard
practice. Good thing we have NAFTA.

-john-

[unknown]

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Patt B.
I *hated* Chi-Chis! Not authentic in the least. And could their demise
have been hastened because they started serving a side of Hepatitis A on
the East Coast last year?

I think that was Red Lobster in Beaver County, PA, that you are
thinking of. They got a bad batch of green onions from Mexico.
Chi-Chi's was started by a group of former Green Bay Packer players
from the big years in the 60's. Their goal was to serve Americanized
versions of Mexican food that the masses would enjoy, rather than
authentic Mexican food that only a small fraction of the meat and
potato belt might consider trying.

John,

You seem to know alot of inside information about this stuff. Are you
an analyst, or maybe read a book about the restaraunt business ? This
behind the scenes info is quite fascinating.

[John A. Weeks III]

Post by unknown
John,
You seem to know alot of inside information about this stuff. Are you
an analyst, or maybe read a book about the restaraunt business ? This
behind the scenes info is quite fascinating.

I follow restaraunt stocks kind of closely, and I have done a
few computer consulting projects for restaraunt chains. I also
travel a lot. Restaraunt chains just happens to be an area of
interest for me.

I have noticed that most restaraunt stocks follow a pattern. They
go public, then some analyst will hype them, they will then
over-expand, miss a quarter, and then crash. You want to buy
just before they get over-hyped, ride it out as the expand, then
sell just before they miss their earnings numbers. Both Famous
Dave's and Rainforest Cafe followed this pattern exactly.

-john-

[Bill Seurer]

Post by John A. Weeks III
I have noticed that most restaraunt stocks follow a pattern. They
go public, then some analyst will hype them, they will then
over-expand, miss a quarter, and then crash. You want to buy
just before they get over-hyped, ride it out as the expand, then
sell just before they miss their earnings numbers. Both Famous
Dave's and Rainforest Cafe followed this pattern exactly.

Krispy Kreme sort of did this too. Oh, no, wait, it's the low carb craze.

[John A. Weeks III]

Post by Bill Seurer
Krispy Kreme sort of did this too. Oh, no, wait, it's the low carb craze.

I had the pleasure of eating doughnuts at Krispy Kreme number 1 a few
days ago. The very first Krispy Kreme is located in downtown Raliegh,
North Carolina. It was very much like eating at any other Krispy Kreme.

I can add this to my collection of "first eats". I have eaten at
the very first Rocky Rococco's, the first Kentucky Fried Chicken,
the first Pizza Uno, and the first Famous Dave's. The first
McDonalds in Chicago is now a museum, but I did get a chance to eat
at the McDonalds world headquarters. They have new francise owners
working in the McDonalds there, and it is the only McDonalds that I
know of that serves wine. It was kind of fun getting table service
from these folks, whereas the typcial McD's makes you do half the
work yourself and fill your own sodas.

-john-

[Steve Sundberg]

On Mon, 06 Sep 2004 04:59:15 GMT, "Spitfire 1500"

Post by Spitfire 1500
2. WTF happened to the Ground Ronud? ALL locations are gone

Ground Round, Inc. went into bankruptcy in February.

Post by Spitfire 1500
3. Why did Bonanza(or was it Ponderosa?) in Burnsville/Savage(right on the
borders) have to go bye-bye? Loved that place.

There's still a Bonanza up in Baxter/Brainerd, so the chain isn't
entirely gone. The Bloomington location used to offer an
all-you-can-eat breakfast in the mid-80's. This was before Old Country
Buffet opened its doors.

Post by Spitfire 1500
4. Same question, same location, resturaunt: Rax? A fun alternative to
Arby's.

IIRC, Rax was the first "fast food" chain to offer a salad bar.

The chain appears alive -- just not in Minnesota:

http://www.rax-online.com/

[Richard Steiner]

I still miss Shakey's pizza. :-(

And are there any Farrell's Ice Cream Parlors left? :-)

[Greg Kemnitz]

Last Shakeys I knew of in Minnesota was in Rochester. Closed down
about a year ago...

Farrell's was a nice place... there's a nice ice cream parlor in
Madison Wisconsin that folks who like odd places of this sort really
ought to try. Ella's is the name, and they have the place decorated
wall to wall and floor to (and including) ceiling with very
interesting mechanical devices. Also have a carousel out front that
runs during the summer and fall. A great place to stop when traveling
out that way. I'd love to see them put a place in this area...

Another place I really miss is My Pi pizza. Most all of their
locations across the country are gone now. The only one left is My Pi
#2, in Chicago. Same basic menu and decor as what we used to have
here. They are willing to prep pizzas for travel -- call them a few
days in advance and they'll have 'em deep frozen for travel. Bring a
good cooler, and they'll make it back to Minneapolis still frozen and
ready to be tossed in the oven whenever you want a REALLY good deep
dish pizza.

Post by Richard Steiner
I still miss Shakey's pizza. :-(
And are there any Farrell's Ice Cream Parlors left? :-)

: Skypoint Communications, Inc. : Greg Kemnitz - KB0OSO - ***@skypoint.com :
: Plymouth MN USA +1.763.548.2600 : Providing Internet access since Feb 28 '94 :
: National dialup service now available in over 2900 cities! :

[Richard Steiner]

Post by Greg Kemnitz
Last Shakeys I knew of in Minnesota was in Rochester. Closed down
about a year ago...

I'd heard that there was one down there, but I never got a chance to go
down to visit it. :-(

[Bill Seurer]

Post by Richard Steiner

Post by Greg Kemnitz
Last Shakeys I knew of in Minnesota was in Rochester. Closed down
about a year ago...

I'd heard that there was one down there, but I never got a chance to go
down to visit it. :-(

It was done in by the highway 52 reconstruction. They had one of those
kids play areas with video games and BopAMole type things.

[Andy Yee]

Ten years ago when I visited my cousin in Seattle, Shakey's was thriving
out there...

Post by Richard Steiner
I still miss Shakey's pizza. :-(

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Yee E-Mail: ayee AT mn dot rr dot com
President Home Page: http://home.mn.rr.com/andyyee
New Directions Engineering, Inc.

Godwin's Law: As a USENET thread grows, the probability of a reference
to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.00.
Corollary: When such a reference is made, it is generally
recognized that the poster has LOST the argument.

[Lyle Merdan]

Richard Steiner <***@visi.com> wrote:
: I still miss Shakey's pizza. :-(

I had Shakey's pizza in May. I had corn and tuna pizza and a Bud Light.

I would have ordered something different if the menu hadn't been in
Japaneese.

It was somewhere near the train station in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo.

Lyle

[Melba's Jammin']

Post by Spitfire 1500
Just got done reading a fun thread on Fark.com. Got a couple
questions I'm too young to answer...
1. Was there ever a Burger Chef in Mpls/St. Paul? From the web pages,
looked like a fun place.

I don't remember that one. There was a Happy Chef in Shakopee.

Post by Spitfire 1500
2. WTF happened to the Ground Ronud? ALL locations are gone

Must not have been enough customers to keep them going. I wrote it off
when they still allowed and encouraged you to throw your peanut shells
on the floor in the name of "atmosphere."

Post by Spitfire 1500
3. Why did Bonanza(or was it Ponderosa?) in Burnsville/Savage(right
on the borders) have to go bye-bye? Loved that place.

Probably not enough customers to keep it afloat.

Post by Spitfire 1500
4. Same question, same location, resturaunt: Rax? A fun alternative
to Arby's.

It was the last Rax in the cities, I think. Now it's a Vietnamese
restaurant, though I don't know for how long. I don't think I've *ever*
seen more than one car in the parking lot. I drive by frequently on my
way to Cub.

Post by Spitfire 1500
5. Does ANYONE remember Robin's Donuts in the same area in
Burnsville/Savage area? I liked their sandwiches.

Famous Dave's now.

[Andy Yee]

I've never been a fan of Famous Dave's ribs. They're so-so. I heard that
they BOIL their ribs!!!! :(

The best rib joint I've tried lately is Bakers Ribs in Eden Prairie.
It's a Texas chain that has one in MN. Their spareribs have meat that
almost fall off the bone..and those aren't BABYBACKS!

Post by Melba's Jammin'

Post by Spitfire 1500
5. Does ANYONE remember Robin's Donuts in the same area in
Burnsville/Savage area? I liked their sandwiches.

Famous Dave's now.

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Yee E-Mail: ayee AT mn dot rr dot com
President Home Page: http://home.mn.rr.com/andyyee
New Directions Engineering, Inc.

Godwin's Law: As a USENET thread grows, the probability of a reference
to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.00.
Corollary: When such a reference is made, it is generally
recognized that the poster has LOST the argument.

[Jim Manson]

Post by Andy Yee
I've never been a fan of Famous Dave's ribs. They're so-so. I heard that
they BOIL their ribs!!!! :(
The best rib joint I've tried lately is Bakers Ribs in Eden Prairie.
It's a Texas chain that has one in MN. Their spareribs have meat that
almost fall off the bone..and those aren't BABYBACKS!

You're right, Bakers is great. I can't stand Famous Daves, way too
much sugar in the sauce. I can never understand the Midwest
fascination for sweet food.

Actually the very best ribs I remember having were from Corkey's in
Memphis. It's almost worth a special trip just to eat there. They ship
Fedex but it's just not the same.

[Jeremy S. Nichols, PE]

This post might be inappropriate. Click to display it.

[Andy Yee]

I think Rudolph's pork ribs are unremarkable. However, they had the most
tender texas beef ribs in town. Too bad they don't offer them anymore
(price of beef - yeah right)...

Post by Jeremy S. Nichols, PE
I always order the ribs naked at Dave's to avoid the overly
sugary sauce. There seems to be some variability in the
quality of the ribs at Daves. I also have liked Market
Barbeque over the years. Great ribs, but completely
unremarkable sides. Rudolph's (Lyndale and Franklin) is good
too.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Yee E-Mail: ayee AT mn dot rr dot com
President Home Page: http://home.mn.rr.com/andyyee
New Directions Engineering, Inc.

Godwin's Law: As a USENET thread grows, the probability of a reference
to Hitler or Nazis approaches 1.00.
Corollary: When such a reference is made, it is generally
recognized that the poster has LOST the argument.

[Shawn Barnhart]

Post by Jeremy S. Nichols, PE
I always order the ribs naked at Dave's to avoid the overly
sugary sauce. There seems to be some variability in the
quality of the ribs at Daves. I also have liked Market
Barbeque over the years. Great ribs, but completely
unremarkable sides. Rudolph's (Lyndale and Franklin) is good
too.

Dave's in Linden Hills is franchisee-owned, not corporate owned, and I think
the meat is a slightly higher quality because of it. The owner's a nice
guy, he let us copy the recipe for their bread pudding (right out of the
binder cookbook; never got a chance to try it, it needs to be divided by
about 16).

I've largely given up on dinner-out ribs since the downtown Pickled Parrot
closed. The chain locations weren't as good (staff? smokers? who knows),
and now they've been bought out and rebranded as "Get drunk on tropical
drinks" places, they're done, too.

I like my own ribs better now, anyway. Lunds Baby Back Ribs are far more
consistent quality-wise than any restaurant.

[Jeremy S. Nichols, PE]

Post by Shawn Barnhart

Post by Jeremy S. Nichols, PE
I always order the ribs naked at Dave's to avoid the

overly

Post by Shawn Barnhart

Post by Jeremy S. Nichols, PE
sugary sauce. There seems to be some variability in the
quality of the ribs at Daves. I also have liked Market
Barbeque over the years. Great ribs, but completely
unremarkable sides. Rudolph's (Lyndale and Franklin) is

good

Post by Shawn Barnhart

Post by Jeremy S. Nichols, PE
too.

Dave's in Linden Hills is franchisee-owned, not corporate

owned, and I think

Post by Shawn Barnhart
the meat is a slightly higher quality because of it. The

owner's a nice

Post by Shawn Barnhart
guy, he let us copy the recipe for their bread pudding

(right out of the

Post by Shawn Barnhart
binder cookbook; never got a chance to try it, it needs to

be divided by

Post by Shawn Barnhart
about 16).

That is the Dave's we usually frequent. It is cheaper and
quieter than the Uptown location. We had a terrible service
experience at the Uptown store, following which we have only
returned once or twice.

-- Jeremy

[Hell Toupee]

Post by Jim Manson
Actually the very best ribs I remember having were from Corkey's in
Memphis. It's almost worth a special trip just to eat there. They ship
Fedex but it's just not the same.

I second the Corkey's endorsement. I was there a week ago Monday. Told
the waitress I'd driven 950 miles to eat there, and it was worth it.

I'm only sorry I didn't bring any home with me.

HellT

[AnnE]

Post by Hell Toupee

Post by Jim Manson
Actually the very best ribs I remember having were from Corkey's in
Memphis. It's almost worth a special trip just to eat there. They ship
Fedex but it's just not the same.

I second the Corkey's endorsement. I was there a week ago Monday. Told
the waitress I'd driven 950 miles to eat there, and it was worth it.
I'm only sorry I didn't bring any home with me.
HellT

and it's CORKY'S! <g> I'm looking at a jar of Corky's Dry Rib
Seasoning right now (which I think you can buy at Lund's). They used to
carry the liquid bar-b-q sauce but I haven't seen it there lately.(for
the last several years...I always look. Used to be that you could ask
the manager to get it in) The address on the jar of seasoning is
Corky's Bar-B-Q 5259 Poplar Ave Memphis TN 38119 [phone] And
YES, you can pick it up in the Memphis Airport to bring home! Trouble
with that is that you smell it the whole way! <g>

AnnE in MN Btw, if the ribs are very fatty, I do indeed boil
them before I cook em! Then I roast it at 300°-325°--with Corky's
seasoning (dry rub) and then place onions and cut lemons over them and
cook em slowly. Boiling them beforehand makes them healthier (ha) and
somewhat more dry. Only add the sauce for the last 30 minutes. Brush
on one side, cook for 10 min. Turn over and brush on the other side for
another 10 min. Do again. Yum!

[Bill Seurer]

Post by Andy Yee
I've never been a fan of Famous Dave's ribs. They're so-so. I heard that
they BOIL their ribs!!!! :(

You can see them cook the stuff at the one by me and they don't boil them.

[Melba's Jammin']

Post by Spitfire 1500
5. Does ANYONE remember Robin's Donuts in the same area in
Burnsville/Savage
area? I liked their sandwiches.

Wasn't that Red Robin? Not sure.

Not part of your question, but in the 80s (?) there were two Flour Bin
restaurants in Burnsville - one on the Parkway and 35W (NE corner of the
intersection); the other on Cliff and ~Cedar. Great place for
breakfast but that was the only time they were busy! Couldn't make a
lunch or dinner trade. They closed as Flour Bin and the one on the
Parkway became, most recently, an auto glass place (they're gone now,
too). The one on Cliff is a J Doolittle's restaurant and saloon.

[John A. Weeks III]

Post by Melba's Jammin'

Post by Spitfire 1500
5. Does ANYONE remember Robin's Donuts in the same area in
Burnsville/Savage
area? I liked their sandwiches.

Wasn't that Red Robin? Not sure.

Robin's Donuts would have closed down long before Red Robin
entered the twin cities market. Red Robin has only been here
about 3 years or so. I tried them once, and will likely never
go back. I cannot see paying $15 for an order of onion rings.

Post by Melba's Jammin'
Not part of your question, but in the 80s (?) there were two Flour Bin
restaurants in Burnsville - one on the Parkway and 35W (NE corner of the
intersection); the other on Cliff and ~Cedar. Great place for
breakfast but that was the only time they were busy! Couldn't make a
lunch or dinner trade. They closed as Flour Bin and the one on the
Parkway became, most recently, an auto glass place (they're gone now,
too). The one on Cliff is a J Doolittle's restaurant and saloon.

The location on the Burnsville Parkway was the 24 hour Hardees
for many years. I, too, noticed that it is empty again. I used
to work the late shift in downtown Minneapolis in the early 90's,
and it was hard to find take out or drive through fodd that was
available after 11PM. The 24 hour Hardees and Taco Bell on
Lyndale was about the only choices for a late night bellyache.

-john-

[Melba's Jammin']

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Melba's Jammin'
Not part of your question, but in the 80s (?) there were two Flour
Bin restaurants in Burnsville - one on the Parkway and 35W (NE
corner of the intersection); the other on Cliff and ~Cedar. Great
place for breakfast but that was the only time they were busy!
Couldn't make a lunch or dinner trade. They closed as Flour Bin
and the one on the Parkway became, most recently, an auto glass
place (they're gone now, too). The one on Cliff is a J Doolittle's
restaurant and saloon.

The location on the Burnsville Parkway was the 24 hour Hardees
for many years. I, too, noticed that it is empty again. I used
to work the late shift in downtown Minneapolis in the early 90's,
and it was hard to find take out or drive through fodd that was
available after 11PM. The 24 hour Hardees and Taco Bell on
Lyndale was about the only choices for a late night bellyache.
-john-

You mean you passed up the White Castle on 96th and Lyndale? Tsk, tsk.
Flour Bin site was vacant for a while and then Hardee's tried it -- I
didn't think it was there as long as you do. Shows what I remember. :-/

[John A. Weeks III]

Post by Melba's Jammin'
You mean you passed up the White Castle on 96th and Lyndale? Tsk, tsk.

I think that both the White Castle and the Wendy's next door are
pretty new -- I don't recall either being there in the early 90's.
I think they are more of the 1995/96 vintage.

-john-

[Melba's Jammin']

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Melba's Jammin'
You mean you passed up the White Castle on 96th and Lyndale? Tsk, tsk.

I think that both the White Castle and the Wendy's next door are
pretty new -- I don't recall either being there in the early 90's.
I think they are more of the 1995/96 vintage.
-john-

Mmmmm. I want to think that that that White Castle's been there longer
than that. The Wendy's is quite new by comparison.

[Kris D.]

Post by Melba's Jammin'

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Melba's Jammin'
You mean you passed up the White Castle on 96th and Lyndale? Tsk, tsk.

I think that both the White Castle and the Wendy's next door are
pretty new -- I don't recall either being there in the early 90's.
I think they are more of the 1995/96 vintage.

Mmmmm. I want to think that that that White Castle's been there longer
than that. The Wendy's is quite new by comparison.

That Wendy's used to be Beanie's Arcade in the early '80s. It was the
hangout when I was in high school. The White Castle was there then.

[John A. Weeks III]

Post by Kris D.

Post by Melba's Jammin'

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Melba's Jammin'
You mean you passed up the White Castle on 96th and Lyndale? Tsk,

tsk.

Post by Melba's Jammin'

Post by John A. Weeks III
I think that both the White Castle and the Wendy's next door are
pretty new -- I don't recall either being there in the early 90's.
I think they are more of the 1995/96 vintage.

Mmmmm. I want to think that that that White Castle's been there longer
than that. The Wendy's is quite new by comparison.

That Wendy's used to be Beanie's Arcade in the early '80s. It was the
hangout when I was in high school. The White Castle was there then.

I think we are talking about something different. The location is
96th and Lyndale, which is in the Oxboro section of Bloomington.
They tore down an old industrial building to put in the Wendy's
and White Castle. The Wendys opened first, and then White Castle
about a year later. There may have been a White Castle somewhere
else on Lyndale before that, but this one is relatively new.

-john-

[Kris D.]

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Kris D.

Post by Melba's Jammin'

Post by John A. Weeks III

Post by Melba's Jammin'
You mean you passed up the White Castle on 96th and Lyndale? Tsk, tsk.

I think that both the White Castle and the Wendy's next door are
pretty new -- I don't recall either being there in the early 90's.
I think they are more of the 1995/96 vintage.

Mmmmm. I want to think that that that White Castle's been there longer
than that. The Wendy's is quite new by comparison.

That Wendy's used to be Beanie's Arcade in the early '80s. It was the
hangout when I was in high school. The White Castle was there then.

I think we are talking about something different. The location is
96th and Lyndale, which is in the Oxboro section of Bloomington.
They tore down an old industrial building to put in the Wendy's
and White Castle. The Wendys opened first, and then White Castle
about a year later. There may have been a White Castle somewhere
else on Lyndale before that, but this one is relatively new.
-john-

Could be. I haven't been down that way in awhile. Beanie's was just north
of Freeway Ford on the west side of Lyndale, and White Castle was next door.
I thought I saw a Wendy's on the Beanie's location at some point.

[Jim Manson]

Post by Spitfire 1500
Just got done reading a fun thread on Fark.com. Got a couple questions I'm
too young to answer...
1. Was there ever a Burger Chef in Mpls/St. Paul? From the web pages, looked
like a fun place.

Yep, there was one on the corner of Lexington and County Rd. B in
Roseville. I think it closed in the late 70s or very early 80s. It's
now a TCF location.

The chicken club sandwich was good but their burgers were pretty bad.

[Hell Toupee]

Post by Jim Manson

Post by Spitfire 1500
Just got done reading a fun thread on Fark.com. Got a couple questions I'm
too young to answer...
1. Was there ever a Burger Chef in Mpls/St. Paul? From the web pages, looked
like a fun place.

Yep, there was one on the corner of Lexington and County Rd. B in
Roseville. I think it closed in the late 70s or very early 80s. It's
now a TCF location.
The chicken club sandwich was good but their burgers were pretty bad.

Anyone remember Henry's Hamburgers? It's been a long time. I remember
them before McD's and even White Castle became ubiqitous.

HellT

[Brian Link]

On Mon, 06 Sep 2004 04:59:15 GMT, "Spitfire 1500"

Post by Spitfire 1500
Just got done reading a fun thread on Fark.com. Got a couple questions I'm
too young to answer...
1. Was there ever a Burger Chef in Mpls/St. Paul? From the web pages, looked
like a fun place.

Several in town. My brother worked for the one by St. Bernard's on
Rice Street for a while.

Post by Spitfire 1500
2. WTF happened to the Ground Ronud? ALL locations are gone

They went belly up.

Post by Spitfire 1500
3. Why did Bonanza(or was it Ponderosa?) in Burnsville/Savage(right on the
borders) have to go bye-bye? Loved that place.
4. Same question, same location, resturaunt: Rax? A fun alternative to
Arby's.
5. Does ANYONE remember Robin's Donuts in the same area in Burnsville/Savage
area? I liked their sandwiches.

[bnsdiva]

Post by Steve Sundberg
On Mon, 06 Sep 2004 04:59:15 GMT, "Spitfire 1500"

Post by Spitfire 1500
Just got done reading a fun thread on Fark.com. Got a couple questions I'm
too young to answer...
1. Was there ever a Burger Chef in Mpls/St. Paul? From the web pages, looked
like a fun place.

Several in town. My brother worked for the one by St. Bernard's on
Rice Street for a while.

I remember that one well. I was a Hardys (sp) for a while. It seems to be
a used car lot now.

[Tony Calguire]

Post by Spitfire 1500
1. Was there ever a Burger Chef in Mpls/St. Paul? From the web pages, looked
like a fun place.

There was a Burger Chef on Silver Lake Road in St. Anthony Village, one
block up from Apache Plaza. I used to eat there all the time when I was
a little kid. Years before MacDonalds came out with the Happy Meal,
Burger Chef had a "Fun Meal", served in a cardboard tray adorned with
their characters, "Burger Chef and Jeff". I still have some stickers
from an old fun meal!

The restaurant eventually became a Hardees, then it sat vacant for many
years until the building was demolished in 2002 and a Culvers was built
on the site.

Mmmmm, Butter Burgers!

[Henry Blaskowski]

Post by Spitfire 1500
1. Was there ever a Burger Chef in Mpls/St. Paul? From the web pages, looked
like a fun place.

Yeah, I used to work at the one on Marshall Ave in St Paul (Summer of
1980, if I remember correctly). It was pretty typical fast food.
They tried to have a few special items, but they were not very popular.
I think they went out of business because of me -- between getting
ripped off by short-change artists and leaving meat sit out overnight
I probably cost them more than I was worth....OK, maybe it wasn't
that bad.

[Bill Seurer]

Was Dairy Freeze a chain or was the one near France and 44th in Edina
unique? Come to think of it, is that still there?

[Jeremy S. Nichols, PE]

Post by Bill Seurer
Was Dairy Freeze a chain or was the one near France and

44th in Edina

Post by Bill Seurer
unique? Come to think of it, is that still there?
--
-Bill

I think that building now houses a Mike's Submarine shop.
The cone remained on their sign for a long time. They
remodeled recently, so I don't know if it is still
recognizably a former ice cream stand.

[John A. Weeks III]

Post by Bill Seurer
Was Dairy Freeze a chain or was the one near France and 44th in Edina
unique? Come to think of it, is that still there?

I remember a chain called Tastee Freeze, so I wouldn't be
surprised if there was a Diary Freeze chain.

-john-