15 Chains That Are No Longer In MoCo (And Where You Can Find Them Today)

There are countless establishments that used to be in MoCo that are no longer here today, but in this article we are looking at just 15 of them and letting you know the closest locations where you could get your fix!

Warning: some aren’t too close 🙁

Many late nights were spent by the MoCoShow staff at the Montgomery Village Denny’s… The closest place now to get a Grand Slam is College Park. The former site of Denny’s (as well as Shoney’s and Bob’s Big Boy) in Montgomery Village was demolished in 2020 to make way for a new Starbucks.

Shakey’s Pizza had multiple locations in MoCo (the one my parents used to take me to was the Rockville Pike location). Today the chain has 47 locations in California and two in Washington State. https://www.shakeys.com/restaurant-locations/

MoCoShow Article: Remembering Shakey’s Pizza Parlor

Champion Billiards 🎱 was a go-to spot for many in the 90s and early 2000s. Located conveniently just off of Rockville Pike, it provided many with entertainment for hours at a time. You don’t have to go far to find another one…there’s a location on Buckeystown Pike in Frederick.

The last remaining Arby’s in Montgomery County (Rockville Pike) closed this past May (2021). There are still 45 other locations in Maryland to get your meat, the closest being in Mount Airy, MD.

I became familiar with Cluck U when I was a student at the University of Maryland in College Park (shoutout to Cluck-U Pac), but there was a location in Germantown around the same time. The location in College Park is listed as “temporarily closed” and the closest location is now in Lanham, MD.

A&W Root Beer had multiple MoCo locations, including Lakeforest Mall and 355 in Rockville. The closest location now is in Charles Town, WV. There’s something about drinking root beer out of a mug that just makes it taste better.

Growing up, I’d occasionally catch a movie at the United Artists movie theater in Bethesda. When I would, I’d make sure to go to Pizzeria Uno. There are currently locations in Frederick, Northern Virginia, and D.C.

Hardee’s used to be everywhere in Montgomery County. In the early 90’s, Hardees replaced almost all of the Roy Rogers locations in the area (and continued to sell their chicken). Now the closest place to get curly fries is in Hanover, MD

It was my favorite restaurant in Lakeforest Mall and you can still buy the Chi-Chi’s branded salsa in grocery stores today. If you’re ever in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, or North Africa…you can still get your Chi-Chi’s. Belgium leads the way with 3 locations. You can view their international website here.

MoCo Show Article: Chi-Chi’s to Return to MoCo with Four Locations This Year (April Fool’s Day Joke)

Some of my fondest memories are at Tippy’s Taco House on 355 in Gaithersburg. My grandmother even worked there for a few years! There are a few locations left in Northern Virginia.

Friendly’s Family Restaurant is known for their ice cream sundaes and kids meals. Luckily for us, Friendly’s still has four locations in Maryland, the closest being in Baltimore.

I have vague memories of the Sizzler in Rockville (Twinbrook). The closest location is in the continental US is Gallup, New Mexico and there are 13 locations in Puerto Rico.
https://locations.sizzler.com/

BD’s Mongolian Grill is up there when it comes to restaurants of MoCo’s last that I think would still work if they were brought back. The closest BD’s is in Cleveland Heights, OH.

Bob’s Big Boy (now simply known as “Big Boy”) was a MoCo favorite for years (multiple locations throughout the county)! The closest current location is just outside of Cleveland, Ohio.

Last, but certainly not least, is Putt-Putt. For decades it was a place you could go to with a date, your friends, or the whole family. Currently, there are four locations in Virginia– the closest in Richmond and Charlottesville.