#closed restaurant

Closed Restaurant

The Loneliest Highway series

Lincoln Highway (Nevada) 

Hasselblad 500c/m

Closed Restaurant

Nevada

Hasselblad 500c/m

Lums was a family restaurant chain that started in 1956 along Miami Beach by Stuart and Clifford S. Perlman. Clifford was the president of Southern Wood Industries, and resigned from that to work full-time for Lums. It was quickly franchised throughout the country.

Lums would get diversified as a company upon being listed on the New York Stock Exchange and actually end up owning Caesars Palace in 1969, the 500-room hotel and casino on the strip in Las Vegas.

By 1971, there were 400 company-owned and -franchised stores, including in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and some in Europe. They'd be sold at this time to John Y. Brown, who was the chairperson of Kentucky Fried Chicken. He had just sold KFC to spirits distributor Heublein and wanted back in the restaurant game before becoming the governor of Kentucky.

The signature item at Lums was a hot dog steamed in beer and topped in sherry-flavored sauerkraut. Fancy! And it sounds delicious!

I'm not sure where this unit was located, but I've also included a menu from the early days showcasing their menu, including hamburgers, subs, roast beef, shrimp, and quite the selection of international beers, something rarely seen in those days.

Between 1971 and 1978, a heavier push into burgers must have resulted in some headaches, as the chain shrunk from 400 units to 273. That's another post in itself for another day and another story. Brown sold the operation to a Swiss holding company, Wienerwald Holdings. Fitting for a hot dog joint, right? They'd be forced to file for bankruptcy in 1982, and at that time, most Lums closed.

But like all franchise restaurants, they have a way of living on longer than that. While one in Pekin, IL seemed to make it at least to 2006, it appears some may have made it to as late as 2017 in Bellevue, NE, outside Omaha. Whether these were connected or not toward the end is hard to say. It takes a lot to kill off some restaurants, and I can tell you I'd definitely want to see a Lums if there were any still out there.

Literally yesterday, Big G's- a staple of Maine culture and cuisine- announced unceremoniously that they were closed for good. There had been no warning of this, no announcement- Hell, even the staff weren't told! But a giant in Maine gastronomy was gone quicker than it had appeared, with less pomp and circumstance than it deserved, with no closure for the community that had supported it, either.

Big G's started in 1986: a deli that could dish up a variety of sandwiches. The idea was lucrative: most sandwiches had the same fillings, so it was easy to compound a menu of 50+ different items without becoming a run-of-the-mill cafeteria. Their biggest claim to fame was not the large menu, however: it was the massive portions. 1/4 of a sandwich at Big G's was the equivalent of a whole, normal sized sandwich. These monstrosities were sold in halves and wholes, with sides if you wanted them. This was a serious claim to fame in the 1980's, and although large food became a staple of the American stereotype, the charm of the G's massive sandos, cookies, and portions never went away. To be able to order a sandwich named after your favorite actor/character/or even politician, in a portion the size of a toddler was always sort of charming to people, both Mainers and Flat Landers alike- so much so that Big G's gained world wide acclaim thanks to the likes of Food Network and Vice Food. People literally went on pilgrimage to get one of these bitchin' sandwiches, and rave reviews were plastered everywhere: from Yelp, to newspapers, to god knows where.

So, what happened?

There had been rumors that Big G's was not a good place to work: from accusations of harassment, to smoking in the kitchen, to a damning set of text messages from a fired worker, things were not looking too bright. There had been talk of G's underpaying staff, even promising livable wages and underpaying by $4. To make matters worse, with the quick closure and listing of the building, there was talk that there had been sanitation issues as well.

These are all heinous rumors, and if true, these problems should have been dealt with sooner.

And like many locals, I am pretty bereaved, but also very pissed.

So, no one thought to make an announcement of the closure, although the owners knew they were closing in a year? That is ridiculously rude to the patrons who have been coming to your restaurant for decades, and incredibly rude to your staff as well. People bought gift certificates the day before the closure because even the staff had no idea. One person I spoke to had gotten it as a birthday gift for a friend! That is heinous.

I do believe that this closure will taint the memory of Big G's forever, causing what should have been a fondly remembered legacy to be cast in a dark shadow. I don't think the memory of the food will stay pure for most of the people who ate there: I think the memories will mostly be of this disservice the owners did to the community. And if the owners tried to make a comeback, I wouldn't be surprised if these recent events tainted that, too. This is not how you close a business, this is an insult to the people who loved your establishment the most, and I am ashamed of how this all went down.

BULLSHIT (BUT FUNNY) STORY OF THE DAY…….

A Woman has been arrested for stinking up

bathroom and closing down and entire restaurant

From boredstar.com

Police and fire-paramedics were called to a restaurant when it had to close its doors early on Tuesday evening after a woman spent 45 minutes in the bathroom causing ‘unbearable, inhuman stench’.

The 34 year old woman kicked open the restaurant doors, shouting “out of the way, I’m…

• Busy Location • Ideal for Takeaway Business • On Street Parking • Spacious Interior • Close to Motorway Links • EPC Rating - TBC

Blacks Business Brokers are pleased to bring onto the market this recently closed restaurant. This former restaurant had previously been trading as a very successful Indian Restaurant and prior to that had been a very well-known steakhouse in the same ownership for approx. 30 years. The property has been fully modernised and comprises of entrance, split level dining area with bar servery, 2 air conditioning units, tiled and laminated timber flooring, built-in sound system speakers and halogen lighting. The rear kitchen is fully tiled and stainless steel lined to comply fully with Health and Hygiene standards together with air extraction unit. To the rear of the kitchen is a fully tiled preparation and washing up room. In addition there is a large dry storage cellar below. The first floor level comprises of ladies and gents toilets together with 2 spacious rooms which were previously used as overflow dining and function rooms but could easily be used as bedrooms. Outside is a small enclosed yard. The property is fully alarmed and has electric roller shutter security blinds, modern charcoal coloured stainless steel frontage, uPVC double glazed windows, air-conditioning and gas fired central heating. Externally the building has superb kerb appeal with its modern crisp appearance and once inside the building the amount of space available can be fully appreciated. For more information, please click here.

Or call 0161 763 5000