8 Mall Food Court Restaurants That Vanished

In the '80s, '90s, and even pushing into the early aughts, the mall reigned supreme in America. Parents could bustle around to find those last minute holiday gifts, and teens could have their first taste of freedom wandering around with friends and no parental supervision. But while the flashy department stores and shops provided endless entertainment, no trip to the mall was complete without a stop at the food court.

Whether you craved a salty snack, sweet treat, or a full meal, the mall food court was once the mecca of food options. But due to online shopping steadily growing in popularity throughout the 2000s, followed by The Great Recession, malls have really lost their luster; and anchor department stores aren't the only casualties in the slow-but-steady death of the mall. Many beloved food court restaurants that helped make the mall such an iconic part of American culture have sadly kicked the can as well — some recently, and some even before the mall's relevance started declining.

So where did all these restaurants go, and did they really disappear for good? Let's take a trip down memory lane and revisit some popular food court restaurants that for a short time made a big impact in the hearts and stomachs of American mall-goers.

Hot Sam Pretzels is the hot pretzel company that walked in malls nationwide so brands like Auntie Anne's could run. Started in 1967 at a mall in Michigan, the pretzel chain peaked in 1985 with more than 175 locations. Hot Sam Pretzels was anything but traditional when it came to the classic soft pretzel. It wasn't known for fresh pretzels made on site, but rather its unique twists on the pretzel, like hot fudge or cream cheese, amongst other memorable toppings.

 Mrs. Fields would buy out Hot Sam in 1995 and slowly phase out each location. By 2006, Hot Sam Pretzels were nowhere to be seen, unless there's a secret Hot Sam Pretzels lurking in a mall hallway somewhere, like the perfectly preserved 1980s Burger King location. But for any nostalgia seekers, Hot Sam Pretzels' legacy as an iconic '80s mall landmark is now briefly immortalized in the background of the mall food court scene in "Stranger Things" Season 3.

From one '80s icon to another, perhaps the most memorable mall food court restaurants of days past is Orange Julius. But this popular spot, which was known for its sugary, frothy orange juice drink, has a long-lasting legacy. Orange Julius began almost 100 years ago with a humble orange juice stand and the iconic drink created by Julius Freed. The drinks' popularity exploded and led to expansions throughout the early 20th century, due to investment from Willard Hamlin, a real estate broker.

Orange Julius was already a hotspot by the 1960s, with more than 700 locations nationwide. The popular beverage even became the official drink of the 1964 World's Fair. By the '80s, there was a true boom of standalone Orange Julius storefronts in shopping malls. But then came Dairy Queen in 1987, looking to add to its own collection of sweet treats. After Dairy Queen's acquisition of Orange Julius, standalone locations slowly but surely were harder to come by. 

The famous Orange Julius now lives on in combination Dairy Queen/Orange Julius stores still found in mall food courts, but any original standalone Orange Julius's are nearly obsolete. At least the name still lives on, but as one of America's best food court restaurants, many would love the taste of an original Orange Julius for a blast of sweet mall nostalgia.

You've heard of Olive Garden and Red Lobster, but when was the last time you heard of or thought about China Coast? A creation of General Mills' Restaurant Group, the same group behind the aforementioned popular chains, this Chinese-American restaurant opened in the early '90s in Orlando, but was shuttered by 1995.

At first, the Orlando location of China Coast fared well, and the concept of a full-service, family-friendly restaurant led to more locations added to the Orlando area. But China Coast wasn't looking to have true authenticity in its Chinese food and image. The restaurant decor consisted of a turquoise blue-colored pagoda and sported a menu of Chinese food items you won't actually find in China, opting for food that was deemed approachable for the Western consumer palette.

Eventually, China Coast grew to 51 locations But this nationwide expansion proved to be a difficult and short-lived journey, only making it to Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Arizona before General Mills closed all of China Coast's doors. 

Kenny Rogers' Roasters is another Florida-born restaurant chain, but one with a legacy that flourishes beyond its tenure as a mall food court favorite. This chicken joint was opened in 1991 in Coral Springs, Florida, by famed country musician Kenny Rogers. Yes, multi-million record selling musician Kenny Rogers. Instead of opening just another fried chicken joint, Rogers decided to focus the business on rotisserie chicken, a food just beginning to trend in the '90s,teaming up with John Y. Brown Jr., former Kentucky governor and co-owner of KFC. The chain also served classic Southern side dishes like jacket potatoes and muffins. 

The chicken joint was a success, and by the mid-90s it had already expanded to more than 400 locations. The chain even started going global. But eventually, competition in American markets began to get tougher for Kenny Rogers Roasters. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1998 and was soon picked up by another mall food court giant, Nathan's Famous. Eventually, the company was sold again to the Malaysia-based company Berjaya Roasters, which expanded the business into the Asian market. The final American mall Kenny Rogers' Roasters location closed in 2011.

Today, Kenny Rogers Roasters is one of a few defunct American chains that still exist in other countries. For this mall food court favorite, the legacy lives on... just not in the western world.

Karmelcorn is another mall food court favorite with vintage roots. The origin story of Karmelcorn begins in 1929, when the business began selling popcorn and caramel corn products in busy metropolitan areas. Eventually, the chain's big success blossomed during the '60s, with more than 200 locations in shopping malls, offering a sweet and salty snack for hungry shoppers.

But unfortunately, Karmelcorn's mall legacy also met its demise at the hands of Dairy Queen, who eventually acquired the brand. Dairy Queen first took its newly acquired brands, Orange Julius and Karmelcorn, and opened signature "triple treat" stores that offered all three iconic branded products in one storefront at food courts. But eventually, DQ dropped the Karmelcorn brand in 2019. Nowadays, Karmelcorn fans can still purchase the product online, or head to one of a few Nebraska markets that carry the product for a nostalgia trip.

In its heyday, Bresler's was one of the most recognizable American ice cream chains. But it had humble beginnings in Depression-era America when founder William Bresler started making ice cream in 1929.  The company first flourished selling its sweet treats wholesale, and after an attempt in the '50s to open a hamburger joint called Henry's Hamburgers, a chain restaurant you probably forgot about, Bresler began franchising. 

The first franchised Bresler's location opened in 1962, but the chain's peak of more than 300 locations nationwide came in the '80s. Until 1987, the company was simply called Bresler's Ice Cream. But in 1987, Oberweis Dairy Inc. purchased the company from the family and rebranded it as Bresler's 33 Flavors, with William Bresler stepping aside to focus on real estate ventures. The company changed hands a few more times, but by 2007, Bresler's locations were gone. The shop featured a wood paneling exterior with multiple cold cases containing the signature frozen ice cream, giving the shop a welcoming, cozy feel.

York Steak House was not your typical fancy, business lunch destination of a steakhouse, but rather a modestly priced family-focused one. The restaurant had a cafeteria-style model, with diners grabbing their own tray and silverware before choosing their steak meal off the menu. This cafeteria concept perfectly fit into the mall food court atmosphere in its heyday, but it's now one of a few steakhouses that time forgot.

This beloved steakhouse got its start in 1966, when Berndt Gross and Eddie Grayson opened the chain with just a few restaurants in the Columbus area. But soon after, their success with those few locations led them to the American shopping mall. The gradual expansion would turn to a boom once General Mills Restaurant Group purchased the steakhouse in 1977, eventually leading to 200 locations in malls nationwide.

The restaurant's heyday was in the '70s and '80s, making it a popular US steakhouse chain of the time. But eventually, the chain's success petered out by the late '80s, and General Mills began selling or closing locations. One location recently still existed in Columbus, Ohio, staying true to its roots as a family-owned and operated Columbus business. But unfortunately, it was just sold in July 2024 to the owner of a different local Columbus restaurant.

Although not a nationwide juggernaut like some of the other food court favorites on this list, Mr. Fables will ring a bell for Western Michigan natives. The hamburger restaurant's namesake came from a portmanteau of its two founders' names, cousins John Boyles and Dick Faber. For two decades after the first Mr. Fables opening in 1963, the cousins expanded the restaurant chain's reign throughout Western Michigan, growing to 17 locations.

What made Mr. Fables stand out was its unique burger flavor combinations beloved by fans, such as its secret ingredient mayonnaise and green olive sauce. But as the founders grew to retirement age, they eventually decided to sell the business, with Colonel Chicken acquiring Mr. Fables in 1988. Faber's daughter noted several changes with the hamburger restaurant's operation after the sale of the business, the most notable being that the new owners had "the cooks replace their handmade patties with frozen patties," as reported in a 2013 interview with Michigan news site MLive. Eventually, all Mr. Fables locations were closed by 2000.