Once upon a time, these iconic and almost defunct restaurants were part of a larger chain that was either regional or spread across the entire United States.
Unfortunately, like most good things in life….mismanagement, bad decisions, declining sales & a slew of other reasons were the cause for them to dwindle to just one location, the last man standing if you will.
Just as an FYI, some historical items from these and many other defunct restaurant chains were at one time on display at my Burger Museum in Miami, Florida.
Have you visited any of these iconic restaurant chains? What are your favorite memories of eating there?
Iconic Restaurant Chains Left with 1 Location
Druther’s
Read about them on Wikipedia: Druther’s
Visit the last location:
Druther’s
101 N Columbia Avenue
Campbellsville, KY
(270) 465-3870
Henry’s Hamburgers
Read about Henry’s Hamburgers
Henry’s Hamburgers
1832 M 139
Benton Harbor, MI 49022
(269) 926-6757
Hot ‘N Now
Read about them on Wikipedia: Hot ‘n Now
Visit the last location:
Hot ‘n Now
69310 M 66
Sturgis, MI
(269) 651-1983
Royal Castle
Read about them on Wikipedia: Royal Castle
Visit the last location:
Royal Castle
2700 NW 79th Street
Miami, FL
(305) 696-8241
SAMBO’S
Read about them on Wikipedia: Sambo’s
Visit the last location:
Sambo’s Chad’s Cafe
216 W Cabrillo Boulevard
Santa Barbara, CA
(805) 965-3269
White Tower
Read about them on Wikipedia: White Tower
Visit the last location:
White Tower
1515 W Sylvania Avenue
Toledo, OH
(419) 476-8633
Woolworth’s
Read about them on Wikipedia: Woolworth’s
Visit the last location:
Woolworth Diner at
Five & Dime Antique Mall
1400 19th Street
Bakersfield, CA
(661) 321-0061
GONE FOREVER
Since this article was written in March 2017, we have lost three more last-standing restaurants.
Biff Burger
Read about them on Wikipedia: Biff Burger
Visit the last location:
Biff Burger3939 49th St N
St. Petersburg, FL
(727)-527-5297
Biff Burger closed in November 2021
Howard Johnson’s
Read about them on Wikipedia: Howard Johnson’s
Visit the last location:
Howard Johnson’s2143 U.S. 9
Lake George, New York
(518) 685-3022
Howard Johnson’s closed in June 2022
LUMS
Read about them on Wikipedia: LUMS
Visit the last location:
LUMS511 Fort Crook Rd N Bellevue, NE(402) 733-1646
LUMS closed in May 2017
Check out Ollie’s Trolley instead!
HENRY’s HAMBURGERS
1832 M-139, Benton Harbor, MI 49022
Yes, I’ve been there: https://burgerbeast.com/henrys-hamburgers
But you’re right, I should add them to this post!