[[{“value”:”If you are one of those people who starts conversations with “back in the good old days,” you probably remember how good going out to breakfast used to be. What was golden age breakfast really like? Well, for one, it was cheap. One big reason people loved going out for a morning meal was that it was a bargain compared to lunch and dinner. The portions were also huge, and meals were made from scratch and cooked to order. But most of all, restaurants had identities, and even the chains felt original. Did you grow up during the golden age of American dining? If yes, you probably remember these 5 breakfast chains.
Howard Johnson’s
With its orange roof, Howard Johnson’s was once the largest and most beloved restaurant chain in the country. The roadside staple peaked in popularity during the 1960s and 1970s with over 1,000 locations, and was a favorite of diners across the country. CEO Howard B. “Bud” Johnson sold the company to Imperial Group (a British tobacco company) in 1979 for $630 million, and it suddenly became more corporate. Five years later, Imperial sold the brand to Marriott for about half the price, and Howard Johnson Hotels was born. The final Howard Johnson’s restaurant in Lake George, N.Y. closed in 2022. “I loved thier pancakes!” a Facebooker recently recalled. “Loved that restaurant when I was a young kid in the 1960s. Wish it was still around,” another added. “I loved Howard Johnson! It was a Sunday ritual to have breakfast there after church. I always liked pancakes bacon scrambled eggs and hash,” a third said.
Uncle John’s Pancake House
Jack and Anne Holder launched Uncle John’s Pancake House in California in 1957. Jack Holder was a World War II veteran with franchise experience after opening a Dairy Queen in Oregon in 1948. The Holder family sold the Dairy Queen before opening Uncle John’s Pancake House in Santa Clara, California, which proved successful. The franchise continued to expand outside California, and at one point, dozens of Uncle John’s Pancake House restaurants operated across the country. It offered a wide range of pancakes and waffles, including potato pancakes, Iowa corn pancakes, and date-nut waffles. As of June 2025, three restaurants bearing the Uncle John’s name exist in the United States. Two are in Northern California and are a reboot of the original, while a third, the real deal, is in Toledo, Ohio, and owned by Sal Tubeileh, who bought the restaurant in 2012. Popular breakfast items are the silver dollar pancakes, Florentine eggs Benedict, and strawberry crepes.
Toddle House
Toddle House was a national quick-service restaurant chain that specialized in breakfast but was open 24/7. The restaurants had an iconic look resembling a small brick cottage, painted white with a blue roof. Inside there were no tables, just a row of 10 stools at a stainless-steel counter. And get this: Payment was an honor system, where customers deposited checks for the correct amount in a glass box by the door on their way out. At one point there were more than 300 restaurants. And here’s a fun fact: Joe Rogers Sr., a regional manager of the Toddle House chain, left the chain and started Waffle House.
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Royal Canadian Pancake House
Royal Canadian Pancake House was a smaller chain around New York City and Miami, famous for its giant sourdough pancake stacks. The first restaurant opened in Tribeca (New York City), followed by Midtown Manhattan, the Upper West Side, Gramercy, and a location with a “Womlette House” concept in Miami Beach, Florida. “That was my first Restaurant job when i went to Newcomers High School. Bus Boy. Coffee refills. SYrup refills. Clean tables. They had giant french toast. Tons of cheap syrup. Pancakes the size of pizzas. Free chocolate chip cornbread for the tables. 45-60$ a shift in 1998. plus free old womlette with cheese. Sketchy French owners,” a Redditor said. “The warm chocolate chip cornbread was the best part!” another added. “I remember the 18″ pancakes. Complete overkill,” another said.
Wag’s
Once upon a time, Walgreens had restaurants. “Wag’s Restaurants was a chain of family-style restaurants owned by Walgreens in the 1970s and 1980s. They were modeled after restaurants like Shoney’s and Denny’s, offering inexpensive fare like burgers and breakfast. Walgreens initially had in-store restaurants, which eventually led to freestanding Wag’s restaurants,” says a Facebooker. The last Wag’s was sold to Marriott Corporation in 1988, and closed in 1991. “Their Spanish omelette was the BEST!” wrote a fan. “My husband and I stopped in around 12-1am the night (morning) after our wedding reception. Him in his tux and I in my wedding dress. I had a hankering for their French toast with strawberries and a good old fashioned French dip!” another added. “Best omelets around,” a third agreed.
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