Every closed-up fast food place in Detroit

[courtney]

The other half swears that at some point in the 80's or 90's, there was a Chick-Fil-A at 12 and Gratiot, in that shopping plaza where that gross Wal-Mart is now. Does anyone remember this or is he mistaken with some other place?

[msamslex]

Heading east on Joy Rd. past the Southfield there is an Uptown BBQ that must have just opened. It's housed in what used to be a Dairy Queen walk up.

[mtburb]

Penn Station East Coast Subs has opened earlier this year in the strip mall that replaced the Taylor Mountain Jack's, leaving just one yet-to-be-filled spot left in it. Before it was demolished for the strip mall, however, the Mountain Jack's had already been vacant for a few years.

[JohnR101]

The other half swears that at some point in the 80's or 90's, there was a Chick-Fil-A at 12 and Gratiot, in that shopping plaza where that gross Wal-Mart is now. Does anyone remember this or is he mistaken with some other place?

I have lived in that area since 1975 and can assure there never was a Chick-Fil-A in that area. The Outback Steakhouse in the lot, directly in front of Wal-Mart originally was a Po Folks restaurant back in the 80s [[before closing and becoming Outback). On the SW corner of Gratiot & 12 there was a Church's Chicken, now Hermans Jewelers, next to that was Long John Silvers turned Krispy Kreme turned AT&T phone center, and next to that was a Wendy's, Now a jewelry store. The Wendy's relocated across the street in a former Little Caesars Italian Kitchen, Wendy's closed and it's now Nonnis Grille

[mtburb]

Well, it appears that, according to an email the OP sent to me, Hardee's may soon make a huge return here, as they have already started to reenter Chicago, which they were only in for a couple of years. Does that mean that we'll start seeing them all over the tri-county area again like we used to before the 1997 bankruptcy-triggered mass closures?

[p69rrh51]

2755 Woodward

[mtburb]

The only Church's Chicken/White Castle combo I know of that has since reverted back to just White Castle is my nearest one, 16795 Fort Street in Southgate.

Plus, there was also a White Castle at 15th and Dalzelle Streets, across from MCS, that has since been torn down. There's a photo of that in this thread, which also contains a couple of White Tower locations not yet listed.

[TenPoundHammer]

Finally starting to catch up here. I got backlogged and didn't have time.

Anyway, a couple questions as I work through the backlog:

Subway [[the entire block of buildings between Eastwood and Fordham) on Gratiot and 7 Mile is now a vacant lot.

The only building I see between Eastwood and Fordham is Popeyes at 14180. I have a Subway at 14029, which appears to be still standing in an empty building, and you can see the sign frame.

Dairy Queen on Warren just east of Dickerson was shuttered in the late 90s, and is vacant [[may have been demolished recently? not sure).

Is this the one at Warren and Marseilles [[17750) you're actually referring to? I've found no evidence of DQ being near Warren @ Dickerson, but I do know the Motown Coney there is an old KFC.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

The only Church's Chicken/White Castle combo I know of that has since reverted back to just White Castle is my nearest one, 16795 Fort Street in Southgate.

Plus, there was also a White Castle at 15th and Dalzelle Streets, across from MCS, that has since been torn down. There's a photo of that in this thread, which also contains a couple of White Tower locations not yet listed.

The White Castle on 9 Mile and Telegraph in Southfield, use to be a Church's/White Castle combo, but it too has gone back to just White Castle.

[Woodward's Cousin]

Don't think I saw any references to The Clock restaurants. This was a local chain of 7 to 9 as I recall with at least one in the city on the north side of Jefferson, just east of the UAW Dave Miller Retiree Center [[ formerly Nichols). Good food. 1960s.

[mtburb]

The former Burger King inside Southland Center is now the Southland Music Center and has been for years. It was located at the closest southern entrance to JCPenney.

[TenPoundHammer]

The former Burger King inside Southland Center is now the Southland Music Center and has been for years. It was located at the closest southern entrance to JCPenney.

Were there any other fast foods in Southland before the food court was added in the 90s?

[mtburb]

Were there any other fast foods in Southland before the food court was added in the 90s?

I think the first Taco Bell [[before the food court one and WELL before the one currently there) was where Charlotte Russe is now, across west court from Hudson's [[now Macy's, of course).

If you're interested, I wrote a blog post about Southland back in February, at this site.

Sadly, though, I don't have any directories other than the current one [[and even that omits some stores, so that one may be at least a year old). But if you want to check older directories on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, feel free.

[313WX]

The only building I see between Eastwood and Fordham is Popeyes at 14180. I have a Subway at 14029, which appears to be still standing in an empty building, and you can see the sign frame.

That entire block of buildings that included Subway was demolished just this past summer [[granted, another restaurant appears to be going up now in that block, perhaps a Tim Hortons?). This same block was also where Eddie's Bike Shop and Valente's Formal Clothing Store was.

[TenPoundHammer]

Your post is a little off. According to a 1998 directory that I forgot I had, the former Woolworth became Tilt Arcade. After Tilt closed a few years later, the front half became Buckle, Bath & Body Works, and Forever 21. The back half of the old Tilt is still vacant.

The Wayback doesn't help much since they only did "Section A, Section B, Section C" and didn't show exactly where anything was. And for a while under GGP's ownership, they didn't even do that much.

That entire block of buildings that included Subway was demolished just this past summer [[granted, another restaurant appears to be going up now in that block, perhaps a Tim Hortons?). This same block was also where Eddie's Bike Shop and Valente's Formal Clothing Store was.

You mean the 14029 block?

[313WX]

Is this the one at Warren and Marseilles [[17750) you're actually referring to? I've found no evidence of DQ being near Warren @ Dickerson, but I do know the Motown Coney there is an old KFC.

The structure on the NE corner of Lenox and Warren is where the Dairy Queen was. Another poster in the below thread has memories of this particular Dairy Queen as well.

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...rly-70s-anyone

There was also a Dairy Queen on Warren, which we would stop by after playing with friends who lived at the Parksides [[early project memories quickly devolved by the time we moved to the westside and had friends at Herman Gardens).

Unfortunately, this location did close before the internet age [[which, aside from memory, makes it harder to prove it was there before). Perhaps there's a Phone Book from the late 80s and early 90s that lists the store?

[313WX]

You mean the 14029 block?

Yes, that block [[directly across from Popeyes).

[mtburb]

Your post is a little off. According to a 1998 directory that I forgot I had, the former Woolworth became Tilt Arcade. After Tilt closed a few years later, the front half became Buckle, Bath & Body Works, and Forever 21. The back half of the old Tilt is still vacant.

At the time I wrote that, I thought that Justice was one of the stores the former Woolworth got split into. Anyways, can you post that 1998 directory [[in a PM, if you prefer)? I would like to see what my nearest mall was like during the final years before the turn of the millennium.

[TenPoundHammer]

Yes, that block [[directly across from Popeyes).

Now I'm confused. 14029 is the address I have for the Subway, but looking between Linnhurst and Saratoga, I see Pat's Carburretors at 14025, and an office right next door at 14049, although the sign frame on 14049 looks suspiciously like an old Subway sign. 14029 is the only Subway listed on Gratiot in 1992, so I'm wondering if 14029 is a typo.

The buildings I see directly across from Popeyes, between Fordham and Eastwood, are Valente's Menswear, Traskal Flooring [[14171), a check cashing place, a bike shop, and an African store, none of which appear to have been Subway.

Unfortunately, this location did close before the internet age [[which, aside from memory, makes it harder to prove it was there before). Perhaps there's a Phone Book from the late 80s and early 90s that lists the store?

I didn't think to check under "Ice Cream" for the Dairy Queen locations, but in 1992, the only one listed on East Warren is the current one at 17750.

[mtburb]

And while I'm on the topic of Southland Center, the Sbarro relocated to the then-Borders corridor when the food court was taken out.

[313WX]

Now I'm confused. 14029 is the address I have for the Subway, but looking between Linnhurst and Saratoga, I see Pat's Carburretors at 14025, and an office right next door at 14049, although the sign frame on 14049 looks suspiciously like an old Subway sign. 14029 is the only Subway listed on Gratiot in 1992, so I'm wondering if 14029 is a typo.

The buildings I see directly across from Popeyes, between Fordham and Eastwood, are Valente's Menswear, Traskal Flooring [[14171), a check cashing place, a bike shop, and an African store, none of which appear to have been Subway.

The Subway was where the African Hair Braiding Salon is, at the corner of Gratiot and Fordham. Try searching 14209 Gratiot.

[TenPoundHammer]

The Subway was where the African Hair Braiding Salon is, at the corner of Gratiot and Fordham. Try searching 14209 Gratiot.

That works. The African place comes up as 14205, but it looks like they expanded over time and swallowed up what would've been 14209. I thought I was having a momentary bout of dyslexia, but it really is 14029 in the phone book.

Mtburb — sure, I'll scan the map tomorrow.

ETA:

The Big Kmart on Outer Drive and Sherwood had a Little Caesars Pizza Station. It was shuttered along with the Kmart in the late 1990s.

Did it have full pizza service, or only serve two or three menu items? I'm generally not counting the Kmart based Little Caesars since most of them were below the level of even an "Express" Little Caesars.

[mtburb]

Just checked the Tubby's section and the Wyandotte one has been added, but I notice a huge error: I do [[vaguely) remember both Tubby's and Stroh's in operation simultaneously and Tubby's was actually on the Sycamore Street side of the mini-mall, most likely between the former Sprint store and the former UPS Store [[both have since relocated to Eureka Road addresses).

[313WX]

Did it have full pizza service, or only serve two or three menu items? I'm generally not counting the Kmart based Little Caesars since most of them were below the level of even an "Express" Little Caesars.

Unfortunately, that I can't tell you. I would only get the $.99 slices from there.

[Chinman]

Steak and Ale along with Benegins. Various metro locationsx