With Memorial Day marking the return of summertime cookouts and May 28 having been National Burger Day, fast food favorites are currently on the brain for many folks. As you get back into the swing of grilled goodness, it may even stir up memories of those classic favorites you once enjoyed at happy haunts from long ago. Sadly, many such places, formerly known for serving up the delectable works, are no more.
Almost every town and city has its fair share of now-defunct establishments that were once all the rage. The Mid-Atlantic states are no exception, with Maryland offering many such examples. In this Flashback Friday Feature, I’m revisiting a handful of those former food joints from Maryland’s past that once ruled the roost.
Ameche’s Drive-In
Throughout the 1960s, a handful of Ameche’s Drive-In Restaurants dotted the greater Baltimore region. The chain was started by the former Baltimore Colts fullback Alan Ameche, who shot to fame when he scored the winning touchdown against the Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship in what’s been termed “the Greatest Game Ever Played.” He also helped fellow teammate and co-business partner Gino Marchetti establish another beloved burger joint (which I will cover further down the list).
Renowned for offering “no charge” carryout service, the two most popular signature menu features were the Powerhouse hamburger and the Cheerleader (a hot ham and Swiss cheese sandwich with mustard). The restaurant’s slogan, “Meetcha at Ameches,” emerged as a well-known earworm many can still recite today.
Chicken George
Established by Theodore Holmes, the first Chicken George restaurant opened in Mondawmin Mall back in 1979. Despite their local start, the chain eventually expanded to include operations in Pennsylvania, D.C., and even as far as Atlanta, Georgia, and Los Angeles, California.
The name “Chicken George” was both in reference to the character featured in the 1976 novel Roots, as well as the restaurant’s claim to fame for offering signature homestyle fried chicken. At one time, Chicken George was even touted as the “largest Black-owned fast-food company in the United States,” as reported by the Baltimore Sun. Sadly, they faced financial turmoil from competing companies and filed for bankruptcy in 1986. Chicken George officially went defunct in 1991.
Gino’s Burgers
Gino’s Burgers were big business during the late 1950s and 1960s. Owned and operated by Gino Marchetti, along with Alan Ameche and Joe Campanella, the first location opened in 1957 in Dundalk, Maryland. Soon, the franchise began branching out to locations far and wide, even merging with D.C.’s Tops Drive Inn and converting 18 of its preexisting sites into Gino’s Burgers.
The Marriott Corporation purchased the chain in 1982, converting most locations into Roy Rogers. The last Gino’s operation shuttered just four years later. But a second wind came more than two decades later, when several original owners regrouped, going on to relaunch Gino’s Burgers and Chicken. Current operations exist in Glen Burnie and Towson.
Little Tavern
While it started in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1927 with five locations, the hamburger chain known as “Little Tavern” found its way to the Baltimore/D.C. area after its founder, Harry F. Duncan, relocated here following his first year in business. The small burger shops, built to resemble “little taverns,” were famous for serving up square-shaped slider burgers loaded with onions, dill pickles, and mustard.
Despite having such a long run, by the 1990s, Little Tavern locations everywhere were experiencing financial hardships. They all shuttered in 2008. The Laurel, Maryland, location did reopen later as a new incarnation—Laurel Tavern Donuts. And yes, they still serve their signature sliders utilizing the original recipe.
White Coffee Pot
White Coffee Pot Family Inns came into prominence during the Great Depression. As a Baltimore-based family-owned operation of the Katz family (who would later establish themselves with the more-famous-in-retrospect Horn and Horn Smorgasbord chain), White Coffee Pot Inns were renowned for dishing out affordable meals and quality coffee.
With the emergence of White Coffee Pot, Jr., they got into the game of fast food. Signature menu hits were their fried chicken covered in white gravy and bread pudding desserts. At their peak, they boasted 33 establishments. While they had competitors in the line of fast-food chains, it was their emergence of the aforementioned Horn and Horn Smorgasbord that proved to be more lucrative. The last White Coffee Pot closed in 1993.
These are just a few of the endless array of now-defunct classic dining establishments that once ruled the roost in Maryland. There are so many others in addition to these, both in the state and in surrounding states throughout the Mid-Atlantic.