Ground Round

[powersbt]

Originally posted by XISMZERO
Ground Round at Hampshire Mall in Hadley, Mass. This mall is quite 70s vintage. Picture taken 2006.

Man, that photo looks like it could have been taken in Sangertown Square if it was not for the Ground Round. Very Similar Characteristics.

[amesman]

Sangertown and Hampshire are both Pyramid malls built around the same time, hence the similar characteristics and look, etc.

[Crawford]

In East Providence Rhode Island, another former Ground Round has been demolished. The building had started life as a Ground Round and went through various names changes and remodelings and eventually became The Roast House. Several weeks ago a truck belonging to the overnight cleaners exploded in the parking lot partially damaging the side and roof of the building. It was hoped that it would reopen but sad to say it did not.  I loved their food here and it will be sadly missed. Reportedly a bank bought the property, last thing that street needs is another bank since there are at least 6 within a mile of each other, not counting the one in the Stop and Shop.

[Lastdaysofrain]

Location Results
Boston
811 Mass. Ave.
Boston, MA 02118
(617)989-8801


Just opened, haven't been yet.

[Zayre88]

Ground Round, although headquartered in Maine apparently has only one location left in the state, in Bangor.

The Augusta location is no longer listed, the Auburn location has been replaced by a Margarita's in 2007 and the South Portland location closed years ago...  The Nashua NH location was demolished and is now the site of a Hampton Inn.

Only 1 other locations remains in New England in RI.

[gu4ever]

Ground Round, although headquartered in Maine apparently has only one location left in the state, in Bangor.

The Augusta location is no longer listed, the Auburn location has been replaced by a Margarita's in 2007 and the South Portland location closed years ago...  The Nashua NH location was demolished and is now the site of a Hampton Inn.

Only 1 other locations remains in New England in RI.

The Ground Round in the food court at the Mall Of NH is now a Mens Warehouse.

[beachgal26]

The only Ground Round where I ever ate was in the Apple Blossom Mall in Winchester, WV.  I do not know how long they've been closed since we no longer have family in that area and I also heard that they have completely re-vamped the mall from a regular inside mall to the new outer shopping concept.   However, we always loved to go there, the food was great and the atmosphere was fun!

[MikeRa]

The Ground Round location that was near where i live (SE corner Red Lion Road and Roosevelt Boulevard) was demolished several years ago and replaced by a auto dealership

[ynkeesfn82]

There was one on Farmington Avenue in Plainville back in the day. They demolished it. It's approximately where Walgreen's is now. I say approximately because at that corner was also a big white building that was once called Wayside Furniture. Wayside Furniture merged with Pilgrim Furniture. They closed down the Bristol Commons Store. Then Levitz moved from Southington to the Plainville Commons on New Britain Avenue and Pilgrim Furniture built a giant store in the old Levitz Building in Southington. Pilgrim now has stores in Milford and Manchester. Walgreens bought the historic Pilgrim Furniture building and demolished it.

[DerangedHermit]

They have one right near me in the middle of nowhere in Brookhaven, NY on Montauk Highway. Just opened relatively recent too (like 3 or 4 years ago).

[retailisking]

Ground Round, although headquartered in Maine apparently has only one location left in the state, in Bangor.

The Augusta location is no longer listed, the Auburn location has been replaced by a Margarita's in 2007 and the South Portland location closed years ago...  The Nashua NH location was demolished and is now the site of a Hampton Inn.

Only 1 other locations remains in New England in RI.

South Portland became an IHOP; the old, undersized IHOP across from the Maine Mall was demolished.

[retailisking]

Ground Round is experimenting with a new concept in Maine...

http://www.kjonline.com/news/ground-round-still-around_2010-12-03.html

Ground Round relocates, adds sports bar ambience

By Betty Adams badams@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer


HALLOWELL â€" The Ground Round restaurant that closed this summer in Augusta has relocated and been partly renamed.

Diners and sports fans will find the new Ground Round Sports Grille sharing a building with Sparetime Recreation Bowling Alley on Whitten Road. The grand opening is today.

The owner, Andy Couture, of Jefferson, is the same, as are at least three of the chefs and a number of waitstaff.

Couture owned the Ground Round at the Holiday Inn at Augusta and continues to own the Ground Round franchise as part of the Freeport-based Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative, which was formed in July 2004.

The Ground Round opened at the Holiday Inn site in 1993.

“I actually sold the building and equipment at the old site because I could not compete with the influx of new restaurants that all had the same menu I had,” Couture said Thursday. “We have developed a new concept in the Ground Round chain, a sports grill concept which we intend to move to other bowling centers nationally as well as fit to go into malls or airports or any smaller footprint. This is the first prototype.”

Couture said customers will find the same popular Ground Round items and a number of extras.

“It’s a totally new look for Ground Round,” Couture said. “It’s probably the most legitimate sports bar in the Greater Augusta area. It’s really something you have to see to appreciate.”

The restaurant will have its own entrance, which was just about complete on Thursday, and one of the signs from the former Ground Round site; another sign is new.

“We expect we’re going to find a lot of our regular customers,” Couture said. “As we get the word around, we expect to see more.”

The former restaurant in the bowling alley, Crossroads, was been completely remodeled and filled with new furniture to create the new establishment. Couture said he spent about $125,000 in renovations.

“The menu will have all the favorite stuff from the old Ground Round, plus added stuff,” said Bill Boardman, general manager for Sparetime Recreation.

“We’re really created the best of both worlds from the two places,” Boardman said.

He said sports fans will be pleased with the seven new flat-screen TVs featuring full-time sports.

Couture has owned the bowling alley for about 18 years and owns two other Sparetime Recreation sites in Waterville and Lewiston.

The Hallowell restaurant can seat 85; and an addition 150 people can be in the bowling alley.

Boardman said 24 people now work at Sparetime Recreation in Hallowell, about half of them in the new sports grill.

Another Ground Round Grill & Bar operates in Bangor.

[ynkeesfn82]

Sports bars are popping up all over the place lately. It's interesting that Ground Round is experimenting with this as a new concept.

[nysw3636]

I remember the mentioned Kingston,NY and Newburgh,NY locations. Just want to add the closed Poughkeepsie,NY location on RT.9 (aka South Road). which was not mentioned. It was a Longhorns for a short period of time after they closed in the early 1990's. It is currently a Coyote Grill.

[buzz86us]

is there any still operating these days?

[bm10k]

The Ground Round here in Fargo closed on Saturday
http://www.inforum.com/news/4291892-fargos-ground-round-restaurant-closing

[buzz86us]

I am confused is ground round still a franchise... or did the franchiser go out of business and the stores are still being operated? Last I heard they were originally owned by Howard Johnsons... I have personally never seen a Ground Round still in business.... although i heard there was one in Plattsburgh..

[BillyGr]

I am confused is ground round still a franchise... or did the franchiser go out of business and the stores are still being operated? Last I heard they were originally owned by Howard Johnsons... I have personally never seen a Ground Round still in business.... although i heard there was one in Plattsburgh..

They had been made into a separate company from Howard Johnsons at some point. 

Then that company went bankrupt and closed their company owned locations, but the remaining franchisees organized and kept running (sort of similar to how Howard Johnsons did with the FAI - Franchise Associates years ago) what still exists today (Called Independent Owners Cooperative LLC, and based in Freeport, Maine).
According to their site, they are currently offering new franchises to open additional locations.

[retailisking]

A Ground Round franchise recently opened in Rutland, VT; it's (obviously) a converted Ponderosa

[TheFugitive]

There are no Ground Round restaurants operating in the Pittsburgh area that I know of.
There used to be 3:

- The corner of US 19 and Gilkeson Rd. in Mount Lebanon.  The manager of this location
at one time was former Pittsburgh Penguins player Duane Rupp.  It was torn down and a
Verizon store + Levin Mattress now occupy the site.

- At the corner of Green Tree and Cochran Roads in Scott Township.  Now an NTB location.

- Inside Century III Mall in West Mifflin.  The space was later taken over by an independent
tavern owner, but is now vacant (like pretty much everything else in this mall).

[buzz86us]

wow so now it is basically the Red Carpet Inn of restaurants..

[Zayre88]

A Ground Round franchise recently opened in Rutland, VT; it's (obviously) a converted Ponderosa

Nicely done and I like the logo!

[jason83080]

We had one open up in the old Bennigan's by Midway Mall (Elyria, OH) when the chain went under. As it turns out, the owner of Ground Round must have only paid one month of rent, because he wound up being locked out of the building, and there were (right after it closed) SEVERAL letters from vendors of all kinds demanding their equipment back, or to be paid for said equipment. I think one of the letters - from mall management - mentioned *18 months* of back rent that was due. Who lets someone keep a business going for 18 months without being paid rent and THEN decides to act on it?

Now, that building - like several others that dot the mall border on West River Rd - is sitting vacant.

[retailisking]

The Saco, Maine Ground Round Sports Grille closed Monday night after corporate decided not to renew the lease

http://wcyy.com/the-ground-round-location-in-saco-suddenly-shuts-down/

[retailisking]

The site of the former Ground Round in Saco got a new tenant quickly
https://www.pressherald.com/2018/04/09/otto-to-open-seventh-maine-location/

[Zayre88]

Well Ground Round is almost defunct. Bangor Maine's locations has closed lately. Augusta has dropped the Ground Round name.

Ground Round'S website no longer exists.

There could be only 3 locations left in ND and Ohio.

[BillyGr]

Well Ground Round is almost defunct. Bangor Maine's locations has closed lately. Augusta has dropped the Ground Round name.

Ground Round'S website no longer exists.

There could be only 3 locations left in ND and Ohio.

Yes, the Bismark & Minot ND restaurants are still operational, their site (mygroundround.com) works and the associated Facebook page has a post from 5 hours ago (on 4/4).

Sad to hear of the one in Bangor, since that was kind of a spot for the (original) company, being also the last Howard Johnson lodging and restaurant to exist a few years back before the restaurant closed and then having the subsidiary spin off Ground Round still right down the street as well, long beyond when many places had neither restaurant, and maybe not even a hotel left.