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 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.
The All American Burger a regional American fast-food restaurant chain founded in 1968 in Los Angeles by Aaron Binder and made famous in the movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High; The last location, in Hollywood, was replaced by a Chipotle in 2010.
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
G.D. Ritzy's chain with a 1950s diner theme that specialized in hamburgers, sandwiches, salads, and homemade ice cream; founded in 1980 by former Wendy's executive Graydon Webb in Columbus, Ohio; at one time had 120 locations, but only 3 or 4 franchises remained open in Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia after the company liquidated by 1991
G.W. JrsOwned by Church's, by 1982, the company would operate 62 of these restaurants in Texas. J. David Bamberger served as Church's president on an interim basis until he was able to lure Richard F. Sherman away from the Hardees restaurant chain. Efforts were also made to grow the G.W. Jrs. chain, but management soon gave up on the concept, exiting the burger market in 1985.
Heap Big Beef chain serving roast beef sandwiches that was launched in the mid-1960s. Franchises International solicited franchisees through ads in national publications such as Life and through classified ads in local newspapers. The restaurants used an American Indian theme and a distinctive A-frame building. Several restaurants were built in various locations across the United States, but the chain was apparently out of business by the early 1970s.
Hill's Snappy Service hamburger restaurant founded in 1925 in Trenton, Missouri. National chain especially strong in the Midwest.Ray Kroc expressed interest in partnering with founder Paul C. Hill.
Milligan's Beefy Burgers opened in Starke, Florida in 1942 and sold 450,000 hamburgers during its first year of operation. In 1950 it expanded to Jacksonville, Florida with two locations and by 1967 had 10 locations in that city. All locations had closed by the end of 1974.
Shrimp Boat – chain of seafood restaurants that grew to 95 stores in the southeast, based in Macon, Georgia, 1955–1974; seven independent stores still exist in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina
Taco Viva chain serving Mexican style fare in the late 1960s and through the 1980s. At its peak there were 85 restaurants located in 11 states ranging from South Florida to as far north as Dayton, Ohio. While the menu was similar to Taco Bell it was different enough to draw a substantial fan base.
Tops Drive Inn chain of drive-in restaurants located in the Washington, D.C., area. The first opened in Arlington, Virginia, in 1953, and the chain grew to 18 locations. Tops also held the franchise rights to Kentucky Fried Chicken in the Washington region. Tops merged with Gino's Hamburgers in 1967 and its restaurants were subsequently sold or rebranded.
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.
Winky's a Pittsburgh institution in the 1960s and 1970s that filed for bankruptcy in 1982
