Have you been back to any childhood chain/franchise?

I had not been to a Taco Bell restaurant for a long time. The last time I had Taco Bell was in my college years, and that wasn’t even in a real Taco Bell restaurant. It was at a Taco Bell stand. About 1-2 weeks ago, I drove by a Taco Bell and decided to give it a try. It was my first time having Taco Bell for 20 years or so. In short, the tacos weren’t great, but they were not bad. In fact, they taste slightly better than how I remember them to be.

The other example was Chuck E Cheese, and I believe I shared that story here before. Anyway, I hadn’t been to Chuck E Cheese since elementary school. Then about 9 years ago, I decided to stop by at one. My god. The pizza was much worse than I remember, and the games were nowhere near how I remember them. That entire Chuck E. Cheese experience made me realized why how much my mom had to put up to take me there when I was a kid. I remember begging her to go there all the time, and she would tell me the pizza there just isn’t very good, and I simply thought the pizza is awesome.

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I went into a Roy Rodgers maybe a year ago. I was driving cross country and a rest stop had one. I pulled in just to go, I was the burger cook as my very first job at one in High School.

I hadn’t been in decades. The fried chicken was as good as I remembered.

I used to also love their roast beef sandwiches but didn’t get one. Next time I’m driving through upstate NY though …

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Oh I drove by a Roy Rodgers recently too, but I haven’t even eaten at one yet. At least I don’t remember.

Ironically I’ve never been to a Taco Bell. Maybe I’ll try it sometime - but I’m a little scared to be honest. Though that Dorito taco thing I thought was marketing genius.

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I had a Fillet o’ Fish at McDonalds for the first time since I was a kid, a couple years back. I had taken several bites and had to open the sandwich up because I thought they forgot the fish. Nope. Just a tiny piece.

Not a restaurant but one day decided to try some canned pasta again. AWFUL. What was I thinking when I was little.

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Che Boyardee?

As a kid in the 60’s living in Albuquerque we would go to A&W get a gallon of root beer and then go to a drive in theater with popcorn that my mom made at home. Still like to find those and revisit. Harder to find a drive in now days but always on the look.

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Mais oui, hon hon hon!

Yeah… I don’t think I ate a lot of Chef Boyardee when I was young (probably a little), so I have never developed any fond memory of it. However, I know many people talked about their childhood experience with Chef Boyardee, so I gave it a try like a few years back. Yeah, I didn’t like it. I thought it was pretty bad – not comparing to home cooked food, I mean, it is pretty bad even compared to other canned food.

Yup. It’s pretty vile but I thought it was the bomb when I was 5 yrs old.

Hey, that is very similar how I felt about Chuck E Cheese back then, and how I feel about it now.

I see you have a kid your photo. Has your kid started to force you to eat equivalent of Chuck E. Cheese and Chef Boyardee?

P.S.: I just realize that Chuck E Cheese mascot is not cute… he is actually a little creepy. Man, a good chuck of my childhood memory is being reevaluated…


My little guy is turning 3 in August.

He likes pizza but I wouldn’t take him to Chuck E Cheese if we had one.

I have bought him Spider-Man “zoodles” but he never eats very much of them, which is a good thing.
I definitely don’t buy any of the “beef” pastas, which contain who knows what.

That mascot IS downright creepy!

Believe it or not a new free standing Roy Rogers just opened in Edison NJ. I’m assuming someone bought the brand and is trying to revive the brand. I use to love their fried chicken and if I’m in that area will stop by for sure.

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Ha!! I remember as a teenager one of the first times I realized perhaps I have a large appetite, I was eating a can of Chef Boyardee (whatever) straight out of the can, cold, when I read the label “Family Size” serves 4-5 people. I laughed, I ate those can’s all the time as a “snack”.

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Jack in The Box, I don’t really remember their food, I just remember my dad liked going to the drive through. They left NJ in the last 70’s I think, I’m pretty sure they are still popular on the West Coast, would just like to go to one for old times sake.

This alone deserve a separate thread to it

Yes, I have been to San Francisco, California quite often, and I do see Jack in the Box, but I haven’t gone back to try it. I probably should. I haven’t been to a Jack in the Box since college, and I probably have only eaten at Jack in the Box no more than 3-4 times in my life, so I have a faint memory of what it tastes like. On the other hand, I have a very fond memory of its TV commercials and antenna balls (never got one through).



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Ha!! That third one is pretty good. I would like to see Jack go against that creepy big head Burger King in a cage match.

JitB is about the only fast food I ever eat and then only a couple of times a year.

For decades you could buy their regular tacos 2 for $0.99. I crave them about “twice a year”. My 74 year old mom will eat four to six at a sitting a bit more often than that.

As for JitB commercials, seen this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZWc1tTKSws

I liked Jack in the Box back in the day, they blow Taco Bell out of the water tastewise. Taco Bell is so bland!

The big ones for us in Levittown NY were Bicks, Lums and Wetsons…I have a feeling they are all long gone though. If I’m wrong please, somebody let me know :wink:

Oh and White Castle…the onions used to turn my sensitive young stomach. That’s one a lot of people I know go crazy for though.

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Actually, I haven’t seen Jack in the Box commercial for a long time because I left California and also because I don’t watch much TV these days. However, I just so happened to search and watched this commercial this morning. It was awesome. Very nice. If only 99 tacos…

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