Once-Loved Mall Food Court Restaurants That Are Gone Forever

If you grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, you know the mall food court was the beating heart of many a teenage hangout, family gathering after shopping, movie, or whatever. It was a place to choose from what seemed like overwhelming number of options. It was chaos, but in the best way. You could take a seat at the plastic tables, stuff your face, and people-watch without a care in the world.

Malls of today have become a shadow of their former selves, and your run-of-the-mill food court has been replaced with its classier sibling, the food hall, where you’ll find fewer chains and more artisan burger joints and unique eateries.

Here are 13 food court restaurants that ruled the mall scene but have completely disappeared.

An Orange Julius in one hand, a bag of Wet Seal purchases in the other — that’s peak mall nostalgia It all started in 1926 when a California-based orange juice stand owner, Julius Freed, with the help of a friend, came up with a way to make OJ less acidic by blending it with ice, sugar and powdered egg whites, and vanilla flavoring. The result was a sweet, frothy drink that people loved so much they started lining up at his stand, shouting, “Give me an orange, Julius!” Malls in the ‘80s and ‘90s were packed with Orange Julius locations.

When Dairy Queen bought it in 1987, standalone Orange Julius locations started vanishing and by 2018, they were officially gone.

DQ still sells Orange Julius as a side item at select locations.

If you ever left a mall with sticky caramel fingers and a crumpled paper bag, there’s a good chance Karmelkorn was to blame. Karmelkorn was founded in 1929 in Casper, Wyoming, and it was already a big deal long before food courts became a thing.

By the ‘80s, Karmelkorn had over 270 locations, across 43 states, filling malls with the smell of buttery caramel and cheddar popcorn. Then Dairy Queen bought it out, and folded it into its "Triple Treat" stores alongside Orange Julius. From there, it slowly faded away.

While it’s not completely extinct (you can still find someKarmelkorn popcorn online and in a few Nebraska locations), it’s a shadow of its former mall food court glory.

No trip to the mall was complete in the ‘80s or ‘90s without getting an intoxicating whiff of Hot Sam before you even saw it. You could get the warm, soft pretzel entirely drenched in nacho cheese, fudge, or even strawberries (because… the ‘80s). This Bavarian-style pretzel joint opened its first location in Livonia Mall outsideof Detroit in 1966 and grew to have over 175 locations.

At its peak, the cookie giant Mrs. Fields bought the brand, rebranded the last locations into Pretzel Time in 2005, and called it a day. Soon after, Auntie Anne monopolized the mall pretzel game, but let’s not forget that Hot Sam walked so those cinnamon-sugar Auntie Anne’s pretzels could run.

Morrison’s was a cafeteria-style spot where you could load up on fried chicken, meatloaf, and cornbread without breaking the bank. It started as a single cafeteria in Mobile, Alabama, in 1920 before expanding into malls and shopping centers, eventually reaching over 150 locations.

However, by the '90s, cafeterias were on the decline. Morrison’s was bought out by its biggest competitor Piccadilly which took over its locations and rebranded them as Piccadilly Cafeterias. Today, there is a single Morrison's location in Mobile, Alabama. 

In the ‘90s, Kenny Rogers was selling out concert tickets—and slow-roasted rotisserie chicken as a side gig.

Kenny Rogers Roasters grew so fast it reached over 350 locations and even got a nod in Seinfeld, for its wood-fired chicken and cornbread.

But even a country music legend couldn’t outlast Boston Market (which, ironically, is also fading away) and by 1996, Rogers sold most of his stake, and by 1998, the chain filed for bankruptcy.

The last U.S. location closed in 2011. While America knew when to fold 'em,Asia decided to hold 'em, and the brand found new life there, still thriving today.

Harvest House Cafeteria was the “mall” kind of fancy. Opened in the 1960s, it was Woolworth’s answer to mall dining, serving up sit-down meals with leather booths and white-paned windows — a step up from the department store’s usual lunch counters. Instead of a quick sandwich and a soda, Harvest House served full meals for a buck.

When Woolworth’s officially went down in 1997, Harvest House went with it.

Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour opened in 1963, a decade before malls were even a thing. It had an old-timey soda shop vibe, giant sundaes, and over-the-top birthday celebrations. By the ‘70s, it was a mall food court staple, and started fading in the ‘80s and never bounced back. The last two locations closed in 2019.

Chicken George was once the largest Black-owned fast-food chain in the U.S. It was founded by civil rights activist Theodore Neal Holmes in 1979, and it offered crispy fried chicken, biscuits, and Southern sides. The first location opened in Baltimore’s Mondawmin Mall, and the chain quickly expanded along the East Coast. By 1991, financial troubles forced the chain into bankruptcy, and it disappeared (along with several other fast-food chains).

Bresler’s 33 Flavors was the ‘other’ ice cream shop in malls, trying to compete with Baskin-Robbins. It started in 1929 when William J. Bresler began selling ice cream bars during the Great Depression. By the 1960s, it had grown into a chain, offering 33 flavors instead of the usual 31.

By the 1980s, Bresler’s had over 400 locations, mostly in malls and food courts. After Bresler’s death in 1985, the chain was sold off and changed hands multiple times. By 2007, it had melted away for good.

The Original Cookie Company was a mall staple, tempting mall-goes with the bewitching smell of warm, fresh-baked cookies. Founded in 1977, it grew into a nationwide chain, competing with Mrs. Fields for food court cookie dominance.

By the late ‘90s, Mrs. Fields bought it out and absorbed it into its brand. A few locations stuck around for a while, but by the early 2000s, The Original Cookie Company was gone.

York Steak House was the mall’s answer to a sit-down steak dinner without the hefty price tag. It was founded in the ‘60s, and it grew fast, with nearly 200 locations by the early ‘80s. You’d grab a tray, shuffle through the cafeteria line, and end up with a steak, baked potato, and maybe some Texas toast if you were feeling fancy. General Mills, which owned the brand, started shutting down locations throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s.

A few independently owned locations hung on, but today, only one remains in Columbus, Ohio, near the first-ever York Steak House but it went up for sale in 2024.

TCBY, or "The Country's Best Yogurt," was the OG frozen yogurt chain that made you feel a little less guilty about dessert. It took off in the ‘80s, riding the wave of low-fat diets and quickly became a mall staple. By the ‘90s, it had nearly 1,800 locations across the country. TCBY struggled to keep up with the froyo trend and faced stiff competition from chains like Pinkberry. Many of its locations vanished and while the brand is still around today, you likely won’t see it in your local mall.

Blimpie was founded in 1964, and made a name for itself with fresh, made-to-order sandwiches and became a mall food court staple. At one point, it had around 1,800 locations across the country.

But, Blimpie couldn’t hold its ground against the Subway juggernaut and by the 2000s, the brand had shrunk down to a mere fraction of its former self. While it still exists, it's mostly found in gas stations and stand-alone shops rather than in the food courts.