Where middle class families may have eaten out at before TGIFs, Applebees, etc

[ls1mike]

My dad worked two jobs when I was growing up (I was born in Nov 1974). I grew up in Upstate New York and we had a few places like the author described. The big one was La Conca d'oro an awesome little Italian joint with authentic food. It was always such a treat. We had a ton of little mom and pop joints. Also awesome diners! The other two places my dad liked were Ponderosa Steak House and Beefsteak Charlie's, kids paid what they weighed and all you could eat peel and eat shrimp. Oh and of course the sit down Pizza Hut with the pan Pizza and salad bar. Those days are gone.

 

[Kira]

The number of distinct, standalone restaurants I've seen go by......
I should list them and commiserate with my siblings.

 

[loneryder]

Earlier today I came across this post on Facebook from Jim Pataleno (I have no idea who he is). His post did bring back memories of how local mom and pop restaurants were the standard for families occasionally eating out in the 1960s/1970s.

I have posted before- the key to the return of Mom and Pop restaurants is to bring a free market to healthcare. No way a Mom and Pop restaurant can afford healthcare insurance. Free market healthcare would also spurn huge growth in all small businesses. I digress.

Anyways- here is Jim Pataleno's post:

"Last night we went to dinner in a local Italian restaurant. It wasn’t fancy but it was still a step up from the neighborhood places we went to as kids.

Money was tight back then. My father worked two jobs to pay the bills. Sometimes he had a good day at the track, and he would treat us to dinner at a local Italian restaurant. These were storefront places with green awnings and neon signs in the windows. Many had started out as pizzerias and made the leap to family restaurants. Usually there was a plaster statue of a smiling pizza baker in the window. Every Brooklyn neighborhood had at least one. They looked pretty much the same...red checked tablecloths, candles in straw covered Chianti bottles, and signed pictures of Italian singers on the walls. They were like the place where Michael Corleone took out Sollozzo and the crooked cop in The Godfather.

They were usually family-owned and friendly. As a kid I remember feeling important when the Maitre ‘d greeted my father by name. The menu was not much different from place to place. Chicken Parm and Eggplant Rollatini were big sellers always served with warm bread and a side of spaghetti big enough for three. Most of them had a Prix Fixe deal that came with salad, entrée and dessert. There was rarely a wine list. They served jug red and jug white, poured into a carafe to add a touch of class. With dessert came coffee, either brown (American) or black (espresso). The owner would bring a bottle of inexpensive anisette and, with a grand gesture, leave it at the table.

The bill for four of us probably came to less than a decent appetizer on today’s menus. My dad had a little Ralph Kramden in him and tipped an extra dollar to show what a big shot he was. (My mom must have frowned knowing for that dollar she could have put a dinner on the table of pasta and lentils.) In an age when modern-day kids grow up eating in restaurants, they will never know what a big deal that was for us. There were no doggie bags then. We cleaned our plates and walked home in the cold night air, warmed by the good food in our bellies.

What I would give for one more of those family dinners. "

View attachment 248603

In regards to privately owned restaurants back then, you never knew what you were going to get. If you were traveling it was hit or miss. That's one reason when McDonalds came on the scene, travelers knew what they were going to get. It was consistent. I think that is one reason its popularity grew. These days mom and pops places are pretty good. They have to compete with the chains. I seek them out.

 

[Cheetah-kins]

Actually many mom and pops still exist. My wife and I eat at them most of the time we go out, which isn't super often since I do all our cooking. But they're definitely out there - Mex, Italian, Indian, etc. They're not super hard to find but you have to put in more effort than just rolling up to a typical mediocre chain like Ruby Tuesday or TGIF, etc.

Not all chains are bad btw -Cheescake Factory is quite good, imo. As is Maggianos. I would happily eat at either of those restaurants anytime.

 

[BISCUT]

In the late '50s, on the farm in South Dakota eating out was the church social on Saturday night. When we moved to the city it was McDonalds.

More than once I got to hit the local Legion Post #229!!! with my grandfather for a spaghetti & meatball social! I ended up getting to play Legion Baseball at an early age for the very same Post. I have vivid memories of those really (to me) old Vet's drinking and laughing like they were 30, playing cribbage, and the stories I heard blew my mind at 10 years old. That was as close as my grandfather ever got to getting away!!! Good reason they made over 70 years married.

 

[walterjay]

Olive Garden is fairly decent.

 

[himemsys]

Coco's was a favorite for our family to go out to in SoCal when I was a kid (in the 80s, I was born in 69). I have no idea if they're around anymore. I live in the midwest now. I do remember their fried zucchini was amazing and they had a sourdough cheeseburger that was really good!

 

[53' Stude]

We loved going to HOSS’s restaurant. I don’t go to Applebees or TGIF


I mainly go to primanti brothers

 

[Nukeman7]

We loved going to HOSS’s restaurant. I don’t go to Applebees or TGIF


I mainly go to primanti brothers

Do I have to ask if you want fries IN your sandwich??? LOL

 

[mr_boring]

Steak & Ale baybay!


I was travelling for work in Texas the last time I saw one, had to have been 20 years ago. I had to stop for nostalgias sake. I was quite disappointed. I can remember being 8 or 9 and we stopped at one, I thought it was like where the Queen of England might have gone for dinner. I was pretty sure that the one I stopped in was last cleaned when I was 8 or 9.......

 

[Torrid]

His description reminds me of a place I grew up with in the 90s. Clear down to the decor with the statue of the baker. Their's was right at the front door holding a pizza box with their logo on it. It stayed a mostly pizza place and didn't try to go fancy at all, but there were a number of pasta dishes. Last I heard it was still going strong. I haven't lived in that area in 15 years but I still talk to friends that go there a couple times a month. It might be a small town in Illinois, but to this day I have fond memories of that pizza.

It was all family owned and ran which is probably how they'd still be surviving with healthcare changes. I doubt they employ anyone outside immediate family.

 

[wings&wheels]

if you don't mind me asking, where did you grow up? there was a "famous" polynesian place in Columbus, OH, that shut down sometime in the 90's ( August of 2000, thanks Wikipedia!) i think, but, in name at least, some of their food lives on in the Freezer section at the Grocery store.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahiki_Supper_Club

huh...never knew EXACTLY where it was... turns out i've been past it's site a 100 times, it's right around the corner from my buddy's house. last i was down there, we went to the Popeyes right next to the former kahiki site... the site is currently the Goodwill on Broad St. across from Lowes.

there are still 2 Arthur Treacher's open up around Cleveland, and if i remember correctly, they are planning on opening more.
when i was a boy, we used to frequent RAX. it was an Arby's adjacent( not related) roast beef chain. I think there's still a few in operation down into Appalachia. ( last one I saw was in Athens, OH in the early 2000's while my HS friends were attending Ohio University.

Eastern Massachusetts and Northern RI....

 

[joekingcorvette]

We very rarely ever went out to eat however once in a while we would go to a bowling alley and they had an excellant buffet and it was called Walt and Mary's. We would hit McDonald's about 1 time per year and it was a real big deal to go there as kids. My mom was an awesome cook and her food was much better than anything in the restaurant's. My folks never believed in taking 7 kids out to eat because it was so expensive in the 60's and 70's. To this day I don't really like eating out that much and would rather make great meals at home on my Weber Genesis grill, Yoder smoker and Big Green Egg.

 

[02SE]

Growing up, the folks were struggling financially. So eating out didn't happen. The one exception was once a year my moms parents would take the family out to a local buffet.

 

[earlyre]

Eastern Massachusetts and Northern RI....

ok... so not kahiki...

 

[FordSVTGuy]

Growing up in the 70s and 80s, my parents couldn’t afford to take our family of 7 out too often. It was usually a pizza place or Roy Roger’s. We lived in SE Pennsylvania.

 

[wpod]

I avoid chain/franchise restaurant's at they usually have the lowest quality food at the highest prices.

 

[y_p_w]

As a kid with parents who were somewhat frugal, our thing was a few local places that had coupon specials from mailers. These days most people ignore coupons in the mail, but back then there could be some really good deals. I remember a local pizza place. I think it was a chain, but a fairly small one. And a regional steakhouse chain with cafeteria style service other than ordering the steak at the register.

However, a lot of big casual dining places have specials that seem fairly reasonable. Chili's with 3 for Me starting at $10.99. Applebee's with a $9.99 special with a drink. And now Buffalo Wild Wings with a $19.99 special for two with two entrees, two sides, and two drinks. However, I'm thinking many of these hope that their customers will buy alcohol.

 

[4WD]

Parents worked 6 days/week … DQ or a diner once in a while …
No big chains around the small towns …
Aunt/Uncle owned a pharmacy and she had a grill doing burgers only - my favorite place bcs I didn’t have to pay

 

[RhondaHonda]

My family almost exclusively goes to locally owned restaurants for dinners. We still have a bunch and they all beat the pre-cooked junk at Applebees, Fridays, Chilis, etc.

We do hit Chick Fil A, Chipotle, Qdoba and other places for lunch if out and about between kids’ activities.