Arthur Treacher's
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 An Arthur Treacher's restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio | |
| Company type | Subsidiary of TruFoods Systems, Inc |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | 1969 in Columbus, Ohio, US |
| Headquarters | New York, U.S. |
Number of locations | 2 (as of February 2023) |
Area served | Ohio and New York |
| Products | Seafood |
Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips is an American fast food seafood restaurant and former chain. At the peak of its popularity in the late 1970s, it had 826 stores.[1] However, as of March 2023, there were only three stand-alone Arthur Treacher's locations remaining.[2][3] The menu offers fried seafood or chicken, accompanied by chips (French fries).[4]
History
Namesake
The chain's namesake is Arthur Treacher (1894–1975), an English character actor typecast as "the perfect butler" for his performances as Jeeves, as a butler in several Shirley Temple films, and the role of Constable Jones in Walt Disney Productions' Mary Poppins.[5] At the time the chain was founded, Treacher was best known as the announcer and sidekick to Merv Griffin on The Merv Griffin Show.[6] Although Treacher never confirmed whether he had a financial involvement in the restaurants, he "served as a spokesman for the restaurant chain in its early years, underscoring the British character of its food."[7] Treacher would sometimes visit the restaurants, arriving in a red double-decker bus.[8] In a 1975 interview, New England franchise vice president M. John Elliott claimed the fish recipe to be the actor's own, brought over from the United Kingdom.[9]
National Fast Food Corp.
The
Davis was a real estate developer who built and leased several Colonel Sanders Kentucky Fried Chicken properties. Thomas later sold his KFC franchises back to that company for $3 million. Hartzog ran a chain of bakeries selling biscuits to KFC franchisees nationally.
Fisher Foods
In 1970,
Orange Co.
By the early 1970s, National Fast Food had become Orange Co. Under this name, Davis conducted an aggressive expansion campaign from 1972 through 1976. Lacking equity, he relied on generous sale-leaseback agreements. Under the terms of these agreements, Orange Co. would sell to investors sites for new restaurants and then sign long leases unconditionally guaranteeing to continue lease payments if the restaurants failed.[11]
Mrs. Paul's Seafood
On November 21, 1979, Orange Co. sold Arthur Treacher's to Mrs. Paul's. However, under the terms of its original sale-leaseback agreements, Orange Co. remained liable for millions of dollars of payments to investors.[11]
The "Cod Wars" between the United Kingdom and Iceland during the 1970s caused cod prices to double.[12] Mrs. Paul's responded by replacing the Icelandic cod in Arthur Treacher's recipe with less expensive pollock.[13] The move exacerbated tensions with franchisees — some of whom had already withheld a total of $5 million in royalties for what they perceived to be a steadily declining level of service. Litigation arising from the conflict eventually reached the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.[14]
Lumara Foods
After losing the case to the franchisees and having no way to compensate them, Mrs. Paul's sold Arthur Treacher's to Lumara Foods of America Inc. in March 1982. Lumara Foods filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code four months later.[11]
Investment group
The company was subsequently bought by a group of investors, and the corporate offices were relocated to
From 1985 to 1993, Cataland slowly expanded the company again. In 1993, money from a new group of investors was used to introduce a more modern seafood concept, to buy additional stores, and to move the company from its base operations in Youngstown to Jacksonville, Florida.
In the mid-1980s, franchises in Detroit, Michigan, were converted by their owner to a new chain called Seafood Bay. Arthur Treacher's purchased back six Seafood Bay locations in 1997 but was unsuccessful in reverting them.[15]
The company experimented with
PAT Franchise Systems
In 2002, the company holding the Arthur Treacher's trademark was acquired by PAT Franchise Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of TruFoods Systems. In 2006,
Nathan's Famous
In 2021, Nathan's Famous announced plans to offer Arthur Treacher's branded food nationwide as a
First of three remaining stand-alone location
The first of three remaining stand-alone Arthur Treacher's restaurant's is located at 1833 State Road in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. It was owned by franchisee Ben Vittoria from the late 1980s until 2024 when he sold it to developer George Simon.[17] He credits customer loyalty to the brand to "the taste of a unique product, and memories of happier and less complicated times."[18] In recognition of the restaurant's survival, Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Walters designated June 30, 2021, as Arthur Treacher's Day.[19]
Last remaining attached franchise locations and one more reopens
In addition to the last remaining stand-alone Arthur Treacher's restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, four Salvatore's Pizzerias in
See also
References
- ^ Byard, Katie (2021-07-09). "The first of two Arthur Treacher's to stay in Cuyahoga Falls". Akron Beacon Journal. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
- ^ a b Bona, Marc (24 February 2023). "Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips reopens in Garfield Heights". Cleveland.com.
- ^ Trattner, Douglas (March 1, 2023). "Arthur Treacher's in Garfield Heights Reopened by New Owner Who Plans More Locations in Ohio". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "Products". officialarthurtreachers.com. Arthur Treacher's. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
- ^ "Arthur Treacher". IMDb. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ^ "Merv Griffin". Telegraph. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ^ "Arthur Treacher's Restaurant Chain Food Chips Fish Butler". economicexpert.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2013.
- ^ Petkovic, John (2018-03-15). "Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips is alive and thriving in Northeast Ohio (photos)". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
- ^ "Fish and Chips Restaurant Slated to Open in Stratford". Bridgeport Post. 15 January 1975. Retrieved 1 January 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Klein, Danny (2021-05-26). "Nathan's Plans to Revive Fast-Food Icon Arthur Treacher's". QSR Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
- ^ a b c "Orange-co Can Finally Concentrate". Lakeland Ledger. 18 December 1983. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ Niedt, Bob (5 July 2018). "Whatever Happened to Arthur Treacher's Restaurants?". kiplinger.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips is being relaunched as part of a virtual restaurant concept spearheaded by Nathan's Famous". WGN Radio 720. 2021-05-28. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
- ^ Arthur Treacher's Franchisee Litigation v. A & B Management Corporation, 689 F2d 1137 (1982). via openjurist.org.
- ^ "Arthur Treacher's buys six shuttered Seafood Bay units.(Brief Article)". Nation's Restaurant News. 17 February 1997. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ "Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips returning nationwide as a ghost kitchen courtesy of Nathan's Famous". Cleveland.com. June 2021.
- ^ a b Staff (April 25, 2024). "How many Arthur Treacher's are left? Are more coming to Northeast Ohio? What we know so far". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- ^ "This Is the Last Arthur Treacher's in America". Countere Magazine.
- ^ Byard, Katie (2021-07-09). "The last Arthur Treacher's to stay in Cuyahoga Falls". Akron Beacon Journal. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
- ^ "Arthur Treachers 4 Area Locations". salvatores.com. Salvatore's Pizzeria. 12 November 2017.
- ^ "Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips in Pomeroy, Ohio". yellowpages.com.
External links