Original Locations of Famous Restaurants That Still Exist

Special Report

Published: August 9, 2023 12:00 pm

Some chain restaurants seem like they’ve always been around, and always will be. But just like all restaurants, even the biggest chains started out with one single location – and in some cases you can still visit them today. (These are America’s 30 oldest restaurant chains.)

Some chains are so associated with a specific place that the location of its founding is obvious – Margaritaville in Key West and In-N-Out in Southern California, for example. But many chains are designed in a way that either is intentionally misleading about their origins (Outback Steakhouse was founded in Florida, not Australia, for example), leans into the local community (like Applebee’s putting photos of local high school sports teams on the walls), or actively avoids any time of place-based association. (Here, though, are some regional restaurant chains we wish were nationwide.)

When the original location of a now-ubiquitous restaurant chain still exists, it can be fun to visit. While some of the survivors have been updated and remodeled to align with current designs, others have been left pretty much as is, or remodeled to look like they did when they first opened.

To compile a list of original chain restaurant locations that are still open, 24/7 Tempo reviewed chain restaurant lists and histories on USA Today, Eat This Not That, Mental Floss, Taste of Home, Reader’s Digest, and Delish, and verified information when possible on the chains’ own websites.

Click here to see original chain restaurant locations that still exist

In most cases, the locations on this list still serve their original purpose, though menus have evolved over the years and facilities have been remodeled and upgraded. Two of the addresses here now function not as operating restaurants but as museums – one official, one unofficial – themed around the restaurant chain whose original location they occupy. In another case, the original location was demolished but rebuilt as a larger replica of the original.

Chipotle Mexican Grill
> Year founded: 1993
> Original address: 1644 E. Evans Ave., Denver, CO

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Jamba (Jamba Juice)
> Year founded: 1990
> Original address: 17 Chorro St., Suite C, San Luis Obispo, CA

24/7 Wall St.
The 30 Oldest Restaurant Chains in America

Carrabba’s Italian Grill
> Year founded: 1986
> Original address: 3115 Kirby Drive, Houston, TX

Panda Express
> Year founded: 1983
> Original address: 3214 Glendale Galleria, Glendale, CA

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Fuddruckers (Freddie Fuddruckers)
> Year founded: 1979
> Original address: 8602 Botts Lane, San Antonio, TX

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Bojangles
> Year founded: 1977
> Original address: 300 West Blvd., Charlotte, NC

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America’s Most Successful Restaurant Chains

Chick-fil-A
> Year founded: 1967
> Original address: 2841 Greenbriar Parkway SW, Atlanta, GA

Tim Hortons
> Year founded: 1964
> Original address: 65 Ottawa St. N., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

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Dunkin’ (Dunkin’ Donuts)
> Year founded: 1950
> Original address: 543 Southern Artery, Quincy, MA

Waffle House
> Year founded: 1955
> Original address: 2719 E. College Ave., Avondale Estates, GA (Waffle House Museum)

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Sonic Drive-In
> Year founded: 1953 (as Top-Hat Drive-In), 1959 (as Sonic Drive-In)
> Original address: 215 N. Main St., Clearwater, OK (first location under the Sonic name)

ALSO READ: Regional Restaurant Chains We Wish Were Nationwide

KFC
> Year founded: 1952
> Original address: 3890 S. State St., Salt Lake City, UT (rebuilt at the original location)

McDonald’s
> Year founded: 1940
> Original address: 1398 No. E St., San Bernardino, CA (Juan Pollo Restaurants headquarters and unofficial McDonald’s Museum)

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