Man, if every blog entry I wrote was as successful at stirring debate as the which-seafood-restaurant-was-where post back in March… I’d be a full-time blogger!
This went on to become the subject of my Easter dinner conversation, a huge draw for comments, AND an in-office debate.
The final verdict:
Where El Rodeo is now: There used to be an Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips. After that, there was also a Rax. (Joe and Tracey helped clear that up; I originally thought this was somewhere else.)
Where Hooters is now: There used to be a Jolly Fisherman, about which
commenter db says: “That was a great seafood rest., they had excellent food, we were so disappointed when they closed.”
Where McDonald’s is now, at George Street: There used to be a Long John Silvers.
Where 5 Guys is now: There used to be a KFC.
Where the spa/hot tub place is now: There used to be a McDonald’s. In fact, the first McDonald’s in York County!
Still undetermined: A Popeye’s chicken. Lorie says that was also in the spot now occupied by El Rodeo. If so, when? Or was that actually where the KFC was? Again, when?
I think I need to make a map – or maybe a timeline! I guess my biggest question is, was there a time when Jolly Fisherman, Arthur Treacher’s and Long John Silvers all operated within two blocks of each other? That’s a whole lotta seafood!
My name is Joan and I'm a lifelong Yorker. Throughout high school and college, I swore I was getting out of here as soon as possible. Now, a few years later, I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be. I love my town. And, as a local editor, I hear every day how much you love your towns, too. So please, connect with me and let's share what makes life in York County great. I'm here to help you enjoy this place as much as I do!
From pubcrawler.com:
Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits
Listed Since: 1998
720 Loucks Rd
York, York County, PA 17404-1703
Phone: (717) 843-5880
Popeye’s was where 5 Guys is now.
Here is how I recall the lineup on Route 30 circa the late 70′s – early 80′s: Jolly Fisherman was where Hooters is now (after “Jolly,” it was in one form or another, The Pink Panther and the Broadway Cafe). Across the street was Arthur Treachers and Rax. Arthur Treachers became Kentucky Fried Chicken and then Popeyes when KFC moved down the west hill into the old Roy Rogers building. Rax changed hands several times before becoming the Mexican restraurant is is today. Next to the Rax where the Amish furniture store is today was the old Kiddietown store which moved there from the North Mall about 80. Down the hill to the west. Two Guys plaza sat on one side (Two Guys itself closed in fall of 1981 when West Manchester Mall opened.) Across 30 from Two Guys sat nothing until the mid 80′s when they built a Bobs’s Big Boy where Lone Star is now (or was) and a Roy Rogers where KFC is now. To the East of Jolly Fisherman sat the North Mall with Bon Ton and J.M. Fields as the anchors (Fields closed around 79). Fields building became a Showbiz Pizza and then Burlington Coat Factory and was eventually turned into the OTB which it is now. To the east of the North Mall, MCdonalds sat on one side (where Bob’s Intown Spas is now) and across the street was Gino’s (at the present Taco Bell site and Ponderosa (where a bank is now).