Keeping a restaurant alive is no easy feat. Tastes change, neighborhoods evolve, costs rise, and new competition is always around the corner. So when a restaurant manages to stick around for four, five, or even six generations while remaining in the same family, it’s worth paying attention.
Some of these restaurants opened before cars were a common sight on American streets. Antoine’s has been in the same extended family since 1840, while the Breitbach family has owned its Iowa restaurant since 1862. Others, like Superdawg in Chicago and Casa Vega in Los Angeles, are relative newcomers but have still managed to become multigenerational institutions.
From recipes passed down through families to dining rooms that look like they belong to another era, here are 16 family-owned restaurants that have survived for generations.
Antoine’s Restaurant
New Orleans, Louisiana…