Latest news with #GroundRound
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Beloved Restaurant, The Ground Round, Thriving After Going Bankrupt 20 Years Ago
It's always sad when a favorite restaurant closes its doors after years in operation, but sometimes, those sad stories have happy endings. The restaurant business is a volatile one, and it's more common than not to see establishments, even ones that have been around for decades, close down. Sometimes, restaurants are forced to close because of the economy or competition, and other times, it's just because that business or brand has run its course. But, there's something to be said for nostalgia. Now, a popular restaurant chain that went bankrupt 20 years ago is thriving once again. It's quite a turnaround and shows what a little creativity can do. The Ground Round was a popular American restaurant chain founded back in 1969. It was huge in the 1980s but had some trouble decades later, so the Ground Round filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2004. So, for years, the Ground Round only lived in the hearts and minds of those who remembered it. Now, however, a Massachusetts couple is bringing that beloved brand back. That couple, Joseph and Nachi Shea, have reopened a Ground Round location in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. They regularly post on the restaurant's Facebook page with updates about its menu and hours. Joseph and Nachi purchased the branding rights to the Ground Round last year. Now, the restaurant is opening and welcoming customers. Joseph tells Marketplace, "We're just a husband-and-wife team. We don't have investors or deep pockets, we're bootstrapping this." 'People have brought in different menus," Nachi added. "They've brought in even employee manuals from the old one. We had a lady bring in her old suspenders from when she used to work at the original Ground Round here in town." So, will the couple expand past their one location and make the Ground Round a national brand again? They tell Marketplace that they aren't sure if they'll expand, but in the case that "selling nostalgia" works for their first location, it could Restaurant, The Ground Round, Thriving After Going Bankrupt 20 Years Ago first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 3, 2025
Buzz Feed
18-05-2025
- General
- Buzz Feed
People Share Major Generational Shifts In Parenting Trends
Like all things, childraising trends differ from generation to generation. If you have children of your own, chances are your parenting techniques have been influenced (for better or for worse) by the way you were raised by your own parents. Here, they explain some of the major differences between modern day parents and the previous generation of parents. "A lot of boomers took note of their kids' weaknesses and put them in situations to correct them, whether that he clubs or sports or whatever. I feel as though today a kid's weakness is 'just who they are,' and what could be dealt with early and easily is turning into massive anxiety by their teenage years." —Woodit "My parents were young Boomers, both born in the very late 50s, and I was born in '83, and my biggest gripe with parents my age today is they seem to just be dragging the kids along for whatever adults-only event they want to go to. Children don't belong in breweries or wineries, and I'll die 1000x on that hill..." "...Activities were very kid-focused in the '80s and '90s. Parks were free, whole restaurant chains existed solely for family-friendly dining (Ground Round, Ponderosa, Friendly's, etc.), and I was rarely dragged to adult events."—ImperatorRomanum83 "I don't have any children of my own, but I was over at a friend's house recently who has two little ones, and he and his wife are actively involved playing, reading, and interacting with their kids, and do so every day. It made me look back at my childhood, and I don't recall either one of my parents really playing with my brother or me when we were little..." ".... Sure, we had toys, but as a little kid and as an adolescent, we were pretty much on our own to entertain ourselves or with friends in the neighborhood. I didn't learn how to read until the first grade, and don't recall my mom ever reading to us each night before bed either. I'm 40 years old now, and really, when I look back at my parents, it's almost like I don't have this giant emotional attachment to them. They were great providers. Mom worked part-time later on in my life, but was more like a maid, cook, laundry housewife, and dad worked full-time. He would at least play catch or shoot pool with my brother and me. Any emotional issues were pretty much non-existent. I still shake my dad's hand today as a hug, it's seen as 'not manly' in his eyes. Consequently, neither my brother nor I speaks much to our parents. Saying 'love you' at the end of phone calls is still very odd. I never saw my parents even so much as hold hands or show much affection towards each other ever."—quell3245 "I won't be a helicopter parent in the way my own parents were. As a child who was sheltered, my parents would always intervene, and I became way too reliant on them. It wasn't until my mid-20s that someone helped me realize what was happening, and I had to relearn how to live on my own. Sure, my parents did what they thought was best, but it backfired on me later in life. I'm still in the process of figuring out what it means to be independent and how to fight for myself." "I don't talk about my weight with my kids. My mom always called herself fat and made negative remarks about her body. She was definitely not fat, and still has an eating disorder. It definitely affected the way my sisters and I see ourselves. I do not have an eating disorder, but one of my sisters definitely does. When I brought it up to my parents, they saw nothing wrong with her behavior because that is how my mom always acted." —Thasira "My parents are silent generation. One thing I very intentionally have never done is answer 'why do I have to' with 'because I said so.' I hated this as a kid. I give my kids several reasons why, and if they can give a cogent argument otherwise, I listen and may come up with alternative solutions." —DelightfulWitches "The world of 'let kids be kids' is gone. If a child shows an interest in anything, then that is now that kid's be-all and end-all. Do you like hockey? You're on a travel team, year-round. When you're not on the soccer travel team. But, it's also possible that my (Gen X) generation's experiences that allowed us creativity and imagination were the inevitable result of neglect. 'Go outside and play! I don't want you back in this house until dinner' was NOT an uncommon thing for anyone my age to hear." —MrValdemar "I hit my kids once out of frustration. I saw her looking at me with frightened eyes, and told myself I would never use physical punishment ever again, and haven't. I don't know how my parents thought that beating was acceptable. Spanking or slapping was normal if a ruler or belt couldn't be found. I've tried to talk to them, and they just say 'it was acceptable at the time' and take no responsibility for their choices. I think that's what millennials do differently. We think and take responsibility for our choices." —forge_anvil_smith "We got so obsessed with the mistakes that boomer parents made that we're going too far in the other direction. One of my biggest issues is that millennial parents take zero accountability. There are countless studies about iPad kids and relying too much on screens, and yet you'll hear from countless parents making excuses like they're 'overwhelmed' and they help stop their kids 'disregardation.' And way too many have only one person in the room syndrome. Yes, you and your kid have every right to exist, but so does everyone else. And we can be really lacking in discipline. Previous generations might've been too hard, but we're way too soft." —AwarenessEconomy8842 "My parents forced me into their interests and never allowed me to engage with my actual interests because they were 'stupid.' They wouldn't even take me to the library to check out books except for special occasions, like one or two times a year. My mom didn't work, and we literally drove by the library several times a week." —randomly-what "I feel like many of our parents simply didn't know what they were doing. Some were genuinely trying their best, others didn't even try. They just had children because everyone had children. Now, most people give it a thought at least. And many decide against it." "I'm genX, grew up in the '70s and '80s, LOVED soccer, played it from age 8 to 18 and beyond… my mother came to one game, my father none. And this was true for all of my friends, too; the sidelines were always empty. I felt horrible when I missed one of my son's games when he was playing, and I just couldn't understand the boomer mindset. Truly the 'me' generation." —WhisperToARiot "My parents never gave me compliments. If I had great grades, nothing. If I did something kind/good/challenging, nothing. They'd only tell me what they didn't like or what I could change. So I want to do the opposite." "I read an article once where a woman said, 'I didn't help my kids if it was something they could do on their own.' It kind of stuck with me. My parents weren't perfect, but they did this, too, and I became a more prepared adult because of it. So, I do the same with my daughter. If she falls, I let her pick herself back up. I only intervene if she isn't safe or truly stuck. Otherwise, she's good at problem-solving and figuring stuff out." —Anonymous "Parents today never let their children be bored. When my daughter complained about boredom, I gave her some chores. She learned to embrace boredom, which is not entirely a bad thing." —Virginia, 79 "The media has scared today's parents to death. Even those of us who know reports of abductions are overblown feel pressured to hover over our kids because that has become the norm. When I was a kid, I wandered all over the neighborhood from an early age, and as soon as I learned to ride a bike, I wandered even farther. And I didn't have a cell phone I could use to check in. There were a couple of times when, due to a miscommunication, my parents didn't know where I was and worried about me. But they never stopped me from wandering, and all the other kids did it, too." —wjbc "For me, the biggest difference in mentality is that I'm helping my kids develop into the adults they are meant to be. I'm not here to control them so that they are like me. My kids are not copies of me. They will like different things. They will dislike different things." —HillyjoKokoMo "They had them so YOUNG too. I'm just now pregnant with my first at 38, and I can't imagine handling a small human just learning how to regulate its emotions when I was 20 and also learning how to regulate my emotions. Boomer family members warned against having kids later in life because you have less energy to keep up.... but honestly, I'd rather my kid has to deal with a mom that's occasionally dragging due to age, than a dysreflexed barely-not-a-child trying to raise them." "Both my parents worked when I was young. I was encouraged to be outside, not to be out of their hair, but to develop interpersonal relationships and skills. Even in the winter, I had to stay inside due to extreme cold or bad weather, but I'd be able to have a couple of friends over. Other than that, I was outside with friends. My parents taught me the value of hard work by example and by taking me with them. Now I see my grandchildren sitting in the house, playing those stupid games and not playing with kids their own age, developing all the skills their father and I did growing up…. I find that not just my issue, but a societal problem as well…" —Bob 68 "Our generation is better about involved parenting, especially fathers. My dad essentially was an inert, and so many other dads in his generation were the same. Dads now seem to be stepping up big time, so much so that certain culture warriors are whinging nastily about it." —throwawayfromPA1701 "We are very gentle parents because the boomers were rough and sometimes even bullies. We don't want to be the first bullies in our children's lives. As a result, we are too soft and need to find balance. I can't watch my daughter cry." —eneri008 Do you have something to add? As a parent, what is something you have decided to do the same or differently from the generation before you? Or, if you have grandkids, what is something different about the way your kids are raising kids of their own? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
Entrepreneur
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Entrepreneur
Gen X Nostalgic Restaurant Ground Round Makes Comeback
Rising from the ashes (and peanut shells) of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the iconic, 1980s kid-birthday spot, Ground Round, is back. Gen X-ers may remember many meals at this place, which featured cartoons projected on the walls, and bowls of peanuts on the table whose shells you were encouraged to toss on the floor. (The peanuts were replaced with popcorn.) Kids loved the ice cream sundaes served in mini plastic baseball helmets, and parents loved their "Pay What You Weigh" promotion, where kids were only charged a penny per pound. Related: How This NYC Restaurant Went From General Store to Michelin Alas, like everything wonderfully bonkers from our childhood, Ground Round hit the skids. At its height, it boasted over 200 locations. In 2004, it filed for bankruptcy, and in recent years, it has been down to just four locations — three in North Dakota and one in Ohio. But The Street reports that Ground Round's operations are not grinding to a halt. Entrepreneurs Joseph and Nachi Shea bought the rights to the chain's name and IP, and have opened a new location in their hometown of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. And even the scale is back (Tuesdays only, and it's optional to actually use it, of course). Per the chain's website, "the reimagined and reinvented Ground Round" is "a place where you can relive fond childhood memories while savoring a thoughtfully prepared, high-quality meal. It's not just a comeback; it's a revival." Sadly, there is no mention of baseball helmet sundaes on the menu, but here's hoping they take a swing at it. Related: This NYC Man Is Revitalizing the Famous Bar From 'Goodfellas'
Miami Herald
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
After bankruptcy, closures, a beloved restaurant chain comes back
Nostalgia tends to create false expectations. People remember something really fondly and when they go back to it, it's never quite the same. That could be true with a movie you loved in your childhood or a favorite book. It certainly can apply to people, because sometimes behavior that was once charming does not age very well. Related: Coca-Cola and Pepsi rival discontinues popular soda flavors Many of the things we remember fondly from our childhood would not be as good now if they still existed. TV dinners, for example, were an absolute treat when I was a child. In my teen years, microwave meals and snacks were something we felt excited about. And everyone liked Jiffy Pop, the popcorn you popped over your stove. Now, as an adult, you might still enjoy some of those things, but do so more ironically. No person above a certain age eats Chef Boyardee if they don't have to, but most of us asked for it as children. Sometimes, something from our past is often best left in the past because your memories are better than the reality. That has not stopped a number of different owners from reviving classic restaurant brands. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter One of those, Friendly's, never truly went away, but it's being revived. It's hard to imagine how that chain's folksy take on a classic ice cream counter will play in the modern age. Another chain with similarly deep New England roots has made its grand return. In the '80s and '90s, Ground Round was a place where kids wanted to have their birthday parties. The chain offered peanuts on the table, and you could throw your shells on the floor. In later years, peanuts became popcorn, but throughout its history, Ground Round also served ice cream sundaes in plastic baseball hats. Kids loved the chain, but so did mom and dad. It had an approachable menu that was sort of a New England take on a sports bar. Steak tips were ubiquitous, and this was one of the first chains that brought mainstream attention to appetizers such as potato skins. That seems silly now, but there was a time where many staples today weren't really a thing yet. (This was also a time where kids with allergies were isolated and made to feel bad.) More Food + Dining: Domino's Pizza unveils generous deal amid alarming consumer trendSteak 'n Shake's beef tallow fries aren't as healthy as they appearThe Cheesecake Factory makes bittersweet changes to its menu Ground Round also had a famous promotion where kids paid their weight. That kind of promo would not work now for very obvious reasons, but in the '80s and '90s, we didn't really know that we weren't supposed to shame our kids. The chain first filed for bankruptcy in 2004 and while it survived the process, it faltered again about a decade later and slowly dwindled to four locations. At its peak, Ground Round had over 200 locations, with most of them being company-owned. Joseph and Nachi Shea purchased the rights to the chain's name and just opened their first location in their native Shrewsbury, Ma. That returns Ground Round to its home state, but it's a somewhat changed chain. "The reimagined and reinvented Ground Round successfully honors its legacy while catering to a modern dining experience. It's a place where you can relive fond childhood memories while savoring a thoughtfully prepared, high-quality meal. It's not just a comeback; it's a revival, a testament to the enduring appeal of good food, good company, and the comforting embrace of nostalgia, now served with an elevated twist. The warm, inviting atmosphere encourages gatherings, laughter, and the kind of unpretentious camaraderie that defined the original," the chain shared on its website. Its new owners expect to open more locations if the first new Ground Round does well, according to media reports. Related: Iconic pizza chain closes after 50 years, no bankruptcy filing The Sheas own the brand and its intellectual property. In addition to their locations, restaurants using the Ground Round name include three in North Dakota and one in Ohio. Those are now considered licensed units by the new owners, who say they have no plans to sell franchises, but admitted that could change. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Boston Globe
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
There's a new Ground Round in Shrewsbury. We went to see what it's like.
Advertisement 'We were trying to control it, but once word got out that we were open, there were people pounding at the door,' says Joe Shea, who is reviving the Ground Round brand with his wife, Nachi Shea. (Right now they are focusing on Shrewsbury, without plans to expand.) 'It became a not-so-soft opening. We've been packed. There are people outside at 3:30 waiting, and we're slammed at 4.' Get Winter Soup Club A six-week series featuring soup recipes and cozy vibes, plus side dishes and toppings, to get us all through the winter. Enter Email Sign Up Customers on the waitlist mingle outside the new Ground Round in Shrewsbury. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe So what's it like to have dinner at the Ground Round again? We went to Shrewsbury to find out. It's a Tuesday evening, but it might as well be Saturday, given the dinnertime crowd. 'It'll be 40 minutes for a table,' says Nachi, seating parties at the host station. 'Is that OK?' After all these years, what's 40 minutes more? She gives us a buzzer and we settle in to wait. Advertisement The restaurant smells right: golden and buttery, eau de cineplex. Joe stands beside a glass popper, handing out baskets lined with green-checked tissue paper and filled with fluffy piles of bright yellow popcorn. The carpet has a geometric floral motif with yellow accents that match the detritus of an evening's worth of snacking. The end-of-the-night vacuuming must be epic. Ground Round employee Daniel Lima, 15, dispenses free popcorn, a hallmark of the original Ground Round restaurants. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe The soundtrack hasn't changed since the last time we were here, even if the steady stream of what are now oldies is delivered from a jukebox app accessed by an on-screen QR code. And the crowd's pretty similar, too: families, couples, friends, and teammates squeezing into booths in the dining room or perched at the bar watching a game. This Ground Round has a New Hampshire cabin vibe, with log beams and walls and a stone fireplace with a chimney that reaches toward the high ceiling. A rustic metal chandelier glows overhead. It's classier than the Ground Rounds I recall. Maybe that's why the kids seem less crazed and more contained: As little hellions, we ran rampant at Ground Round birthday parties, absolutely lit on soda, throwing now-illicit peanuts all over the floor. Now, there's just a little gentle frolicking, perfectly wholesome and adorable. When departing children reach their hands into a bowl of after-dinner Andes mints and their parents shout 'justonejustonejustonejustone!,' they actually seem to listen. We would have laughed and crammed whole handfuls into our mouths, wrappers and all. The parents seem better behaved, too. It's worth noting here that beer isn't sold by the pitcher anymore. A plate of steak tips and a turkey wrap with onion rings at the Ground Round. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe We eat free popcorn until our mouths are as dry as the Sahara and watch the classic cartoons — 'The Pink Panther,' 'Tom and Jerry' — that still play on screens in the dining room. Before we know it, our buzzer is buzzing. Advertisement The menu is filled with comfort food classics: warm pretzels with cheese sauce and fried mozzarella moons with marinara, soups and salads, burgers made with a custom beef blend, pasta. The bestsellers have been the cheeseburger, steak tips, and fish and chips, the Sheas say. There are some obvious nods to modern sensibilities: Soba with stir-fried vegetables and grilled tofu wasn't on any Ground Round menu I ever saw. 'It's a new age,' Nachi says. 'Food tastes have changed a little bit. People's palates and dietary needs and awareness have changed. We're making sure things are more elevated, a little healthier and less processed.' Executive chef Shannon Woodward and team make things from scratch rather than relying on frozen, prepackaged food. Steak tips are hand-cut; microgreen garnishes bloom on the plates. We get an order of bone-in wings in Gold Fever sauce, a la the 99. It appears to have everything remotely barbecue sauce-related in it: mustard, ketchup, vinegar, seasonings, sweet stuff, spicy stuff, smoky stuff. Obviously, these wings are gone in five seconds. The lodge-like interior of the new Shrewsbury Ground Round is reflected in a scale at the rear of the restaurant. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe The menu says the broccoli cheddar soup is a fan favorite, so we order a crock of that, too. It tastes like broccoli with cheese sauce, but in reverse proportions, with oyster crackers. It seems wrong not to have an iceberg lettuce salad on the table, but those days are behind us. There's a Cobb salad that looks pretty good, though. It's got grilled marinated chicken, gorgonzola, grape tomatoes, avocado, bacon, and more. Advertisement We order the Ground Rounder, a half-pound burger with beer cheese, bacon, and fried pickles on a grilled pretzel bun. If it's named for the restaurant, it's got to be good, right? Not wrong, but we're left wanting more of the beer-cheese sauce, which is made with Ground Round lager (crisp, refreshing, $5 a pint!). It has soaked into the bun and vanished. Next time, we'll try the classic cheeseburger. The fish and chips is a portion that could feed three people, golden battered fish draped over a pile of French fries, adorned with lemon wedges and more microgreens. It comes with coleslaw, plus tartar sauce and ketchup for dipping. And the steak tips are the star of the show, cooked a perfect medium-rare. They come with mashed potatoes and green beans, but my son has ordered the dish, and our server knows her target audience: She used to work at the old Ground Round in Shrewsbury, she tells us. She offers him fries instead, and he is pleased. There's an old-timey scale at the back of the Ground Round, but it's hard to imagine the return of the 'kids pay what they weigh' promotion, which charged 12-and-unders a penny a pound and traumatized a generation. Speaking of trauma, a mascot-like figure named Bingo the Clown has been retired altogether. 'The clown … I don't know if it was a full mascot, but it made appearances. We got mixed feedback on that, with people leaning toward it scared them as kids,' says Joe. (Don't do Advertisement A patron enjoys the classic Ground Round baseball cap sundae. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe But nostalgia unfurls its full glory when it comes to desserts. Yes, you can get an ice cream sundae in an upended plastic baseball helmet! Also the Ooey Gooey Flower Pot, chocolate pudding with crushed cookie 'dirt,' whipped cream, and gummy worms, served in a flower pot with a mini plastic shovel for a spoon. And nostalgia is what the Ground Round is really all about. The restaurant originally opened as an alternative to Howard Johnson's, when that business's traffic tanked along with highway travel during the 1973 oil embargo. 'With a turn-of-the-century atmosphere, these sell nostalgia and nightly musical entertainment along with peanuts in shells and pitchers of beer. Ground Round is everybody's idea of what life was like when grandpa was young,' reads a Forbes article from 1978. We're talking about a different turn of the century, but the rest rings true. The moment is right. We can go back again. Thankfully, Bingo the Clown won't be joining us. 271 Grafton St., Shrewsbury, 508-845-9044, . Sun-Thu 4-11 p.m., Fri-Sat 4 p.m.-1 a.m. (kitchen closes at 9). Reservations for 6 or more. Appetizers $8-$16, entrees $15-$36, kids menu $10, desserts $6-$10, cocktails $9-$14. The Ground Round Hound high-fives Sal Stevens, 4, of Marlborough, at the new Ground Round restaurant in Shrewsbury. Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe Devra First can be reached at
