If you ask people who lived through the 1970s and '80s in Maine what their favorite restaurant was at that time, you'd get a bunch of the same responses. Hands down, without question, York Steak House.

Unbeknownst to many, York Steak House wasn't a local restaurant named after the town of York, Maine. Instead, it came to be a thriving national chain that was owned and operated (in part) by the General Mills company throughout the '80s.

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

However, York Steak House still had a special place in the hearts of many Mainers. It was the signature restaurant for the grand opening of the Maine Mall in South Portland in 1971. At the time, it was only the second York Steak House location in the nation.

By the early '80s, there were 200 York Steak House locations across the country, including a thriving one in Lewiston. The cafeteria-style dining was a hit at the time, and for families on a budget, the no-tipping policy was a major hit.

Google Maps
Google Maps
loading...

But trouble eventually hit the franchise. By the mid-1990s, thanks to changing tastes and how Americans liked to dine out, 200 York Steak House restaurants had dwindled to just a handful by 1995, two of which were independently owned.

But alas, the time has come for York Steak House. According to Yahoo Finance, the last remaining location in Columbus, Ohio, has been sold to another restauranteur, and the chain will officially be lost and gone forever.


 

The 20 Most Popular Restaurants in Portland, Maine Right Now

Here are the 20 most popular restaurants in Maine's largest city of Portland, according to TripAdvisor rankings. This list comes from Jully of 2024.

Gallery Credit: Chris Sedenka

LOOK: States sending the most people to Maine

Stacker compiled a list of states where the most people are moving to Maine using data from the Census Bureau.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

More From 94.3 WCYY