10 American Restaurant Chains That Are Now Defunct (10 That Are On Their Last Leg)

It’s hard to imagine popular chains disappearing when they’re at peak success. Then it happens and they’re forgotten in a flash. Only pictures of these failed chains may be enough to unearth hidden pockets of nostalgia.

Now that modern technology has dealt a huge blow to some of the oldest restaurants in the game, it’s about time for another mass extinction to come around. Though not every failure can be blamed on innocent inventions. In many of the cases that’ll be discussed today, the competition just got too tough. Or management committed massive amounts of self-sabotage.

Let’s take a look at 10 chains that have already failed and 10 that are on their way out. Patterns may reveal which chain is next to go.

20 Kenny Rogers Roasters now belongs to a Malaysian conglomerate

This rotisserie chicken chain founded by country singer Kenny Rogers ended up selling best on the other side of the world. Grunge reports that the last U.S. restaurant closed down in 2011. Since then, the restaurants have spread all throughout Asia from the Philippines to Dubai.

Today reported that 50 items didn't make the cut when Chili's decided to narrow its focus to ribs, burgers, and fajitas. The change was one of several attempts made to slow the chain’s decline after franchises were forced to close. Three years later, Chili’s is still headed downhill.

18 Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour is the latest casualty

This one may be hard for some California locals to hear since the chain shuttered its last store less than a year ago. The quirky ice cream shop with its old school theme and interactive staff brings back childhood memories for many. There’s no replacing this kind of chain.

17 Joe's Crab Shack shuttered its stores without notifying workers

Employees began to understand what was happening when they arrived at the restaurant to find the doors locked, according to Consumerist. The abrupt shutdown of tens of stores was a quick reaction to the chain’s even quicker descent. Add this to the list of self-defeating blunders they've made.

16 Customers left Chi-Chi's too sick to ever return

The chain was already struggling when the worst foodborne hepatitis outbreak in the country was traced back to their green onions. Food Safety News estimates a count of at least 650 cases, some of which were fatal. With no way to come back from this disaster, Chi-Chi's shut down.

15 Quiznos success has always been an illusion

Quiznos raked in cash by requiring its franchisees to buy expensive ingredients from its own supply company, according to Restaurant Business. Others alleged that they were never given the chance to open despite paying large franchising fees. Frustrated franchise owners have left the chain bankrupt beneath lawsuits.

14 Red Barn’s unique buildings keep nostalgia for the brand going

Present-day fast-food restaurants that take this shape are likely Red Barns that were refurbished to house new shops. It seems that the buildings were just too charming to demolish. The Journal Times does report that one "Red Barn" does operate in Wisconsin, but it’s been renamed "The Farm."

13 More Subways close every year

Subway was regarded as a healthy option when no one knew any better. Now that customers are becoming more knowledgeable about what they put in their bodies, Subway has lost the angle that made it so popular. CNN reports that this has contributed to over 1,000 closings in one year.

12 Disney struck out with ESPN Zone

Sports fans used to crowd the ESPN Zone to watch games broadcast through the restaurant's flat-screen televisions. Of course accompanied by burgers and beer. Although the restaurants have since gone extinct, there are two spinoffs still operating at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and Walt Disney World.

11 U.S. customers are losing interest in Baja Fresh

Wendy’s attempted to save the store with a buyout only to sell it back at a huge loss. Now almost half of the stores in the U.S. have disappeared. Yet Cision PR Newswire reports that the chain is still growing overseas with plans to expand into Portugal.

10 Casual restaurants like Ruby Tuesday are losing ground

Business Insider reports that fast-casual restaurants such as Chipotle have stolen the audience of sit-down casual restaurants. The decline in interest is bolstered by delivery services which give customers a good reason to never leave home again. Between these two modern innovations, Ruby Tuesday is getting squeezed into extinction.

9 Shaq's career outlived his All Star Cafe chain

Other big names that backed this sports-themed restaurant include former football player Joe Montana and Canadian hockey player Wayne Gretzky. Despite that star-studded group of investors, the cafe shut down a little less than a decade after the first location had opened in Time Square.

8 Lums is long gone but survives in modern film

Netflix subscribers who watched The Irishman reached the end of the movie with grumbling bellies after seeing hot dogs be steamed in beer at Lums. Too bad these potential customers have already missed their chance. Me TV reports that the last Lums still holding out closed in 2017.

7 Applebee's may just manage to turn things around

Fans of Applebee’s will be happy to hear that CNN has reported a recent uptick in sales. They once tried appealing to new health trends only to fall harder. Since embracing their image as a restaurant where you can indulge in your guilty pleasures for cheap, things are looking brighter.

6 White Castle’s clone couldn’t imitate its success

White Tower copied almost everything about White Castle, down to the name. The greatest differentiating feature was that the employees wore white nurse outfits. One White Tower does still remain in Ohio, but unofficially, since the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office lists the trademark as expired.

5 Bennigan's still hasn't recovered from bankruptcy

Bennigan's has already died off once, but it was brought back to life under new ownership. At last count, Kiplinger reported finding just 15 locations. That's why these days when someone says they’ve seen a Bennigan's lurking around in their neighborhood, it sounds as if they've seen a ghost.

4 Wimpy chain disappeared with its founder

American cartoon character and burger fiend J. Wellington Wimpy inspired this chain’s name. Yet there are no more Wimpys to be found in the states. After the founder passed away, there were no takers. That leaves the franchises in South Africa and the United Kingdom to carry on the name.

3 Kona Grill went from fastest-growing to bankrupt

This chain is going up in flames as it sinks deeper into courtroom chaos. According to Business Insider, the former CEO is suing Kona Grill for money he was never paid. Meanwhile, Kona Grill claims that his poor management is the reason there's no money to give.

2 Burger Chef could've been as big as McDonald's

The two restaurants became instant rivals when Burger Chef formed a couple of decades after McDonald's. Although Burger Chef was beaten down before ever escaping the second place. Now the only piece of the chain left comes in the form of Hardee’s, the restaurant that Time reports bought up all the property.

1 Perkins has struggled to keep up with the times

Relying on local identity as a breakfast staple has left Perkins in the lurch now that the locals have lost interest. With Uber reporting peak delivery hours that skip right over breakfast time, reinventing this business for the modern customer is more challenging than for other chains.

Next: 25 Images Of Forgotten Restaurants That Have Seen Better Days