Seafood Bay [[formally Arthur Treacher's) on 8 Mile west of Mound was torn down and a gas station was built. I was the manager of that location when the company filed bankruptcy in 1996.
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This would be a surprise to me, since CFA has avoided Michigan like the plague. 1990 Directory of Major Malls doesn't list one, nor does a mid-90s directory a friend gave me.
I'm about an hour north of Saginaw, actually.
Seafood Bay was apparently a company founded by the owner of the Detroit-area Arthur Treacher's when AT's bailed on Michigan in the 80s. AT's really had a weird history in Detroit — all of them apparently closed in 1985 to become Seafood Bay, then a few years later, a bunch of AT's popped up in food courts. Then AT's bought some of the Seafood Bays back and tried to convert them to a new concept, but it failed. I think Northland and Fairlane were the last two holdouts.
There is a Chic-Fil-A in the food court at Oakland University. It's just a walk-up "express" unit with only about 5-6 menu items, not a full menu.
Arthur Treacher's in Metro Detroit was owned by William Chakeres and his brothers, and started their franchise from the company's beginning in 1969, did not renew their franchise in the mid 80s and changed the name to Seafood Bay, retaining the AT menu and practices. They filed for bankruptcy in 1996 and closed all their remaining stores.
The Mall Food court ATs that popped up in the mid 90s were owned by an entirely different franchisee, Paul Messina. Those closed citing differences he had with AT, as well as his franchise partner. I worked for Treacher's/Seafood Bay from 85 until they closed up in 96. Then I worked for Mr Messina, who also owns Charley's Grilled Subs in Eastland and Macomb Mall. He opened the Charley's at Northland [[to tick off and compete with his former AT partner who still had that Northland location open), but recently sold that location [[after 16 years) due to the mall decline.
Charley's Grilled Subs [[Steakery) in Eastland is still open, I'm friends with the owner. He also owns Burger Works next door to it.
Olga's Kitchen at Macomb Mall is very much open, and never remember it being closed. I live in the area and my friend works at the mall [[at Charley's)
Unless it closed within the past couple of days, the Ponderosa on 8 Mile & Groesbeck is also still open.
BaJa Fresh Mexican Grill 17933 Haggerty Rd., Northville. In the shopping plaza across from Schoolcraft College. Must have just closed in the past week or two. Daughter and I were on our way to Barnes and Noble further down the parking lot when we saw it had closed. A Mediterranean restaurant will be moving in soon. Can't recall the name. It's on the sign.
Even though there aren't many of these around or close to Detroit, it was a nice change from your typical Taco Bell.
A couple of restaurant chains that I noticed you do not have in the Anglefire list are Carlos Murphy's and Stuart Anderson's. Carlos Murphy's, was a Mexican themed chain around in the late 70's to early 80's. Two locations that I can think of were:
*10 Mile and Telegraph in Southfield *Van Dyke between 12 and 13 mile in Warren, [[I believe in it is now the Olive Garden)
Stuart Anderson's was a steakhouse that lasted for just a short while in late 80's. Two locations that I knew of were: *Northwestern Highway before Telegraph in Southfield [[location is now Copper Canyon Brewery) *Stephenson Highway and 15 Mile Rd in Troy
As for the Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurants I noticed one location error and one omission: *Port Huron store listed as Fort Gratiot *Southfield store not listed; located on Northwestern Highway before Telegraph [[closed late 80's)
Wow, this is an impressive amount of work & detail. Forget the people who criticize you, it's your time & resources to do whatever you see fit with them.
The at-once infamous and marvelous White Castle at Woodward and Sproat seems to be missing.
Another Top Hat was at Gratiot and Van Dyke, at the later site of Rally's and Wendy's. And wasn't there also a Top Hat or something similar on Gratiot near Harper? And there was a little building at Cass and Davenport that was once a White Tower.
Of course, for we real old-timers, there were the Toddle Houses [[many of which were later Steak & Egg Kitchens), Biff's, Clock, and S&C diners that were once scattered about the city and suburbs.
In his autobiography Otis Williams wrote that Eddie Kendricks owned a restaurant in Detroit. It was called "Three Little Pigs", does anyone know where this restaurant was located?
Absolutely. Used to go to the one on Telegraph, back in my days of cruising with the west side crowd [[and Pico's Tacos - anyone remember that joint?). Good place for big middle of the night breakfasts. There was also an Egg & I on Woodward up around Royal Oak somewhere, if I remember correctly. The restaurants were named for the book and movie that brought us, for better or worse, Ma & Pa Kettle.
Wasn't the McDonalds space on Warren just west of Woodward, near Wayne, operated as a Schlotszky's Deli for a while?
Also, in the '70s there was a rather short-lived McDonalds that was incongruously in a big old car dealership building [[if i recall correctly, it had been Bart Lincoln-Mercury) on the east side of Woodward a few blocks north of the Blvd.
If you search "Sign of the Beefcarver Eastpointe, MI" on Google, the address that comes up is 17755 8 Mile Road E., which is where the Walgreens is now per Google Maps.
In fact, see the below link:
http://www.movoto.com/mi/17371-ego-a..._213031183.htm
The IHOP was always there [[the give away is the vintage design of that particular IHOP).
Yep, IHOP and Beefcarver existed at the same time.
What, no love for a couple of northern Michigan burger chains?
Local chains
I'm surprised that Halo Burger isn't on the list. Bouncing around in my memory is one location west of I-75 moved from a flat-top building to a credit union/bank building.
Lud's Hamburgers. The burger chain had two locations in Alpena and one in Petoskey. The main location shuttered ~5 years ago. I see the TCBY location that was co-located at Lud's made your list.
National chain
In-N-Out Burger.
Closed locations:
--Wayne Rd just south of Ford Rd in Westland
--Waterford?
--On Telegraph Rd [[?) in the city of Monroe.
The closed Burger King in Richmond is now Papou's Place.
The Quizno's in the Buhl Building [[535 Woodward, Detroit) recently closed. It looks like it is going to be replaced with the Buhl Deli.
The Lionburger on Livernois and 6 mile. [[1960's)
Richards drive in [[home of the California twinburger [[6 mile near Grand River) 1950's
Was Biffs on the list and Daily drive in?
Hi! I can attest to Lud's Hamburgers in Alpena. Lots of food memories there. I was sorry to see them go. Their Giant Burger can still be had at the remaining Big Boy on Ripley St., but only on certain days.
Sadly, the Big Boy on Chisholm at the river closed a year or so ago.
Lud's coneys are being served at the Mancino's next to the old Lud's on State Street [[US23), last I knew.
I'm really enjoying this thread...
I remember as a kid going towards Dearborn on Telegraph from Farmington and visiting this place with many small pizzas... Pizzuti's, but it wasn't there long: http://www.correllconcepts.com/Corre...restaurant.htm
Also, there was a Carlos Murphy's that I went to a lot as a kid on Northwestern Highway between Inkster and 12 Mile Road.
And, also, not sure if this was mentioned, but there was a Jack in the Box at 12 & Orchard Lake that closed around 1978 or 79...
Yep, I was thinking of Hot 'n Now. Of course, the locations are on the OP's web site.
The sign in the window of the closed Quiznos in the Buhl Building [[535 Griswold, not 535 Woodward) says the space is going to become either the Griswold Cafe, Griswold Deli, or something else starting with 'Griswold'.
Thanks to that site, I now know of a former west side Bonanza restaurant on McNichols Road a few blocks east of Grand River that's now a television station. That was one very odd conversion.
I also now know that Great Lakes Crossing [[Outlets) used to have an American Bandstand restaurant in the present-day Bar Louie.
And here's three more notes:
- The former Lincoln Park Quizno's on Dix Highway south of Sears is now a Verizon store.
- I don't think there's a TCBY in Metro Airport any more.
- I think the Wyandotte Taco Bell probably relocated to 12260 Fort Street in Southgate [[across the street and several blocks south) sometime between April 2002 and January 2004, that location has always been a Pizza Hut Express combo [[despite another full-service Pizza Hut just a mile south), the building itself replacing a demolished Shell station. It was also the last remaining now-owned-by-Yum chain in Wyandotte, as KFC, which also had a Fort Street location [[albiet closer to the Fort-Grove Shopping Center), fled during the 1980's, probably relocating to the current Eureka/Fort location in Southgate.
A few from the Ten Mile/Orchard Lake Road area:
There was a Pizza Hut on Ten Mile, 2nd property east of Orchard Lake, north side.
Closed years ago. Now The Village Grill.
On the southeast corner there was a Wendy's and next to that there was a Big Boy. Both were torn down and became Walgreens and Sherwin-Williams, respectively.
Honestly people, this is a depressing thread. All these closed businesses. Jobs lost.