A number of once-thriving restaurant chains refuse to die. Some, like The Ground Round, almost went out of business, but are now back to growth under a new owner.
Others have become like Blockbuster Video, a chain which has a single U.S. location left, relics of the past that just won't die. Some of these are regional favorites and it's possible the exact number has changed for some of the chains (and former chains) on this list.
Once-thriving restaurant chains with fewer than 5 locations
- Ground Round: Now down to fewer than five locations nationwide (once a major family dining chain).
- Sticky Fingers BBQ: 4 locations remain across SC and TN.
- Rax Roast Beef: Once 500+ units, now only 6 restaurants left (slightly over 5 but close).
- Quincy’s Steakhouse: 2 locations (Florence, SC and Monroe, NC).
- Mister Donut: Just 1 U.S. location (Godfrey, IL), though the brand thrives internationally.
- Kuku Hamburger: 1 location survives in Miami, OK.
- Heidi’s Pies: 1 location (San Mateo, CA).
- Royal Castle: 1 location (Miami, FL).
- Wiener King: 1 location (Mansfield, OH).
- Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips: Once 800+ locations, now down to just 4 restaurants.
Another chain that belongs on that list is Bickford's Family Restaurant, a New England staple that has slowly gone from powerhouse to almost extinct. This was a classic breakfast-all-day chain that also offered burgers, liver and onions, and meatloaf, among other diner-style classics.
It was one of just a few sit-down restaurants in my hometown of Swampscott, Mass and it's biggest draw was having a huge smoking section. Half the restaurant was smoking and the other half non-smoking, so your choices were “engulfed in smoke,” or “pretty smoky.”
Image source: Shutterstock
Bickford's has a deep history
As a kid, a Bickford's breakfast, usually with mother, brother, and grandmother counted as a treat. It wasn't quite the treat Friendly's was (they had ice cream) but it was the first place I had a chocolate chip pancake or a pig in a blanket.
The chain has deep roots in New England and a beginning so folksy, it seems fake:
Bickford’s history dates back to the 1920’s when Samuel Bickford opened his first Bickford’s cafeteria. Throughout the next 40 years, Sam, and eventually his son, Harold, worked to expand their cafeteria chain throughout the Northeast and into California. However, it was not until 1959 that Harold introduced a new concept to New England, the first Bickford’s Pancake House – the first such specialty restaurant in New England which opened in Peabody, Massachusetts in October, 1959. The concept was a huge success.
And, for many years, the chain was a massive success growing steadily while also expanding its menu offerings.
Over the next three decades, Bickford’s Pancake House chain slowly grew to include 30 restaurants throughout New England and became a family restaurant that focused on breakfast, along with lunch and dinner offerings. In the 1990’s the number grew to almost 70 and it continued to be known as a great New England breakfast tradition. At that time the menu expanded to include fresh turkey, roasted daily in the restaurants, which is used for the turkey club sandwich, hot open faced turkey sandwich and our traditional turkey dinner. These are still some of the all- time favorites on our menu.
Source: Bickford's
From its height of roughly 85 locations, Bickford's has shrunk to its one remaining restaurant.
The chain's slow death can't be blamed on any one thing, but it has been hurt by many of the things that have forced other chains to close.
“Consumers continue to deal with rising inflation and higher prices. In response to higher menu prices, consumers typically trade down to lower-priced items, cut back on the number of items ordered, or reduce restaurant visits altogether.” NPD Group Food Industry Advisor told SeafoodSource.
These trends likely contributed to the decline of family-style chains like Bickford’s, which struggled to retain diners in a changing market.
A timeline of Bickford's Family Restaurant:
- Historically, Bickford's began as a cafeteria-style chain in the 1920s and expanded to about 85 locations through mid-century
- In October 1959, they shifted to the Bickford’s Pancake House concept. This grew slowly over three decades to around 30 restaurants, then peaked in the mid-1990s at nearly 70 locations across New England.
- The decline followed suit:
- By 2016, four locations remained: Brockton, Burlington, Woburn, and Acton (Family Restaurant).
- Late 2018: Brockton closed, leaving only Acton, Burlington, and Woburn.
- July 2020: Acton closed, leaving just Burlington and Woburn.
- October 2024: Woburn closed, leaving only the Burlington location by early 2025.
“From the 1960s until 1982, the original Bickford's, Inc. saw a significant decline in business attributed to a rise in labor costs, an increase in the crime rate and a cessation of the night business,” shared Restaurant Ware Collectors, a website that sells place settings from closed restaurants.
Related: Popular Hamburger Chain Unexpectedly Closes Most Locations
A post on a local message board shares more of the story from a customer point of view,
“It happened when Bickford's decided to rebrand themselves as ‘Bickford's Grille' with the stupid E on the end of the name and everything. That was in 2003, I think. Giving up the 24-hour schedule also sunk 'em. I remember the first time I went over to the Woburn Bickford's late at night and found that they were closing for the evening. What the hell, people? Bickford's isn't supposed to close,” Splatch posted.
Chris Devers echoed part of that message.
“And, yes, from the experience of me and anyone else I can think of, they had exactly two branches of their clientele: [1] people coming in for breakfast after church, and [2] people coming in late at night after everything else had closed,” he wrote.
