Defunct restaurant chains and retailers

[cl94]

I think it's safe to say that the price of entry going into a new state is high enough that a company either needs to go "all in"  or not at all. And a business like Sheetz faces a complex web of different agencies that tax or regulate various aspects of its business: motor vehicle fuels, fuel pump certification, tobacco sales, alcohol sales (in some areas), foodservice safety inspections, wages and unemployment compensation, etc.

Anyone remember Ames?

My only experience with Ames came from the company's purchase of Hills discount stores.

But I definitely remember Hills. Even as child with low expectations...

States:  Yes.  Going into a new state is a complex web of laws.  This is why I was surprised that Sheetz had moved into Ohio.   I suspect Sheetz will move into SE Ohio, I don't know if they want to move further west as it is a whole different set of competitors; and I suspect it will fill in the rest of the NC map, before going anywhere else.  Kentucky is probably the next up.

IIRC, The only real regional C-Store chain I recall seeing in western ohio was Speedway.  Sheetz could do well, at least in NW Ohio.

They also don't want to be too far from one of their distribution centers. Bakery products are delivered daily. Go too far west and they'd have to build new facilities.

[jp the roadgeek]

Ames World Headquarters still sits empty.   Here's a 2007 shot of it:

https://goo.gl/maps/6Rx1YHrHyfL2


And more recently:

https://goo.gl/maps/wfa32YMBNv72

[Roadgeekteen]

There used to be a place called Ruby Tuesday's around my area that I liked to go to, no idea if it is still around.

[jeffandnicole]

There used to be a place called Ruby Tuesday's around my area that I liked to go to, no idea if it is still around.

Its still around. My local mall still has one (which I never go to because the Red Robin in the mall get my business way too much).

[Tonytone]

There used to be a place called Ruby Tuesday's around my area that I liked to go to, no idea if it is still around.

Its still around. My local mall still has one (which I never go to because the Red Robin in the mall get my business way too much).

These restaurants used to be good back in the day, now all the food is crap.
I went to T.G.I Fridays not to long ago, and got food poisoning. I vouched never to eat at Casual Fast food again.

[jp the roadgeek]

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=18593.0

[Roadgeekteen]

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=18593.0

They closed the location near Framingham that I used to go to long ago, before 2016.

[roadman65]

There used to be a place called Ruby Tuesday's around my area that I liked to go to, no idea if it is still around.

Its still around. My local mall still has one (which I never go to because the Red Robin in the mall get my business way too much).

They need to lower their prices as the one by my house is just too damned expensive!  Even TGI Friday's has gotten way too high.  If I go to Friday's it was to order the half price Happy Hour appetizers.

Ruby Tuesday has become RubyT in Orlando dropping the Tuesday and initiating a big whit T in its place.

[SP Cook]

They also don't want to be too far from one of their distribution centers. Bakery products are delivered daily. Go too far west and they'd have to build new facilities.

Oddly, Sheetz, at least in my area, sells Galliker's dairy products.  That is a Johnstown, PA/Cumberland, MD based company and I have never seen it at retail very distant from its home region anywhere else.    It is delivered by Galliker's trucks.  That does not seem very efficient.

[roadman65]

It goes to like why Braum's Dairy in Tutle, OK won't open stores more than 300 miles from its facility.   They clamie that that far away will compromise the freshness of their products.

They also don't want to be too far from one of their distribution centers. Bakery products are delivered daily. Go too far west and they'd have to build new facilities.

Oddly, Sheetz, at least in my area, sells Galliker's dairy products.  That is a Johnstown, PA/Cumberland, MD based company and I have never seen it at retail very distant from its home region anywhere else.    It is delivered by Galliker's trucks.  That does not seem very efficient.

This goes to why Braum's Dairy in Tutle, OK won't open stores more than 300 miles from their main facility.  They claim any further will compromise freshness of the milk, ice cream, etc.

[jeffandnicole]

It goes to like why Braum's Dairy in Tutle, OK won't open stores more than 300 miles from its facility.   They clamie that that far away will compromise the freshness of their products.

They also don't want to be too far from one of their distribution centers. Bakery products are delivered daily. Go too far west and they'd have to build new facilities.

Oddly, Sheetz, at least in my area, sells Galliker's dairy products.  That is a Johnstown, PA/Cumberland, MD based company and I have never seen it at retail very distant from its home region anywhere else.    It is delivered by Galliker's trucks.  That does not seem very efficient.

This goes to why Braum's Dairy in Tutle, OK won't open stores more than 300 miles from their main facility.  They claim any further will compromise freshness of the milk, ice cream, etc.

That was what Wawa said.  They had expended into Connecticut at one point I believe, but the NYC traffic didn't work well with their delivery system.

I'm not sure how they decided on Florida though...if they have a second distribution warehouse down there, or where they get their milk from (people are amazingly picky about their milk.   Me, I couldn't tell you where it came from!)

[jp the roadgeek]

The Wawas in CT were nothing like the Wawas in the Mid-Atlantic.  None of them had gas stations attached to them, and weren't really the state of the art, well kept Wawa's I've visited down there.  There was one on the campus of the University I attended, and it was your average Quickie Mart kind of place; coffee in a pot, no iced coffee, and just a couple of coolers for soda; not even a soda fountain.  Most of them became Krauszer's, which is a step below 7-11.  Other than a few upgraded Cumby's, there aren't many good 24 hour convenience store/gas chains off of I-95 or CT 15 other than a couple of truck stops, and most supermarkets that were once 24 hours now close at 10 or midnight.   We need a store like Wawa or Sheetz up here.

[jeffandnicole]

The Wawas in CT were nothing like the Wawas in the Mid-Atlantic.  None of them had gas stations attached to them, and weren't really the state of the art, well kept Wawa's I've visited down there.  There was one on the campus of the University I attended, and it was your average Quickie Mart kind of place; coffee in a pot, no iced coffee, and just a couple of coolers for soda; not even a soda fountain.  Most of them became Krauszer's, which is a step below 7-11.  Other than a few upgraded Cumby's, there aren't many good 24 hour convenience store/gas chains off of I-95 or CT 15 other than a couple of truck stops, and most supermarkets that were once 24 hours now close at 10 or midnight.   We need a store like Wawa or Sheetz up here.

At the time, Wawa was still in the convenience store only business.  They only had 1 store with gas pumps - it was in PA, didn't have an overhead canopy, and was basically a store Wawa converted from something else and left the gas pumps in place. 

Eventually they started experimenting with gas pumps.  Then they started adding diesel to their fuel products.  Now, other than in downtown cities, all their new stores have fuel, and the majority have both gas and diesel.  As they build their new stores, they usually shut down older, nearby stores.  They'll add fuel sales to some stores where they can.

One store, off Exit 18 of I-295 in NJ, has Natural Gas pumps.

[mefailenglish]

[Wawa which is mainly NJ, DE, MD, Northern VA, SE PA,  and now Central Florida, Tampa Bay, and SW FL in the Sunshine State.

And now also Palm Beach, with Broward County locations (Davie, Ft Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach) coming this Summer and Fall.

[hbelkins]

(people are amazingly picky about their milk.   Me, I couldn't tell you where it came from!)

Cows. It typically comes from cows. 

[roadman65]

I will tell you something about Wawa, they opened up their first four Florida locations in Summer of 12 and almost five years later they are all over the place.  Now in Palm Beach County and spreading to Broward it won't be long they are in Miami-Dade and eventually along the US 27 corridor in small places like South Bay, Clewiston, Moore Haven, Lake Placid, and even the Avon Park/ Sebring area.  At this rate by 2020 they should have them in various points along the southern half of the Florida Peninsula.

[roadman65]

Is Quick Chek still in NJ?  I know they started out small like Circle K, but when I came back to NJ for visits in the 90's they expanded not only locations but the size of the stores themselves and if memory serves me correct they had gas pumps as part of their new look.

[Roadrunner75]

Is Quick Chek still in NJ?  I know they started out small like Circle K, but when I came back to NJ for visits in the 90's they expanded not only locations but the size of the stores themselves and if memory serves me correct they had gas pumps as part of their new look.

Yes - they're expanding rapidly down in the Ocean County area, gas pumps and all.  Similar to, but not as good as Wawa.  Lakewood and Beachwood just got upgrades to new larger locations nearby with pumps, and one is under construction in the middle of Brick right now.

[cl94]

Is Quick Chek still in NJ?  I know they started out small like Circle K, but when I came back to NJ for visits in the 90's they expanded not only locations but the size of the stores themselves and if memory serves me correct they had gas pumps as part of their new look.

Definitely. They've basically become a copy of Wawa that expanded up into the Hudson Valley.

[roadman65]

We had a small one in Clark, and even sold Taco Bell tacos when I visited my hometown in the mid 90's.  It was great to see them expand to larger stores to compete with the other guys.  I am happy to hear they are expanding northward and up the Hudson Valley as well as Ocean County, NJ.

Trying something else Wawa and Sheetz have not yet.

[sparker]

(people are amazingly picky about their milk.   Me, I couldn't tell you where it came from!)

Cows. It typically comes from cows. 

HB, you haven't been out to CA in some time!  If milk can be obtained from any mammal, some market in the state (more often than not Whole Foods -- aka "Whole Paycheck") will have it in their chilled case.  We even get milk from almonds, coconuts (duh!), and various varieties of beans (Trader Joe's is notorious for the latter).  Diversity's not just for people anymore -- now it's spread to comestible white (or off-white) opaque fluids!    

[inkyatari]

We even get milk from almonds, coconuts (duh!), and various varieties of beans (Trader Joe's is notorious for the latter).  Diversity's not just for people anymore -- now it's spread to comestible white (or off-white) opaque fluids!

Almond milk is surprisingly pretty good.

[hbelkins]

HB, you haven't been out to CA in some time!

Actually, I've never been to California, but I was just cracking wise. I know a few folks who love goat's milk.

[6a]

There's a Piggly Wiggly here in Danville on US-58 just east of US-29. There used to be another one here as well at the corner of Piney Forest Road (US-29 Business) and Nor-Dan Drive. That one closed in 2013 and was torn down in 2015. A Walmart Neighborhood Market was built in it's place and opened last August.

BTW, the current existing Piggly Wiggly on US-58 is one of the nastiest and worst smelling grocery stores I've ever set foot in. The inside reeked of a cat litterbox that hasn't ever been changed. The store manager being a total bitch was just the tip of the iceberg. I haven't been to that Piggly Wiggly since 2015 and I don't miss it a damn bit.

I don't know of any other Piggly Wiggly stores in Virginia.

Since we're here talking about defunct retailers and all, I used to run the shoe department at Value City in Danville in the late '90s (and Indy, and Lynchburg, and Atlanta, etc.)

[roadman65]

Ginos. They sold their stores to Marriot and then there were all changed to Roy Rogers, unless a Roy Rogers was nearby then they closed them. Roy Rogers was already a Marriot brand and did not want to operate two hamburger joints so made them all Roy Rogers.


They were only in DE, MD, PA, and NJ but was the retailer for KFC.  Until they closed, I did not know KFC had their own outlets.

I think now Roy Rogers is defunct as Marriot unloaded them when I worked for them in the late 80s.  They only kept the toll road stores, but I think they're gone too.