Chains Defunct in One Region Only to be Alive and Well in Others

Started by Avalanchez71, September 21, 2022, 11:55:30 PM

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Rothman



Quote from: SP Cook on May 18, 2023, 01:22:38 PM
A&W USA is a privately owned company.  YUM Brands spun off Long John Silvers and A&W in 2011, having bought the two chains in 2022.

They spun them off and then bought them?

Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.


SP Cook

Quote from: Rothman on May 18, 2023, 01:26:43 PM


Quote from: SP Cook on May 18, 2023, 01:22:38 PM
A&W USA is a privately owned company.  YUM Brands spun off Long John Silvers and A&W in 2011, having bought the two chains in 2022.

They spun them off and then bought them?



2002, sorry.

TheStranger

A few more American concepts that are alive and well in the Philippines but not really present here:

Italianni's - one or two locations left in the US, something like 35+ in PH

Magoo's Pizza - one revived location in Hawaii, but three local branches in Metro Manila (with no connection to the current Hawaii version of this)

Shakey's Pizza - the US chain is around but nowhere as much as it was in the 1970s and 1980s, notably the original Sacramento location closed about 2 decades ago.  In the Philippines they are one of the major fast-casual pizza chains in the country, due to an initial influx of franchising by San Miguel in the 1970s - their locations can be found in many malls, and I've eaten at a standalone attached to a Shell station in Makati, as well as a kiosk at the Enchanted Kingdom theme park.  I also remember driving by them in medium-sized cities and in some random residential Manila suburbs (i.e. the BF Homes subdivision in Paranaque).

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf - retrenched in America the last five years, including their San Francisco locations.  The brand is now owned by Jollibee (the Filipino burger conglomerate) so they have a much healthier presence in PH compared to the US, with tons of locations in Makati and Bonifacio Global City.

Weirder is the recent trend of Los Angeles-specific brands to open up outposts out there: Pink's Hot Dogs and Randy's Donuts being the two that come to mind.  (Randy's actually imports their donuts from Los Angeles to Metro Manila)
Chris Sampang

abefroman329

Quote from: SP Cook on May 18, 2023, 01:22:38 PMA lot of people think that PepsiCo still owns or has some control over the three core YUM brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) because they are among the few fast food chains that serve Pepsi, but this is not so.
I assumed exactly that.

doorknob60

Quote from: SP Cook on May 18, 2023, 01:22:38 PM
PepsiCo spun off YUM Brands in 1997, it has no role in the company since then.  A lot of people think that PepsiCo still owns or has some control over the three core YUM brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell) because they are among the few fast food chains that serve Pepsi, but this is not so.  Pepsi signed YUM to a long term deal back then and then spun it off.

While that's true, there is still a very healthy relationship, beyond simply serving Pepsi beverages. There have been some food crossovers like the Beefy Fritos Burrito and the wildly successful Doritos Locos Taco at Taco Bell. Taco Bell also used to literally serve bags of Doritos in some combos (they no longer do). Also some exclusive soda flavors like Mtn Dew Baja Blast (also wildly successful) at Taco Bell and Mtn Dew Sweet Lightning at KFC. I'm probably missing some more examples. Easy to see why a lot of people would think they're still part of the same company.

TheStranger

I've been to KFC in the Philippines once (April 2019 in a mall location in San Pablo, Laguna) and was taken aback that they served Coca-Cola beverages!  Wonder if that would have even been possible say 20-30 years ago.
Chris Sampang

Rothman

Quote from: SP Cook on May 18, 2023, 02:07:23 PM
Quote from: Rothman on May 18, 2023, 01:26:43 PM


Quote from: SP Cook on May 18, 2023, 01:22:38 PM
A&W USA is a privately owned company.  YUM Brands spun off Long John Silvers and A&W in 2011, having bought the two chains in 2022.

They spun them off and then bought them?



2002, sorry.
Nine years before saying, "These are deadwood."
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

jdb1234

Quote from: ibthebigd on May 09, 2023, 05:03:48 PM

Did Lee's Famous Recipe used to be bigger? All over Central Kentucky and I know New Castle Indiana has one.

SM-G996U


Yes.  I remember a Lee's Famous Recipe on US 280 here in Birmingham when I was a kid.

jakeroot

Quote from: abefroman329 on May 18, 2023, 11:48:43 AM
Quote from: jakeroot on May 17, 2023, 10:41:52 PM* Tony Roma's
I ate at the one in Akasaka about fifteen years ago.  It was a nice treat after two weeks of seafood for lunch and dinner.

It's funny too, despite the reputation they may (or may not) have in the United States, the reputation they have here in Japan is of it being a pretty nice restaurant. I've been three times to the one near me, and every time I've been thoroughly impressed.

jakeroot

Quote from: jakeroot on May 17, 2023, 10:41:52 PM
There are at least four restaurant chains that have all gone defunct in Washington State, that I now enjoy in Japan:

* TGI Friday's
* Chili's (Kadena AB)
* Dunkin Donuts (also Kadena AB)
* Tony Roma's

There are also many Shakey's Pizza restaurants here, though there are still two locations in WA (still a shell of what it used to be).

While defunct as a brand in the US, Japan also still has Kinko's.

In the light of the preceding conversation, I think it's worth noting a fifth item:

* A&W (standalone restaurants)

A&W is a big deal here in Okinawa. The chain ceased existing in the mainland 40+ years ago, but has remained popular here in Okinawa. There are at least a couple dozen across the island. NHK even did a story a few months back (in English):

https://youtu.be/5hEmvcAVnRE

Technically I can get A&W back home in Washington State, but its menu is a shell of what it once was. I don't even count the modern shared A&W restaurants as true A&Ws. The closest true A&Ws, to me, were always in Canada.



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