Bring them back!
We asked Beacon Journal readers to name some of the defunct corporate chains that they would like to see make a comeback in Ohio.
They quickly cranked up the nostalgia machine and whisked us back to some of their favorite places from yesteryear.
Here are some of the brands that people miss in the Akron-Canton area.
BARNHILL’S, FRIENDLY’S AND CHI-CHI’S
Lauri Phillips had ice cream, candy and Mexican food on her mind.
“Barnhill’s was an icon,” she wrote. “What a great old-fashioned place. So nostalgic. It was a good place to go after a school play or concert. I loved the candy. Remember you could get any flavored candy stick you wanted?
“Friendly’s was just a great place to eat. Who didn’t love it there? They had wonderful sundaes! I miss the Reese’s Pieces Sundae. When I worked at Rolling Acres, I would sometimes go to lunch there in the mall.
“And Chi-Chi’s has GOT to come back. No one’s Tex-Mex food tastes as good. From their chili con queso to their chimichangas and margaritas, I can’t find a place that makes it like Chi-Chi’s did.”
Barnhill’s Ice Cream Parlor, a Victorian-themed confectionery, opened its first store in 1966 at 2855 W. Market St. in Fairlawn, added a new store in 1969 at 437 Portage Trail in Cuyahoga Falls and stormed Quaker Square in 1975 with an emporium at 120 E. Mill St. in Akron.
The Akron chain welcomed Ohio franchises in Ashland, Berea, Canton, Massillon and Warren, and even had locations in Pittsburgh and Lansing, Michigan, but Barnhill’s scooped its last treats by the mid-1980s.
You can still enjoy a visit to Friendly’s if you fill up the gas tank. After the chain closed its Ohio restaurants in 2014, the closest locations to Akron are in Olean, New York, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. By the way, Reese’s Pieces Sundaes are still on the menu!
At its peak in the 1980s, Chi-Chi’s Mexican Restaurante had over 200 locations, including nearly 30 restaurants in Ohio. Greater Akron locations were at 4000 W. Market St. in Montrose, 1770 Britain Road in Akron and 5075 Dressler Road NW in Jackson Township.
The chain shut down in 2003 after a hepatitis outbreak at a suburban Pittsburgh restaurant killed three people and sickened over 600. The illness was traced to contaminated green onions, but the business never recovered and shut down in 2004.
Some hopeful news for Chi-Chi’s fans: In October 2025, Michael McDermott, son of founder Marno McDermott, revived the restaurant with a single location in Minnesota, where the original chain began in 1975. He plans to add more locations. Here’s an idea: How about Akron?
POPPIN FRESH PIES
“I was just thinking this weekend when my sister-in-law had a hard time finding a cherry or blueberry pie: How I miss the Poppin Fresh restaurant,” Fairlawn resident Beirne Konarski wrote. “What could be better than pie?
“You could go in, pick from a big selection of pie, and have a great dessert. I think they had regular food, too, but all I remember was the pie. And if you had a get-together like we did this weekend, you could bring a good warm pie. In the end, she got a cherry pie at Giant Eagle, which was actually pretty good, but I still miss Poppin Fresh.”
In the late 1970s, Pillsbury-owned Poppin Fresh had nearly 70 restaurants across the Midwest, including locations at 1280 Independence Ave. near Chapel Hill in Akron and 3879 Everhard Road NW near Belden Village in Jackson Township.
Pillsbury sold the chain in 1983 to Village Inn owner Vicorp, which changed the name to Bakers Square. There were more than 140 locations. Only seven are left today.
The closest Bakers Square to Akron is in Parma Heights at 7011 W. 130th St.
Ask for the pie.
RAX, CICI’S AND PONDEROSA
Sagamore Hills reader Ed Herzog nominated three brands that he misses.
OK, they still exist, but they no longer have Akron-Canton locations, so they’re pretty much defunct to him:
“Rax Roast Beef: Fast food a notch above all the rest, with a good variety of sandwiches and a small but very good salad bar (with tacos!) in a greenhouse-like setting.
“CiCi’s Pizza. The best way to describe CiCi’s is a combination pizza bar and salad bar. They would rotate a selection of toppings and you helped yourself, or you could request your favorite. It was fun to try out different toppings and eat as much as you want, plus a pretty OK salad bar. My favorite you couldn’t get anywhere else: cheeseburger pizza!
“Ponderosa Steakhouse. I loved the chopped steak, and the nice people. Again, a good salad bar, and you couldn’t beat the value.”
Rax had more than 500 restaurants in the 1980s. Only six locations are left. The good news is that four are in Ohio: Circleville, Ironton, Lancaster and New Carlisle.
There are still 271 CiCi’s locations, although nearly half are in Texas. The chain has reduced its Midwest presence since the pandemic. The last Ohio locations are in Cincinnati and Fairfield.
Ponderosa had nearly 700 restaurants in the 1980s, but fewer than 20 remain. The closest one to us is in Columbus. Better saddle up.
CLARKINS AND TOKYO SHAPIRO
Medina native Jim Carpenter, a classic rock lover and audiophile, turned up the volume.
“Clarkins! Kind of a pre-historic Walmart in that it had everything you could want under one roof,” he wrote. “I remember buying my copy of ‘Frampton Comes Alive’ there one Saturday afternoon.
“I also miss the audio equipment chain Tokyo Shapiro. Back in the day when you wanted stereo speakers that were big enough to apply for statehood, Tokyo Shapiro could set you up!”
Military surplus buyers Bill Clark and Hoppy Hopkins combined their names to form the Clarkins department store in Akron in 1959. They sold out to Unishops Inc. of New Jersey in 1966. The 12-store chain shut down in 1981, citing a poor economic climate and intense competition.
The electronics chain Tokyo Shapiro opened in 1974 in Cleveland, and had at least 15 locations around Northeast Ohio, including stores at 397 E. Exchange St. and 1785 Brittain Road, both in Akron, 2735 W. Market St. in Fairlawn and 4336 and 4467 Belden Village St. NW in Jackson Township. Baltimore retailer Luskin’s Inc. bought the chain in 1984 and unplugged it in 1991.
If there’s a defunct chain that you miss, please let us know. We might do this again.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Barnhill’s, Poppin Fresh and Clarkins! Our readers miss these brands
Reporting by Mark J. Price, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mark J. Price, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
