NathanWetson’s
The famous slogan of this fast-food chain was “Look for the Orange Circles,” and “Buy a bagful.” This was at par with that of McDonald’s (“Look for the Golden Arches”) and White Castle’s (“Buy ‘em by the sack”). Wetson’s had mascots that looked like the McDonald’s famous clown Ronald McDonald plus the colors and odd architecture was similar to Whataburger. It had to be shut down in 1975 after a business merge took place with Nathan Famous.
Childs
Childs, the restaurant chain that opened up in the US and Canada was opened in New York City in the year 1889. The name came from its founder Samuel Childs. The company enjoyed huge success in the 1920s and 1930s. Childs opened 125 different locations and would give out 50 million meals each year. They went bankrupt when the 1940s came and eventually transformed to Hotel Corporation of America. In the ’60s, they sold the restaurant to different companies.
Naugles
Naugles, the Tex-Mex restaurant chain was established in Southern California back in 1970 in Riverside. Their slogan was “Prepare food fresh. Serve customers fast. Keep the place clean!” It seemed like the perfect restaurant for anyone who loves fast food. But then the chain merged with the Del Taco chain of restaurants, and later switched from Naugles to Del Taco. There are two of them still open in Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach, California.
Casa Bonita
Anyone would agree that the best times in the late ’60s was spent at Casa Bonita which was opened at a few select locations. Casa Bonita, the Mexican restaurant served food and entertainment coining it “eatertainment.” Casa Bonita was opened in Oklahoma City and Tulsa plus in Lakewood, Colorado. The one in Lakewood is still in business and now had a different name.
Chi-Chi’s
Chi-Chi’s was opened in the year 1975 and as of March 1995, there were 210 locations that were in business across the country. The Mexican restaurant had the slogan “A celebration of food,” which was changed to “Life always needs a little salsa.” The company went down with a bang after a Hepatitis A outbreak took over one of the locations where 4 people died. Chi Chi is still in business in Belgium, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.
House of Pies
The Original House of Pies was a restaurant chain that had been established in the year 1965. They served a variety of pies that you could not resist. Unfortunately, in 1986, the franchise had to file for bankruptcy after being able to sustain good business. The House of Pies was opened by Al Lapin Jr., who also owns International House of Pancakes. There are a few of them open in Houston and Los Angeles areas.