7 Fast Food Chains From The '90s We Hope Can Make A Revival

The 1990s was a different time full of optimism, big ideas, and bright colors — most of them were teal. The decade might be gone, but it hasn't been entirely forgotten. There are still a handful of '90s-era cooking shows that are absolutely worth the watch for some wonderfully comforting nostalgia, and you can do a little online shopping for some 1990s snacks that are still on the market. Sure, it's not the same as rollerblading down to the corner store and stocking up for a Friday night movie marathon with your VHS rentals, but at least you can close your eyes and imagine.

The food landscape of the '90s was delightfully weird. Themed restaurants were all the rage, and that's a trend we would love to see return. There are also a handful of fast food chains that saw wild popularity across the decade but faded into obscurity. Those of us who lived through this wonderful, wacky decade can say, "That's a bummer."

There are some fast food items that menus from the '90s that were better off going the way of the dodo, but broadly speaking they're the exception. So, let's talk about the chains we would love to see make a resurgence. (To be clear, these aren't necessarily chains that were founded in the '90s, they were simply ultra-popular in that era, and we'd love to see them return.) We're rooting for them.

Kenny Rogers Roasters is a bit of an odd duck. You'll find plenty of people who know this chain for one reason: It was part of a bit in an episode of "Seinfeld." Those who do remember going there tend to speak fondly of it, saying that it was a great alternative to the other chicken chains, had some outstanding cornbread, and a spicy seasoning that was above and beyond. A pilgrimage to Kenny Rogers Roasters is the sort of thing that forms the backbone of some truly epic moments in childhood  — the kind of moments you remember for a long, long time — especially when you're in the mood for yearning for those better times. So, what happened?

The chain hit its peak around 1995, with 350+ locations opening within just a few years and a trajectory that looked gosh darn promising. The problem was fairly simple: There were a lot of places doing chicken, from mainstays like KFC to hot properties like Boston Market. The company learned very quickly that opening that many restaurants that fast wasn't a great idea in the long run, trademark lawsuits were never a good look, and ultimately, it disappeared completely in 2011.

Technically, and only stateside. After a Malaysian company bought it in 2008, the chain established a pretty successful presence across Southeast Asia. We're absolutely jealous, and hoping that leaves the door open for a U.S.-based renaissance. Do we want that sweet, sweet cornbread back? Heck yes.

Oh, Quiznos. How we loved you, once upon a time, with your delightfully toasted subs. You were different. That warm and crunchy bread was brilliant. You had a pepper bar, where we could load up any sub with an irrational amount of pickled goodness. And then? Well, you had to go ruin everything with what's easily one of the worst food brand mascots of all time. The mad fever dream that was the screeching, surreal Spongmonkeys debuted in 2004, and honestly, it was kind of all awful from there. People hated the ad campaign so much it was credited with helping to topple this once-mighty chain.

It was founded in 1981 and hit a peak around 4,700 locations. Then, ads had the chains fielding tens of thousands of complaints per week, and if you're wondering how many Quiznos were left in the U.S. after the dust settled, the answer is an incredibly sad 148.

There were other factors that contributed to the chain's near demise, including a lack of innovation and bad press stemming from struggling, unhappy, and vocal franchisees. One Reddit user who said they were a former franchisee explained — sort of — what happened, writing, "The list is literally too long to go over all the issues with it. It was probably the darkest period of my life owning one." Bottom line: Bring back the pepper bar, but leave the mismanagement in the past.

Back in 2025, we here at Tasting Table reported on an old-school fast food chain that was poised to make a comeback. That was Roy Rogers, a chain that's trying to recapture its glory days. It's been around since 1968, and yes, by the 1990s, it was starting to disappear... much to the horror of die-hard fans who still head to forums like Reddit to reminisce about seriously delicious fried chicken, amazing roast beef, and a buffet-style bar where you could get all the toppings you wanted.

The good news is that fans of the '90s-era Roy Rogers who are lucky enough to live by a reborn location are quick to report it's as good as it ever was, with some going as far as to say that this place is serving the best chicken sandwiches you can buy. Employees from the '90s still have fond memories of this chain, and that includes go-to orders like the fried chicken and scratch-made biscuits and the Gold Rush chicken sandwich.

If it was so good, what happened? The chain has been sold several times, including once to Hardee's, which took over some and sold others. The 1990s saw these beloved restaurants disappear, but the brand was sold again in the early 2000s. This time, it was purchased with an eye toward restoring the brand rather than chipping away at it, and things are going slowly but surely.

No trip to the mall in the 1990s was complete without a pit stop at Sbarro for a slice of New York-style pizza. These days, that experience has been relegated to throwback TV shows and Millennial nostalgia, but we would love to see that change. Unfortunately, Sbarro has the rather dubious honor of being a pizza chain that has survived bankruptcy twice, and when we ranked every major fast food pizza chain from worst to best, it was Sbarro that took the bottom spot.

That's a shame, because Sbarro is actually in the Pizza Hall of Fame. It started back in 1956, only franchised in 1977, and found pretty wild success in the '90s that included going international. There's just something about a mall slice that hit differently back in the day. 

Though malls have waned, this chain is still kicking. In 2025, the U.S. saw 38 new locations open, with dozens more popping up internationally. The brand has gotten a trendy makeover, and it's also worth noting that there's more than pizza here. At the time of this writing, it's the baked ziti that takes the top spot as a favorite on Sbarro's web site. Reddit users confirm that in the '90s, the baked ziti was affordable, filling, and, above all, downright delicious. Some recommend choosing it as a side over breadsticks, and seriously, a recommendation to choose something over breadstick is something we never thought we'd be privy to.

Every so often, there are those little tidbits of trivia that make anyone born in the 21st century doubt what they've heard about the 1990s is real. Today, that trivia is about Hot N' Now, a '90s-era darling of the East Coast renowned for selling burgers, fries, and sodas for a mere 39 cents each. No, that is not a typo. That is not a fever dream. You could pull up to the drive through and order a burger for 39 cents.

The '90s saw Hot N' Now expand into the West, but what followed was a laundry list of bad luck like lawsuits, buyouts, mismanagement, bankruptcy, and major competition. By the 2010s, the once-popular restaurant chain was among those reduced to just a single location in Sturgis, Michigan.

Fast forward to 2018, and things looked dire. The then-owner made it clear that he didn't see much a future beyond that lone survivor, especially since there was mystery around who owned the trademark, what they planned to do with it, and how to get them to answer a phone call. In 2025, though, it was announced that another Michigan location was opening, and while 39-cent burgers would remain firmly in the past, the goal was to hold onto affordability. That's something we can all get on board with.

Yes, Long John Silver's is still around, but the story of this chain is one of a meteoric rise and a fall that happened just as dramatically. Check out what Reddit users have to say about the state of the chain in the 1980s and '90s, and you'll find plenty of people who remember it fondly. It wasn't just a fun place to go, the booths were comfortable, the malt vinegar and ketchup were plentiful, the chicken sandwiches were surprisingly delish, and those hush puppies? Fire. 

Even now, you'll hear plenty of people say that Long John Silver's doesn't deserve the hate that some might give it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's seen some really, really tough times. It ended the decade with a 1998 bankruptcy, and it's been up and down more times than the Dunkaroos mascots. 

Things started going sideways in 2008, and the following years have been a saga of inflation, skyrocketing labor costs, and customers who suddenly found that dining out was no longer a viable option. Sales fell, restaurants closed, and by 2024, the chain was down to 485 locations. Still, we're hopeful that this place might see a return of those heady days of success and a cult following that stops by just for those delicious crispies. (Or, depending on your stance, the crumblies.) We're rooting for you, LJS. (Just don't short us on the crumblies, and we're all good.)

Another darling of the mall culture that was so prevalent in the 1990s, TCBY was the perfect spot to stop when you needed a little break from shopping and a sweet treat to keep you going. If you can't remember the last time you saw one, you're not alone. Still, Reddit is full of fond memories of the sweet taste of the chain's flagship frozen yogurt, and there's still a lot of love for the White Chocolate Mousse in particular. If you missed out, you might just get the chance to try it yet.

It opened in 1981, and very quickly, it was everywhere. It's unclear exactly how many locations this one reached in its heyday, but sources say that it hovered around 3,000. That's a lot of frozen yogurt, and the problems seem to have started when the company was absorbed into an investment group that oversaw a number of shopping mall staples of the decade.

That buyout happened in 2000, and bankruptcies and closures came quickly. The chain hit an all-time low of just 168 remaining locations in 2022, but TCBY is still around. Even though it's a mere shadow of its former glory, fans will be glad to know that it's back up to over 350 locations at the time of this writing. Fingers crossed, because honestly, this decade needs more than a little dash of the '90s to help restore joy in the world.