Whatever Happened To Restaurant Chain Steak And Ale?

What is it about bygone restaurants that so captures the imagination? Is it just nostalgia or do restaurants inhabit a special corner of our memory? Shuttered eateries reach out through aromas and tastes and reminders of dining rooms and staff that made us feel welcome and satisfied.

If you’re from Michigan, you may pine for the rich ham croquettes made from scratch at Bill Knapp’s. New Yorkers of a certain age might fondly recall the orange beverage and tangy relish-smothered hot dogs at Nedick’s. Still, Texans and others may remember the invitingly-dim interior of a chain known as Steak and Ale.

Despite the anachronistic name and Tudor décor that were hallmarks of Steak and Ale, the chain was frequently ahead of its time, an innovator of restaurant trends that persist to this day. Steak and Ale ushered in an era of casual dining, and its DNA is evident today in chains like Fridays, Chili’s, and Applebee’s.

According to the University of Houston, those concepts pioneered by Steak and Ale include the serve-yourself salad bar and exceedingly-personable service standards. The idea was to bridge the gulf between no-frills fast food and haute fine dining for America’s growing middle class.

So, what happened to drive Steak and Ale out of the market?