Some folks say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So, why not head straight to one of the local restaurant chains when your tummy starts grumbling? Whether you like the early-bird specials, convenience, or family-friendly atmosphere, there’s a lot to like about casual restaurants that serve scrumptious morning eats. There are plenty of breakfast chains that you’re about to see everywhere. There are also some beloved kitchens that seem to be on their last legs.
Many brands sprouted from humble beginnings and have persevered for decades. Sadly, it seems to us that some of the most popular places to kickstart your day have been disappearing from main streets across the country. And they have. From bankruptcies and corporate rebranding to increased competition, some of our favorite haunts to grab an a.m. bite have dramatically scaled back their operations from their glory days. Well, maybe we can stir up a revival. Let’s put a fork in these seven classic breakfast chains that barely exist anymore.
Bakers Square
Bakers Square is a breakfast-focused chain with roots in Des Moines, Iowa. This charming and friendly casual eatery has been around since 1970 when it started out as a modest soup and sandwich shop called Mrs. C’s. Pillsbury Company decided to get into the restaurant business and purchased the shop, renaming it Poppin’ Fresh Pies and expanding to multiple locations. While the business has changed hands a few times over the last 50 or so years, it was new proprietor Vicorp Restaurants Inc. that added breakfast to the menu (alongside its famous pies, of course) when it purchased the restaurant chain in 1983 and renamed it Bakers Square. The corporation amassed 143 venues during its heyday in 2006, but it seemed like the brand hit a brick wall around 2009 when the company had lost nearly half its portfolio of restaurants.
When BBQ Holdings took over the shrinking breakfast chain in 2021, it sat at just 14 locations. While the Famous Dave’s owner had big expansion plans in 2022 through its innovative concept of ghost kitchens, the holding company’s forward focus was sadly focused only on pies, not breakfast. You can still find Bakers Square locations selling crusty pastries in 19 states, from Arizona to Wisconsin, but its all-day breakfast menu is much harder to track down. Today, there are just seven Midwest venues where you can still grab a breakfast griddle favorite, such as its heavenly chocolate hazelnut banana crêpes.
Friendly’s
Friendly’s has been the go-to place for many a griddle groupie over the years, but it didn’t always have its Lumberjack Breakfast on the menu. Brothers Prestley and Curtis Blake founded Friendly (the apostrophe “s” wasn’t added until 1989) in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1935 but not as the family-style restaurant you know and love today. Almost a century ago it was a small neighborhood ice cream shop, and it took the nostalgic chain five years to expand beyond ice cream and add other food to the menu…