[[{“value”:”Golden Age roadside chains were a side-of-the road staple back in the day. Whether you were on a road trip or driving around your own town, these conveniently located chains served comfort food in a cozy diner setting. Unfortunately, they are now just a piece of nostalgia. Did you grow up in the golden age of American dining? If you remember these 5 roadside chains, then yes.
Howard Johnson’s
With its trademark orange roof, Howard Johnson’s was once the largest restaurant chain in the US. The roadside staple peaked in popularity during the 1960s and 1970s, with over 1,000 locations, and became a nationwide favorite. CEO Howard B. “Bud” Johnson sold the company to Imperial Group (a British tobacco company) in 1979 for $630 million; it became more corporate. Just 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.
Horne’s
Horne’s, the yellow-roofed roadside diner, first opened in Port Royal, Washington, in 1960 as a single, family-owned restaurant on A.P. Hill Boulevard. By 1956, the chain had 17 locations across 8 states, and by 1963 it had 44 units. It peaked at 60 restaurants in 1965, many on major highways and open 24 hours a day. The last company-owned store closed in 1982. Port Royal is the last one remaining and is still thriving in the same building.
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, like a small brick cottage painted white with a blue roof. Inside, there were no tables, just 10 stools along 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, more than 300 restaurants existed. Fun fact: Joe Rogers Sr., a regional manager for the Toddle House chain, left and started Waffle House. “I waitressed there for a year or so!!! Had great honey butter and lots of truckers!” a Facebooker says. “I worked there till the day they closed, as their kitchen manager. They had really good food. It was really messed up because the owner passed away. His son closed them all down within a few months. Still some of the old buildings along the interstates around the country,” another adds.
RELATED: If You Remember These 5 Diner Chains, You Grew Up in the Golden Age of American Dining
Biff Burger
Biff Burger, short for “Best in Fast Food,” was an American fast-food burger chain founded in 1956 by brothers Bruce and Earl Brane in Clearwater, Florida. The burger-centric restaurant was known for its “Roto-Red Broiler,” which used an upper rotisserie rack to cook beef patties while lower racks toasted buns with dripping juices, then dipped the burger in a special spice sauce. The chain had hundreds of locations across the Southeastern United States and Canada in the late 1950s and 1960s, but financial troubles set in by the 1970s, and the chain closed locations nationwide by the 1980s. The last Biff Burger in St. Petersburg, Florida) permanently closed on December 7, 2021. However, a historic spin-off, Beef Burger, continues operating in Greensboro, North Carolina. “Worked there from ’81 to ’83. Was definitely the best fast food on the strip! The roto-broiler made great burgers. Plus the sauce obviously!” a Facebooker recalls. “Best place ever! We went there every Friday night,” another says.
Wag’s
Once upon a time, Walgreens had restaurants named Wag’s, short for Walgreens. “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. “My first waitress job when I was 18 was at Wags in Carol Stream Il. when they first opened. Tuesday was kids eat free night with entertainment sometimes with the Little People. The mascot was Waggles the racoon and I had to wear the costume a few times waving to people driving by,” a Facebooker says. “Their Spanish omelette was the BEST!” a fan added “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.
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