The Ground Round in Westchester Was a Childhood Dream Come True
The peanut shells crunching under your feet, the Charlie Chaplain and Betty Boop playing on the screen, and Bingo the Clown were all reasons why The Ground Round restaurant in Westchester County, New York was a childhood dream come true.
We fondly remember when The Ground Round was on Central Avenue. There were actually two locations at one time: in the Hartsdale area and one further down Central Avenue in Yonkers.
Thanks to the Facebook page Yonkers, NY and Westchester in Pictures not only do we get to reminisce with this awesome photo of the Yonkers location, but we get to read everyone’s heartwarming memories of The Ground Round.
Click on the Facebook post above (or their page here) to read comments people made about The Ground Round in Westchester and make sure to leave your own memories in the comments too!
If you don’t remember The Ground Round, it was an American restaurant geared toward families. It was started in 1969 by Howard Johnson and played cartoons, had video games, a clown, let you throw peanut shells on the floor, and allowed kids to pay their weight for their food.
This Ground Round commercial from 1986 is amazing:
80’s Ground Round commercial
In 1981, you could have gone to your local Ground Round and enjoyed one of their seafood options! Great prices!
Old Ground Round Commercial From The 80’s
Shop Retro Here: https://amzn.to/3EnwSMs Old Ground Round Commercial From The 80’s. Ground Round was well known in the 1970s and 1980s for its children’s parties, showing old time silent movies and cartoons on a big screen, a mascot named Bingo the Clown, and for passing out whole peanuts where diners were not discouraged from throwing the shells on the floor, which became one of The Ground Round’s more endearing qualities that attracted families with small children; they also often gave diners popcorn with their dinner, rather than bread.
Lots of Ground Round’s have closed and changed ownership, but they do still have some franchises open in other places in the country that cater to more of an adult crowd. They do not let you throw stuff on the floor. Its more of a steakhouse vibe.
Yonkers, NY and Westchester in Pictures have lots of awesome photos on their page that make a lot of people really happy to bring back some great memories.
Make sure you check them out and post some of your own nostalgic Westchester photos on their page to share with everyone!
Last week’s Westchester #TBT: That Time When Westchester Had a Trolley System [VIDEO]