Whatever Happened To The Ground Round Restaurant Chain?

Its name evokes the very best and finest that '70s and '80s family-oriented casual dining had to offer, complete with complimentary peanuts and bowls of popcorn, cartoons and sports on large TVs, and Bingo the Clown to entertain the kids. That place was Ground Round, and it was the best of times. Those times were not to last, however, and this chain, which started as an off-shoot of Howard Johnson's hotels and restaurants, changed ownership four times throughout the '80s and '90s before finally filing for bankruptcy in 2004.

It was a perfect storm, really — just as the restaurant was starting to look and feel out of date with its overcrowded menu (a major steakhouse red flag chefs look out for), the company's many acquisition deals negatively affected the chain's financial situation. New casual dining chains, like Applebee's and Chili's, as well as Darden Restaurant favorites such as Olive Garden and Red Lobster, were also growing in number and popularity, capturing a larger portion of the family dining market.

The year 2004 was pivotal for Ground Round. Not only did it signify the end of the restaurant chain's existence as part of a corporate entity, but it also saw the rise of a resilient group of Ground Round franchisees who were determined not to lose their livelihoods. These franchisees, who owned 71 restaurants between them, formed the Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative, LLC. This cooperative not only purchased the chain out of bankruptcy to the tune of $5 million ($2 million of which came directly from the franchisees themselves), but it also paid off all of Ground Round's outstanding debts by 2011.

Still, Ground Round has faced hurdles in the years since, as many restaurants have slowly shut their doors. Some locations have closed down as recently as the 2020s, due to either the pandemic or the owners simply wanting to retire after pouring years into the beloved brand. What was once a proud chain of over 200 locations has now dwindled in number to just four, with three in North Dakota and one in Ohio.

Nostalgia continues to be a major cultural force, especially among millennials, who are now responsible for almost a quarter of the world's spending power (via Visual Capitalist). The time is ripe to bring back dopamine-hit experiences to relieve this generation's ennui (see: Taco Bell and its Decades menu), and one couple in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts is doing just that by reviving a Ground Round restaurant, with plans to open in either February or March of 2025. Joseph and Nachi Shea are the husband-and-wife duo behind this comeback, with the former telling Restaurant Business in November 2024, "Like so many, I have the fondest memories of a place we loved to go for food and fun and that is something we are working diligently to bring back."

As of this writing, the couple has put up new signage, added new lighting and carpeting, and are even in the process of building a new bar. They're also involving their community, asking for input on everything from whether they should offer Pepsi or Coke (something Costco might want to ask about before allegedly switching from the former to the latter) to what old favorites and new items they should put on the menu. While the number of Ground Rounds locations will stay at five for the foreseeable future after the Sheas' location opens, the couple expressed to Fox Business in December 2024 that they're tentatively open to increasing that number later on — and perhaps gaining back some of the glorious Ground Round empire that was lost.