Whatever Happened To The Beefsteak Charlie's Chain?

Many of us have a lot of nostalgia and love for chain restaurants of years past. Unfortunately, not every chain can stay forever, and a good majority of the chain restaurants from the '80s and earlier have been forgotten. Even chains that managed to survive the test of time have met their downfall due to other matters — one good example is the fall of Chi-Chi's.

Beefsteak Charlie's is another example of a popular chain that eventually fell into bankruptcy. At its peak, Beefsteak Charlie's had 68 locations in operation as of 1984. It became widely known for its all-you-can-eat approach to its dishes, including shrimp cocktails, a salad bar, and bottomless drinks.

However, the popularity didn't last; the chain filed for bankruptcy before the start of the '90s, and all the locations are now gone. By the time the mid-'00s came, the chain was rebranded entirely, and Beefsteak Charlie's came to an end after nearly a century in business.

Beefsteak Charlie's started in 1910 in New York City, nicknamed after a local newspaper sports editor known as "Beefsteak Charlie." While this restaurant remained popular, it wasn't actually the start of the chain. It wasn't until the name was repurposed by restaurateur Larry Ellman in 1976 that it became a chain. Ellman already ran a chain known as Steak & Brew, which he then decided to rename to Beefsteak Charlie's after the unrelated restaurant in New York City.

After this, Beefsteak Charlie's evolved into the nostalgic chain that people remember it as. The chain glorified a food service style not unlike that of an all-you-can-eat buffet, encouraging guests to eat their fill and then some. The best part is that the prices were cheap, with steak dinner deals that cost as little as $8.99 (as of 1983), so customers kept coming back for more.

The good times didn't last as the chain was bought out multiple times throughout the mid-'80s. In the '90s, the chain was losing locations and bleeding money. Sadly, this pattern seems to repeat quite often throughout history. Even the bigger chains, like Buca di Beppo, have filed for bankruptcy over the course of time. It would seem that Beefsteak Charlie's was yet another unfortunate restaurant chain that didn't stand the test of time.