7 Classic Breakfast Chains That Barely Exist Anymore

Some folks say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So, why not head straight to one of the local restaurant chains when your tummy starts grumbling? Whether you like the early-bird specials, convenience, or family-friendly atmosphere, there's a lot to like about casual restaurants that serve scrumptious morning eats. There are plenty of breakfast chains that you're about to see everywhere. There are also some beloved kitchens that seem to be on their last legs.

Many brands sprouted from humble beginnings and have persevered for decades. Sadly, it seems to us that some of the most popular places to kickstart your day have been disappearing from main streets across the country. And they have. From bankruptcies and corporate rebranding to increased competition, some of our favorite haunts to grab an a.m. bite have dramatically scaled back their operations from their glory days. Well, maybe we can stir up a revival. Let's put a fork in these seven classic breakfast chains that barely exist anymore.

Bakers Square is a breakfast-focused chain with roots in Des Moines, Iowa. This charming and friendly casual eatery has been around since 1970 when it started out as a modest soup and sandwich shop called Mrs. C's. Pillsbury Company decided to get into the restaurant business and purchased the shop, renaming it Poppin' Fresh Pies and expanding to multiple locations. While the business has changed hands a few times over the last 50 or so years, it was new proprietor Vicorp Restaurants Inc. that added breakfast to the menu (alongside its famous pies, of course) when it purchased the restaurant chain in 1983 and renamed it Bakers Square. The corporation amassed 143 venues during its heyday in 2006, but it seemed like the brand hit a brick wall around 2009 when the company had lost nearly half its portfolio of restaurants.

When BBQ Holdings took over the shrinking breakfast chain in 2021, it sat at just 14 locations. While the Famous Dave's owner had big expansion plans in 2022 through its innovative concept of ghost kitchens, the holding company's forward focus was sadly focused only on pies, not breakfast. You can still find Bakers Square locations selling crusty pastries in 19 states, from Arizona to Wisconsin, but its all-day breakfast menu is much harder to track down. Today, there are just seven Midwest venues where you can still grab a breakfast griddle favorite, such as its heavenly chocolate hazelnut banana crêpes.

Friendly's has been the go-to place for many a griddle groupie over the years, but it didn't always have its Lumberjack Breakfast on the menu. Brothers Prestley and Curtis Blake founded Friendly (the apostrophe "s" wasn't added until 1989) in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1935 but not as the family-style restaurant you know and love today. Almost a century ago it was a small neighborhood ice cream shop, and it took the nostalgic chain five years to expand beyond ice cream and add other food to the menu.

At its peak in 1996, this ice cream shop turned diner chain had spread its wings and expanded to more than 850 locations. But this fame was fickle, and Friendly's went from feast to famine in less than three decades, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy twice just before Brix Holdings swooped up the brand in 2021. While corporate bigwigs had their sights set for expansion in 2025, Friendly's has just 99 locations today. Parent company Brix Holdings CEO Sherif Mityas told Ad Age earlier this year that Friendly's "isn't going to grow for growth's sake," as that strategy may have been the reason behind its downfall in the first place. There are a couple of clear signs that Friendly's is still struggling, and don't go looking for Friendly's on the West Coast or Midwest any time soon. Its remaining breakfast chains are all situated along the East Coast now.

In the wide world of food that has "mister" in its name, Mister Donut is one of our edible soulmates. Harry Winouker was the mastermind behind the brand. He founded the pastry shop in 1955, growing from a mere street corner peddler in Boston to a thriving franchise with more than 9,500 shops worldwide. But not here in America. Coffee and donuts fueled the brand's loyal customers for nearly a generation, so what happened to this classic breakfast chain? It came face to face with the genius of the Winouker's brother-in-law and former business partner, Bill Rosenberg, who had launched Mister Donut's biggest competitor: Dunkin' Donuts. Gasp!

That didn't stop the deep-fried pastry pro, though. This franchising pioneer doubled down and expanded his donut shop like wildfire. A decade later, Winouker had about 275 locations in the United States and Canada under his belt and had established a bigger presence overseas. Despite his valiant efforts, when 1990 rolled around, it was the beginning of the end for Winouker's donut-fueled dreams. Allied-Lyons acquired both breakfast chains, and most of Winouker's franchisees decided to put up the Dunkin' sign in their storefronts. It was, "So long, Mister Donut." Stateside, that is. You'll only find one location left in the U.S. where you can still sample a Mister Donut vanilla angel jelly donut, and that's in Godfrey, Illinois.

Many of us have fond memories of going to Big Boy restaurants with our grandparents. After all, this casual dining chain's senior breakfast is legendary in some circles, and it was Bob Wian that masterminded the brand's concept. He was so enamored with the idea that in 1936 he sold his fancy Chrysler roadster to fund the original project: a humble hamburger stand he dubbed Bob's Pantry. Just a year later, Wian's 6-year-old helper, Richard Woodruff, inspired the chain's iconic mascot with his red-checkered overalls. This statue still welcomes ravenous patrons right outside every restaurant, if you can find one.

It's unclear when Big Boy started serving breakfast, especially with so many franchisees able to make changes to the menu. Still, the chain thrived with more than 1,000 locations in the U.S. by 1979. Today, Big Boy has just 53 locations left, and the bulk of them are in Michigan. So, unless you're in the Great Lakes State, you and your Pop-pop are out of luck if you're craving a discounted plate of French toast and bacon at this particular breakfast chain.

Even though Shoney's has been around for more than 75 years, this long-standing all-American kitchen is another endangered chain when it comes to the breakfast game. It was Alex Schoenbaum who opened the first drive-in Shoney's in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1947. The concept skyrocketed and kept hungry diners coming back for more. But it was Ray Danner who led the chain to enormous success. The new chairman introduced its outstanding 40-item breakfast bar in the 1980s, swelling the chain's ranks by the early 1990s to a vast portfolio of about 1,800 locations in 36 states in the U.S. and in Canada.

Everything wasn't sunny side up for Danner, though, who was at the helm when the company became the target of a class action lawsuit citing discriminatory practices. By Y2K, this once-booming restaurant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and has never really recovered. Shoney's is well past its peak today, with just 58 spots remaining in 16 states. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find a Shoney's near you where you can still order up old-school breakfast favorites, like country fried steak with a side of grits. Just make sure you get in before Shoney's stops serving breakfast because this is one chain that puts this meal to bed before noon.

Uncle John's Pancake House was the brainchild of Jack and Anne Holder. The couple sold off their Dairy Queen location and opened the Santa Clara-based pancake place in 1957. From the get-go, their flapjack shack was best known for its long list of griddle cakes made from everything but the kitchen sink. Hungry breakfasters could choose from buckwheat and Iowa corn to coconut and potato varieties, and that's not all. Its original menu featured 18 different hot cake flavors, and you could get some plates for the rock bottom price of just 45 cents.

While Uncle John's did reach national chain status, it was a modest one, with only a few dozen pancake houses in the 1960s and 1970s. Fast forward to today, and there are just a trio of venues left. You'll have to live near Toledo, Ohio, or around San Jose or Campbell in California if you get a hankering for Uncle John's pancakes. But be sure to check the map for directions. Restaurateur Sal Tubeileh moved his Midwest location less than two miles down the road to a new spot last year after it had served the community from the same Toledo location since 1963. His mission was to improve working conditions for his staff with a newer building and provide guests with more parking, and the bold strategy seems to work for its loyal fan base.

Village Inn is a breakfast chain that was once pretty synonymous with scratch-made buttermilk pancakes. Tragically, its number of chain locations have seriously dwindled since the company's peak. Co-founders Andy Anderson and Jim Mola opened their first venue in Denver, Colorado, in 1958. This casual diner placed an ad three years later in The Wall Street Journal to potentially expand with franchisees, and it worked. Village Inn went on to claim a nice chunk of the marketplace — by 1984 it had 525 establishments. We remember going there as a kid when you could gobble up classic Belgian waffles drenched in syrup, and your parents didn't have to pay a dime to feed you. On a Monday or Tuesday when kids ate free, that is.

The last five years haven't been kind to this classic breakfast chain, despite the appeal of its all-day breakfast menu. American Blue Ribbon Holdings, Village Inn's parent company, petitioned the court for Chapter 11 relief in 2020. The corporation claimed to be weighed down by liquidity constraints during the pandemic that led it to dump 34 of its locations. Village Inn had just 135 company-owned and franchised spots left in its portfolio when it was purchased by BBQ Holdings in 2021. If you can find one in your neck of the woods, rejoice! Because in addition to kids-eat-free nights, the restaurant still offers some pretty terrific senior discounts.