House of Pies

Last updated
House of Pies
IndustryRestaurant
Foundedc. 1969
FounderAl Lapin Jr.
Headquarters
United States
Area served
    • California (1 store)
    • Texas (6 stores)
ServicesRestaurant

House of Pies is an American restaurant chain, started c. 1969 by Al Lapin Jr., an early franchise system designer and founder of International Industries Inc. who was also responsible for International House of Pancakes, Copper Penny Coffee Shops, Orange Julius, and others. [1] [2]

Contents

Specializing in many different flavors of pie available for dessert, the chain was popular up through 1976 when it was sold by IHOP Corporation (International Industries successor), to Robert Herndon, who eventually downsized the chain's locations. By c. 1986 the franchise chain filed for bankruptcy and closed most of its locations, but some individually owned and operated restaurants kept the House of Pies name and logo. Seven restaurants remain: one in Los Angeles, California and six in the Greater Houston, Texas area. Another location in Los Angeles was scheduled to open in 2022, but has been delayed to at least September 2024. [3]

Cultural impact

House of Pies is mentioned in the episode "Cowboys and Iranians" during Will & Grace's eighth season in 2006. While reading the resume of a prospective employee from Iran, Grace Adler comments that she had "no idea they had House of Pies in Tehran".

The founders of Compaq are reported to have made initial plans on a placemat at a House of Pies in Houston. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck E. Cheese</span> US arcade / themed pizza entertainment chain

Chuck E. Cheese is a chain of American family entertainment centers and restaurants founded in 1977 by Atari's co-founder Nolan Bushnell. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, each location features arcade games, amusement rides and musical shows in addition to serving pizza and other food items; former mainstays included ball pits, crawl tubes, and animatronic shows. The chain's name is taken from its main character and mascot, Chuck E. Cheese. The first location opened as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre in San Jose, California. It was the first family restaurant to integrate food with arcade games and animated entertainment, thus being one of the pioneers for the "family entertainment center" concept.

The Pioneer Chicken Take Out Corporation, doing business as Pioneer Chicken, is an American fried chicken restaurant chain which was founded in Echo Park, Los Angeles in 1961 by H. R. Kaufman. During the 1970s, several locations operated in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. When Kaufman sold the chain in 1987, there were 270 restaurants operated by 220 franchisees. In 1993, Pioneer Chicken was taken over by AFC Enterprises, the parent company of Popeyes. Almost all Pioneer Chicken locations were then converted to Popeyes. The franchisees of two locations resisted the change, retaining the Pioneer Chicken branding: Los Angeles and Bell Gardens, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chick-fil-A</span> American fast food restaurant chain

Chick-fil-A, Inc. is an American fast food restaurant chain and the largest chain specializing in chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in College Park, Georgia, Chick-fil-A operates 3,059 restaurants across 48 states, as well as in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The company also has operations in Canada, and previously had restaurants in the United Kingdom and South Africa. The restaurant has a breakfast menu, as well as a lunch and dinner menu. The chain also provides catering services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie Callender's</span> American restaurant chain

Marie Callender's is an American restaurant chain. Its headquarters are in the Marie Callender's Corporate Support Center in Mission Viejo, Orange County, California. As of April 2024, the company operates 24 locations in California, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Del Taco</span> American fast food restaurant chain

Del Taco Restaurants, Inc. is an American fast-food restaurant chain that specializes in American-style Mexican cuisine, as well as American foods such as burgers, fries and shakes. Del Taco is led by Brand President Tom Rose, and is headquartered in Lake Forest, California. On December 6, 2021, Jack in the Box announced it was acquiring Del Taco for $12.51 per share. The acquisition was finalized in March 2022. Del Taco has approximately 600 locations in 16 US states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fatburger</span> American restaurant chain

Fatburger North America Inc. is an American fast casual restaurant chain owned by FAT Brands. Its tagline is The Last Great Hamburger Stand. While it is a fast food restaurant, the food is cooked and made to order. Some Fatburger restaurants have liquor licenses as well as "fat bars." Its franchise headquarters are in Beverly Hills, California. In addition to the United States, the chain operates in 19 other countries. The Fatburger menu is centered primarily on hamburgers, offering various sizes and numbers of patties, along with add-ons such as cheese, bacon and eggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fosters Freeze</span> Restaurant chain based in California, U.S.

Fosters Freeze is a chain of fast-food restaurants in California. Its first location, on La Brea Avenue in Inglewood, California, was opened by George Foster in 1946 and is still operating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuddruckers</span> American hamburger restaurant chain

Fuddruckers is an American fast casual, franchised restaurant chain that specializes in hamburgers. The Fuddruckers concept is to offer large hamburgers in which the meat is ground on-site and buns are baked on the premises. As of 2019, Fuddruckers had 49 company-operated restaurants and 107 franchises across the United States and around the world. The company headquarters is in Houston, Texas. On September 8, 2020, Fuddruckers owner Luby's, Inc. announced that they planned to liquidate existing assets, including Fuddruckers' assets, distributing the proceeds to investors after the proposed sale of the chains. On June 21, 2021, Black Titan Franchise Systems announced a deal to acquire Fuddruckers for $18.5 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coco's Bakery</span> U.S. casual dining restaurant chain

Coco's Bakery is a subsidiary chain of Shari's Cafe & Pies and casual dining restaurants operating in the western United States. As of April 2024, the company operates 10 locations in Arizona, and California. It began as The Snack Shop in 1948 in Corona del Mar, California, and had switched owners multiple times. Three of them are franchised

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charleys Philly Steaks</span> American restaurant chain

Charleys Philly Steaks is an American restaurant chain of Philly cheesesteak stores headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly known as Charley's Steakery and Charley's Grilled Subs, the franchise was established in 1986 on the campus of Ohio State University. By 2017 there were 600 locations in 45 states and in 19 countries. Charleys is believed to have doubled in size in 2021. In addition to traditional Philly cheesesteaks, the chain also has other steak based sandwiches and multiple grilled chicken sandwiches, among other grilled sandwiches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee's Sandwiches</span> Vietnamese-American restaurant chain

Lee's Sandwiches International, Inc., is a Vietnamese-American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in San Jose, California, with locations in several states and in Taiwan. Lee's Sandwiches specializes in bánh mì, "European-style" baguette sandwiches, Vietnamese iced coffee, and Vietnamese dessert chè. It is credited with popularizing Vietnamese sandwiches and iced coffee among mainstream American consumers and inspiring several other Vietnamese-owned bakery chains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wahoo's Fish Taco</span> American restaurant chain

Wahoo's Fish Taco is a U.S.-based restaurant chain that offers Mexican food mixed with Brazilian and Asian flavors. Categorized as a "fast casual restaurant", the quality and preparation time of its food is between that of a fast-food restaurant and a more formal restaurant. Wahoo's provides many vegetarian and some vegan options, such as tofu, banzai veggies and brown rice, and also provides a kids' meal menu. They serve wahoo fish in their tacos, as well as Mahi-mahi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dine Brands</span> American restaurant company

Dine Brands Global Inc. is a publicly traded food and beverage company based in Pasadena, California. Founded in 1958 as IHOP, it operates franchised and corporate owned full-service restaurants including three restaurant concepts, Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, International House of Pancakes (IHOP), and Fuzzy's Taco Shop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IHOP</span> American restaurant chain

IHOP Restaurants LLC is an American multinational pancake house restaurant chain that specializes in American breakfast foods. It is owned by Dine Brands—a company formed after IHOP's purchase of Applebee's, with 99% of the restaurants run by independent franchisees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of KFC</span> Timeline of the history of the KFC restaurant chain

KFC was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Sanders identified the potential of restaurant franchising, and the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" franchise opened in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1952. KFC popularized chicken in the fast-food industry, diversifying the market by challenging the established dominance of the hamburger. Branding himself "Colonel Sanders", the founder became a prominent figure of American cultural history, and his image remains widely used in KFC advertising. The company's rapid expansion made it too large for Sanders to manage, so in 1964 he sold the company to a group of investors led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C. Massey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frenchy's Chicken</span> Restaurant chain in Houston, Texas, United States

Frenchy's Chicken is a restaurant chain in Houston, Texas, selling Louisiana Creole cuisine. It was established in 1969 by Percy "Frenchy" Creuzot Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Salsa</span> Chain of American fast-casual Tex-Mex restaurants

La Salsa is a chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Los Angeles, California in 1979, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and is owned by Canadian franchisor MTY Food Group. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, and each restaurant features a self-serve salsa bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Pollo Loco (United States)</span> Restaurant chain

El Pollo Loco, Inc., is a restaurant chain based in the United States, specializing in Mexican-style grilled chicken. Restaurant service consists of: dine-in and take-out, with some locations offering drive-through options. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, and operates about 500 company-owned and franchised restaurants in the Southwestern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pieology</span> American pizza restaurant chain

Pieology Pizzeria is a Tustin, California-based pizza chain within the fast-casual dining restaurants category. Founded in 2011 by Carl Chang, the brother of former tennis player Michael Chang, Pieology's mission is to "turn one of America's favorite food into an affordable and interactive experience". Pieology's main rivals are Blaze Pizza and MOD Pizza. By October 2018, Pieology had a single unit in Mexico plus approximately 140 units in 23 American states and territories with more than half of those restaurants located in the state of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave's Hot Chicken</span> Nashville-style fried chicken restaurant chain

Dave's Hot Chicken is an American fast casual restaurant chain specializing in Nashville-style hot chicken.

References

  1. Jakle, John A.; Sculle, Keith A. (2002). Fast Food: Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age. JHU Press. ISBN   9780801869204 . Retrieved October 1, 2010.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. Thurman, Jim (July 5, 2011). "The Fall And Rise Of The House Of Pies". LA Weekly . Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  3. "Amid Delays, House of Pies Sets New Opening Date for Venice Spot". Santa Monica Mirror. February 22, 2024.
  4. Lewis, Peter H. (November 17, 1991). "The Executive Computer - Why Compaq Is Getting Down in the Trenches". New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2010.