Restaurants, when you were a kid

[radhead]

Do you have any funny memories of eating out when you were a kid?

I remember my friend's dad taking me and my brother and my friend and his brother out to the Sizzler. I was in about first grade. He used to take us swimming at a nearby park during the summer and one time he took us out to eat afterwards. I was not a fan of meat at that time so I didn't really care about eating there, but I remember the dad was funny. It was not a regular Sizzler, more like a restaurant. It was popular for years, and now it's a different steak place, even more popular.

I remember eating at a country style restaurant with my family. I don't remember what I ate but my favorite thing was a saltine cracker with butter spread on it. It was so good that I always thought about how I would like to return there. I don't think we ever did.

We went to a local seafood restaurant. I was not a fan of seafood so I ordered a steak. It must have been the most expensive item on the menu. I had just started to enjoy steak, but the one I ordered there tasted "weird" and I didn't like it. My dad and uncle shared it, I think. I ate everything else but the steak. Later on, I remembered the way it tasted and how it seemed really good. It was some kind of wood-smoked flavoring and seasoning that I've never had since. I'm curious what it was.

What about you?

 

[Missing]

Our big thing was when we went to a buffet called Duff's Smorgasbord. It was the best buffet around and was pretty weird/unique in that you basically went up to horshoe shapped buffet servers and the food slowly went around in a circle. They had pretty good food and reasonably priced for the time so there would always be lines all the way out the door on Sunday's after church. There would be lines all the way around the building on holiday Sundays (easter, mother's day, etc). The place still exists, but under another name and they buffet has changed hands and been remodeled. It's still a very vivid memory of my childhood though as we didn't often go out to eat at sit down restaurants and this was considered our special place. Oh and they had the best rolls! When I was a kid, I would get a roll, poke a hole in it and then put some of my mashed potatoes and gravy in the roll and eat it as a sandwich. And yes, everyone in the family always picked on me about it and thought it was the funniest thing.

 

[MaddiesDad]

We had a local called Noah's. Great eatery.

 

[edenvegan]

I remember liking Sizzler because it had a buffet. "All you can eat" for kids is heaven! I also went to CoCo's, and Bob's Big Boy.--It had this huge statue of a boy standing outside the restaurant that people could touch and take pictures of.

 

[radhead]

I remember liking Sizzler because it had a buffet. "All you can eat" for kids is heaven! I also went to CoCo's, and Bob's Big Boy.--It had this huge statue of a boy standing outside the restaurant that people could touch and take pictures of.

We never went to buffets when I was a kid. But we went to cafeterias almost every night.

 

[BeachBlonde]

International House of Pancakes,Dennys,Red Robin. I liked all these places.

 

[JewelInHisCrown]

We used to go to Howard Johnson and Ground Round - that place was great. You could throw popcorn and peanut shells on the floor. And, they used to make kids pay what they weigh to eat. So if you were 60 pounds it would cost my mom 60 cents for me to eat. It was cool. They went out of business in my area.

 

[lucypevensie]

My favorite words when I was a kid were "How about we stop at the Country Kitchen!" or "Perkin's!" (small town) I always ordered hamburgers. Country Kitchen had the best ones, they had some kind of salad dressing on them that I liked. I was in the birthday club and got a free meal on my birthday. They always gave out a token coin each time and I collected them to earn prizes. I still have one one of my Country Kitchen yo-yos.

Then they built a Bonanza steakhouse. For a long time I always ordered a Bonanza burger. But then one time I tried a bite of my mom's Top Sirloin, and from then on I always ordered the Top Sirloin, medium rare.

When we travelled to "The Cities" (that's Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN) I always wanted to stop at this restaurant called "The Jolly Troll". It was a buffet place, but it had all along the walls these cool little statues, miniature houses, and little scenes with animated elves, or trolls, to be more accurate. They made noise, moved, and lit up. It was a little bit creepy, but exciting just the same. My mom hated the food there so we didn't go much.

 

[radhead]

Buffet restaurants should weigh their customers before they entered, and charge them by their weight gain as they left the dining room.

 

[Oblivious]

I used to love going to ShowBiz Pizza (now Chuck E. Cheese). I don't know if they still have them, but back then they had the mechanical animal characters that actually sang to you while you ate. I thought it was sooooo cool!

 

[JPPT1974]

Burger King
McDonalds
Chucky E Cheese Pizza

 

[WWJDT]

Our big thing was when we went to a buffet called Duff's Smorgasbord. It was the best buffet around and was pretty weird/unique in that you basically went up to horshoe shapped buffet servers and the food slowly went around in a circle. They had pretty good food and reasonably priced for the time so there would always be lines all the way out the door on Sunday's after church. There would be lines all the way around the building on holiday Sundays (easter, mother's day, etc). The place still exists, but under another name and they buffet has changed hands and been remodeled. It's still a very vivid memory of my childhood though as we didn't often go out to eat at sit down restaurants and this was considered our special place. Oh and they had the best rolls! When I was a kid, I would get a roll, poke a hole in it and then put some of my mashed potatoes and gravy in the roll and eat it as a sandwich. And yes, everyone in the family always picked on me about it and thought it was the funniest thing.

I remember Duff's. I like it too. But I have a bad memory of that place. I remember my mother commmenting on how much food that this skinny woman was eating. Later my mom went to the bathrrom and said that the woman was throwing up and that she "must be bulemic". You should have seen her table. She was by herself and had huge stacks of plates everywhere.

But i really liked their rolls too!! I used to dip them in sour cream. MMMMM!

 

[WWJDT]

I used to love going to ShowBiz Pizza (now Chuck E. Cheese). I don't know if they still have them, but back then they had the mechanical animal characters that actually sang to you while you ate. I thought it was sooooo cool!

I loved Showbiz!!! But my brother used to hide from Billy Bob. I still don't know why my parents took him to that place for his birthday when he was so freaked out by that bear.

 

[edenvegan]

I used to love going to ShowBiz Pizza (now Chuck E. Cheese). I don't know if they still have them, but back then they had the mechanical animal characters that actually sang to you while you ate. I thought it was sooooo cool!

Oh Chuck E. Cheese is definitely still around. They still have those talking/singing statues, plus an arcade area with semi-rides---the kind where you drop in a token and the car shakes a little bit. (It gives kids the impression that they are driving.) It's all coming back to me now...

 

[Ragedy]

My children's favorite restaurant is Bugaboo Creek. It is a steak house with a singing buffalo head on the wall. Then on another wall is a talking moosehead. All around the restaurant are animals popping out of things or fish flapping their tails as they are mounted on a trophy plaque on the wall. My kids sing the songs for days after we go.
But as a child, my favorite place to was a local drive in called Crosby's. It is still around and I now take my kds there too. They still make the best bacon cheeseburgers around.

 

[newbeliever02072005]

Do you have any funny memories of eating out when you were a kid?

I remember my friend's dad taking me and my brother and my friend and his brother out to the Sizzler.....>.

I was a waitress for Sizzler's restaurant. I really enjoyed working there. Customers were nice, tips were good, and it was fun to hang out with the workers after hours during clean up. We always had a great time.

Don't really remember any specific situations that made me laugh or was funny. Mom and dad didn't really get to take us out much. Money was tight. When we did go it was usually to Burger King. We would be so excited when dad would pull into the parking lot.

 

[Oblivious]

Oh Chuck E. Cheese is definitely still around. They still have those talking/singing statues...

They do? Cool!

I wouldn't mind "revisiting" one again (there's several in town). I'll need to borrow a friend's kid or something; I'd feel really stupid going there by myself!

 

[JPPT1974]

I also love Sonny's Bar-bar-que!

 

[Veiled Viper]

They do? Cool!

I wouldn't mind "revisiting" one again (there's several in town). I'll need to borrow a friend's kid or something; I'd feel really stupid going there by myself!

Nah,you can go by yourself or take a date!They have lots of video games and such.
Just bring earplugs!!

 

[HisJavajunkie]

Yeah, I loved ShowBiz/Chuck E Cheese. That was fun for a early birthday party. I also enjoyed McDonald's.