This is a list of defunct fast-food chains. A restaurant chain is a set of related restaurants with the same name in many different locations that are either under shared corporate ownership (e.g., McDonald's in the U.S.) or franchising agreements. Typically, the restaurants within a chain are built to a standard format through architectural prototype development and offer a standard menu and/or services.
Carrols – chain in western New York State and Pennsylvania with 150 stores at its peak in the 1960s; featured the Club Burger and sold popular Looney Tunes drinking glasses[1]
Doggie Diner – Doggie Diner was a small fast food restaurant chain serving hot dogs and hamburgers in San Francisco and Oakland, California that operated from 1948 to 1986, owned by Al Ross.
Howard Johnson's was the largest restaurant chain in the U.S. throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with more than 1,000 combined company-owned and franchised outlets.[2] Today, the chain is defunct—after dwindling down to one location, the last Howard Johnson's restaurant (in Lake George, New York) closed in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
Judy's Home Style Hamburgers & Fixins identical in all aspects to Wendy's with blue being the main color instead of the red of Wendy's. Mascot was named for a girl Judy. Lawsuit from Dave Thomas of Wendy's shut the franchise down [4]
Kenny Rogers Roasters still active outside the USA but no American franchisees exist today.
Naugles – acquired by Del Taco in 1988;[5] all locations were closed or converted by 1995; fans and new investors attempted to revive the brand in 2015[6]
Ollie's Trolleys (Australia) - fried chicken chain founded in 1967, sold its 32 mostly regional Victorian restaurants to KFC in 1990.[7][8] Not associated with the American Ollie's Trolley chain.
Wimpy Grills – founded in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1934, it eventually grew to 25 locations within the United States and 1,500 outside of the US. The international locations were eventually sold to J. Lyons and Co. in the United Kingdom, which remains open, while all of the American locations eventually closed by 1978.[13][14][15][16]
Winky's – a Pittsburgh institution in the 1960s and 1970s that filed for bankruptcy in 1982[17]
