There are about 300 pages in this section and lots of “news.” So, this will be at least a two-parter.
The sign at the Daisy Queen Hi-Boy in Harrison, AR:
got some renovating by late last year:
The Arby’s in Huntsville, AL which closed around 2021 was demolished last year:
The former Arby’s in East Lansing, MI that last housed a Biggby Coffee was demolished in 2020:
This Arby’s hat sign in Bartlesville, OK is gone now. It was replaced with a plastic version by 2023:
The only thing left of the Burger Chef in Beaumont, TX was this adapted sign:
It was replaced last year with this:
These signs looked like this originally – courtesy of John Margolies in the Library of Congress collection:
The former Burger Chef in Spokane, WA which was remodeled and operated as a Chinese restaurant for many years has been demolished:
The Frisch’s Big Boy chain is undergoing restructuring, rebranding, and legal issues in recent years. In 2024, most of the Ohio locations closed as did some in Kentucky and Indiana. Their wonderful vintage signs and statues have been removed. I’m assuming the signs were destroyed but many of the statues are in a holding pen (chain link area) behind the company headquarters in Cincinnati. For more about the losses and survivors, see my website here:
https://www.roadarch.com/eateries/bigboy3.html
Fortunately, in December, the Frisch’s Mainliner sign in Fairfax, OH was saved by the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati where it will be restored and displayed:
I don’t know where the location’s statue went:
The Colonial Kitchen facade and pole signs in San Marino, CA:
The former Cindy’s Restaurant in Westminster, CA (later the Cafe Westminster) has been demolished:
The Cindy’s in Davis, CA closed in 2022 and it looks like it might be next to meet the dozers as there a plans to build a Chipotle on the site. The small chain’s building design was created by Victor Newlove of Armet & Davis.
The Astro-Burger in Boron, CA closed in 2020 and was demolished last year. It appears that a new gas station is being built there:
The only A-frame Baskin-Robbins ice cream store outside of California that I know of — in El Paso, TX — was demolished by last spring:
The former Dari-Delite in Napa, CA which has housed Big D Burgers since at least 2007 still had the original plastic sign panels of Dee and Dee-Dee in the gables. They were the only surviving examples as all the others in surviving buildings have either been removed or painted over:
Something happened to one of the panels in 2023 and it was missing. By last year, the panels were both gone. At least the original sign poles and plastic panel uniquely-shaped frames remain:
The Dairy Queen in Starbuck, MN closed in 2024. The rooftop sign was removed and the business reopened as Shirley’s Treats & Eats. I’m sure the sign either went to a collector or DQ corporate:
The former Dog n Suds in Byron, IL was demolished a couple of months ago:
The panels on the Foster’s Freeze sign in Campbell, CA…:
… have been updated with non-embossed panels. I sure hope this is not a trend!
This little companion building which was the last bit of the Candyland Restaurant chain housed a motel office in McDonough, GA has been demolished for a Wendy’s:
The building above is circled/arrowed in the postcard image below. The larger restaurant building on the left was demolished in 2021:
The Lake Park, GA building below was demolished around 2020. There were at least two other locations like this (Jesup, GA and St. Augustine, FL):
That’s quite enough for one post. I’ll be back soon.
Happy Trails,
dj & the dogs
RoadArch.com companion 