By Kevin Williams
Those of you on my email list (sign-up if you aren't on it!:) know that I've been focused on my weight this year, trying to lose some. But part of food's pull is that it is, at least for some of us, more than the simple act of physiological nourishment. There's nostalgia and comfort and memories associated with food. For instance, when I think of Friendly's Ice Cream (see below), I'm not just thinking of ice cream. I'm thinking of many childhood memories with my parents, grandparents, my brother, and my friends trekking to their "walk-up window" and ordering a frosty treat on a scorching summer evening. Those memories can be powerful and even years later make the relationship with food a tough one to reconcile. Music is the only thing that, to me, has a similar ability to pull one back into a different time and place. Fortunately, music is calorie free! To supplement what I've written about in the past, here are a few more memory lane food establishments (and one drug store)....Does anyone remember these places? What else should be added to the list?
ARTHUR'S TREACHERS FISH & CHIPS: Back when my city actually had an eclectic mix of eateries we had this well-known fish n chips joint on the city's main fast food drag. It's long since been shuttered, but their batter-fried fish and crisp fries and tangy tartar sauce were a mainstay. AH, does this restaurant still exist?
KENNY ROGERS ROASTERS: I know, I know...you wouldn't think the chicken would have been very good, but it WAS. The closest one to our town was about 20 - 25 minutes away and I'd occasionally make the drive just to pick up chicken for our family. It was THAT good.
SISTER'S CHICKEN AND BISCUITS: Mmmm who cares about the chicken, it is the memory of those flaky, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits that will stay with me forver....
PHAR-MOR: Does anyone remember this store? It was a brightly lit, huge 500-pound gorilla of a pharmacy and one of its chain stores came to Middletown, Ohio when I was in high school.
BRESLER'S ICE CREAM: The ice cream was average, if I remember correctly, but the cool factor was high. This ice cream store was in the local mall so in high school you went there to be seen and get a scoop of butter pecan.
DUFF'S FAMOUS SMORGASBORD: Duff's Smorgasbord (what a fun word) chain pioneered the buffet concept before it really became big. I think one of these restaurants hung on in a local struggling strip mall well into the 1990s. Does anyone remember Duff's?
FRIENDLY'S ICE CREAM: This chain is still around and there were some Friendly's in Dayton, Ohio up until last year so if I really wanted a lick and scoop of ice cream nostalgia it was comforting to know it was there. But, alas, no more....
BILL KNAPP'S: Man, this place probably does it for me more as far as food memories go more than any other place. I went here so many times with my grandparents as a kid. The chain held on until the early 2000s, long enough for Rachel and I to go to one once on a date ( I think we were the youngest people there by 40 years)....but oh how I wish Aster would be able to have the same memories here that I did: the stack of comic books by the door (my brother would always head for those), the au gratin potatoes, the kids menu that would be "The Elephant", the "Giraffe", or "The Zebra" (I think) and if you don't know what I am talking about, don't worry about it, fellow Bill Knappers know exactly what I am talking about. Ahhhh I miss this place.....
Sometimes I think the world has changed so much that there aren't similar places today that will exert the same pull someday, but there are...Maybe someday Aster will wistfully say "Gee, I remember a place called Cracker Barrel that I'd go to with my parents....there was a cool gift shop, amazing sweet tea, breakfast for supper....The chain held on until shortly after I graduated from high school and then it closed...." Like life, restaurants are cyclical.
dragon606
Oh, I loved Duff's smorgasbord. My folks took us there several times a year. We loved the idea of picking more than one dessert (ok, yeah, we had to pick some veggies as well, but still....).
I still miss Arthur Treacher's. They delicious fish and the best malt vinegar. We'd buy some and have a picnic at a nearby park. Did the shop you knew have the "Long John Silver is a pirate" sign? That always made Dad laugh!
Kevin
LOL, I forgot about that pirate sign and that malt vinegar....mmmm, that was amazing, thanks for the memories!
John Turek
Arthur Treacher's is still open for business on Rockside Road in Garfield Heights, Ohio as of 6/4/2021. The long time owner of this franchise location loves reminiscing with customers about Arthur Treacher's at lunchtime. Still serving great fish, chicken, shrimp.
Carol Crowe Phillips
To add a couple of my own to your list...Dinnerbell--not sure just how many were in this small chain. I know of two in my area in East TN. One is still open and the other, sadly, closed and was torn down long ago. I have fond memories of eating there with my parents and grandparents. It was our place to eat when we had to go to the funeral home which happened to be locate in the same nearby town. In my family going to the funeral home was a frequent event so we ate there often. We also got ice cream at the Dairy Queen there after some trips to the funeral home. Also add Handee Burger. I know no one will know this name unless they have been to my town. It is one of a kind. It used to be a Scottie's hot dog place when I was very small (They had great hot dogs by the way.) Then it opened as Handee Burger and is still there. It was the place for most high schoolers to eat lunch when I was in school. They had a student special for a dollar. It was 2 burgers (similar to a Krystal only much better) and fries with a drink. I still eat there as often as I can. Only now 2 burgers and fries does not quite make a meal!
Kevin
Ah, I forgot about Dinner Bell...they used to be in Central Kentucky also, but I think they are no more there...
Carol Crowe Phillips
There is a Dinnerbell in Sweetwater Tn, just off I-75 . The food is not quite as good as I remember but it's not bad either.
gert
Kevin, You need to read this article before you start drinking too much tea! Remember moderation in all things!!! Please try drinking more water, if you need the fizz try club soda or seltzer water and add lemon, fresh ginger, etc. Things that you can control!
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/04/02/arkansas-man-kidney-failures-stemmed-from-too-much-iced-tea/
Kevin
Yikes, that is scary, thanks for sharing that!
Marie
Fond memories of Bill Knapps in Middletown - if you ate there on your birthday, they gave you a percentage off on your meal equal to your age. My husband treated an elderly neighbor to a meal on his 85th birthday - 85% off!
Also remember Arthur Treachers - the only place I would eat fish (I hate fish)! And Friendly's Ice Cream on Breiel Blvd. Yum!
Kevin
Ahhh, yes, those birthday discounts...I do miss Bill Knapps...
lincolnlady1121
We just had an Arthur Treacher's open up in the town next to ours a few months ago. I was one of the first customers when they opened. Hadn't tasted that food in years. It is just as delicious as it was years ago. No Arthur Treacher's is still in business.
Marilyn
cabh
Bill Knapps Cinnamon Ice Cream & Chocolate Cake - the stuff of dreams. mmmm
Kevin
Ooooh, I forgot about that cinnamon ice cream..YUM!
Christine
Yes, Kevin Williams there is an Arthur Treacher’s in Garfield Hts. Ohio on Rockside Road across from a Marc’s & Save-a-Lot (not to far from I-480 and I-77), other one is in New York some place. I used to work at a Arthur Treachers when I was 16 years old, they taste just as good as back then.
Kevin
Wow, good, glad to hear that they are still around!
John T
Of the 800 Arthur Treacher's that once existed, only 10 remain throughout Ohio, New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina.
Kevin Williams
Thanks, John, glad to hear there are still some left. I'll have to stop in Garfield Heights sometime!