Ode to franchises of yesteryear

People have strong feelings about their favorite dishes from restaurant chains. I am thankful to all those who poured their hearts out on the subject on Jane & Michael Stern’s ever-fascinating Roadfood forums. I have excerpted the following wistful memories from “Long-gone regional franchises” which took on a life of its own and ran for years. After each snippet is the pertinent chain restaurant.

— The burgers were awesome, the onion rings superb and the soda cold. [Charco’s]

— Oh, those hot dogs steamed in beer. [Lums]

— Loved those frosty mugs of root beer and Big Boy hamburgers! [A&W]

— I went for the Ollie Burger. They bought the sauce from “Ollie’s Trolley.” [Lums]

— Shrimp salad. Chili spaghetti size. Navy bean soup. [Bob’s Big Boy]

— Frothy orange drinks and orange chili dogs. [Orange Julius]

— Tuesday night 10-cent “Coney Island Dogs.” [A&W]

— Orange colored cheese on their cheeseburgers, not the pale yellow stuff of today. [Wetson’s]

— The Cheese Frenchies were unique. [King’s Food Host]

— They also had a Tuna Frenchie, a Hot Dog Frenchie. [King’s Food Host]

— Greasy fish and plank-style chips. [Arthur Treacher’s]

— Orange drink with pulp in it. Tuna sandwiches. What fast food chain would have a tuna sandwich today? [Chock Full O’Nuts]

— How exotic it was to have a sandwich on a bagel. [Bagel Nosh]

— Good hot dogs. Never touched, cooks used plastic gloves. [Chock Full O’Nuts]

— My first straight cut fry. [Wetson’s]

— I remember eating and loving my first Apple Fritter there! [Hamburg Heaven]

— Coffee and Apple Fritters (hush-puppy shaped apples in dough, deep-fried and powdered sugar coated). [Dutch Pantry]

— Pickles, diced onion, relish, mustard, ketchup and mayo were all available. [25 Cent Hamburger]

— Yummmm. A cheeseburger with ham and barbecue sauce. [Roy Rogers]

— Broasted chicken and french fries with a sweet sauce to die for. [Arctic Circle]

— I can remember stopping in for a soft drink and a basket of crumbs. [Squire Jacks]

— Ketchup was free. The fries weren’t like the “wavy,” half-fried or quick fried potatoes of today’s ilk. [Toot ‘n Tell]

— I haven’t had the heart to stop in and see if they still had Strawberry Pie. [Big Boy]