Back in the 1980s, restaurants made an effort to appeal to families by offering promotions like “kids eat free” after a sports team victory.
This pretty benign promotion worked to drive traffic to family-friendly chains.
One chain, however, offered a promotion that might not work today because standards have dramatically changed. Despite that, the offer was brought back last summer, albeit with a major caveat.
“Tuesdays Kids Pay What They Weigh at The Ground Round,” the chain shared on its Facebook page in June. “Just a Penny a Pound for kids 12 and under ordering off the kids menu. With every adult entree.”
In an era when brands are far more sensitive to issues around body image and inclusivity, promotions tied to a child’s weight carry reputational risks that didn’t exist decades ago.
The caveat, which changes the offer from its 1980s fat-shaming origin, is that the kids no longer have to get on a scale.
“Scale use not required to take advantage of promotion.”
That’s a bit better, but it’s still a questionable promotion from a chain that filed for bankruptcy in 2004, and that has dwindled to just a few restaurants from its peak of more than 200. Now, another Ground Round location has closed, leaving the chain with just three remaining restaurants.
Ground Round’s comeback falters
After its Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Ground Round stopped being a chain. A few restaurants remained, but they were franchise operators running legacy locations.
Joseph and Nachi Shea purchased the rights to the chain’s name in 2025 and opened their first location in their native Shrewsbury, Mass., in the summer of 2025. 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 chain shared on its website.
At the time, the brand’s new owners said they expected to open more locations if the first new Ground Round did well, according to a report from Food Republic.
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.
More Restaurants
- Taco Bell and KFC work on simplifying their restaurants
- Chick-fil-A making major change to 425 restaurants nationwide
- Bankrupt beer and pizza restaurant chain closes locations
- Restaurant chain famed for rude waiters closes multiple locations
Those are now considered licensed units by the new owners, who say they have no plans to sell franchises, but admitted that could change.
Now, one of the four Ground Round locations, the one in Grand Fork, North Dakota, has decided to close.
Family-friendly restaurants have struggled.
A Ground Round says goodbye after 40 years
“After 40 incredible years of serving the wonderful Grand Forks community, The Ground Round will be closing its doors in late spring/early summer of 2026. Saying goodbye to a place that has meant so much to so many is incredibly difficult, but the time has come to end this chapter,” the restaurant’s owner, Matt Walkowiak, posted on its Facebook page.
Customers and past workers reacted to the news on the social media page.
“Some of the most fun of my life and some of my best friends are because of working at the GR. Matt Walkowiak was my serving trainer 25 years ago and we have been friends since. Sad to see it go. Hope everyone gets the chance to work at a fun atmosphere as the Ground Round was,” Justin Johnson posted.
“I am broken hearted! We love the Ground Round! We have made so many friends! The servers, bartenders, managers and other regular customers have become true friends! There is no place in Grand Forks that can compete!! Where will go?” added Gayla Buntrock Drengson.
Walkowiak did note that customers will have a chance to say goodbye.
“Since this isn’t goodbye yet, we invite you to join us in these final months. Use those gift cards, enjoy your favorite meals, reminisce about old times, and create new memories. Stay tuned to social media for updates, including our last Patio Party to celebrate the end of this amazing chapter,” he wrote.
Family-friendly restaurants have struggled
As a child, I liked Ground Round because it offered all-you-can-eat peanuts, later popcorn, and served sundaes in plastic mini batting helmets. At the time, roughly 40 years ago, chains like Chili’s and Buffalo Wild Wings had not taken over the sports bar market with concepts aimed more at adults than families.
Now, family-friendly brands have been struggling.
“Restaurants that cater to lower- and middle-income families have been struggling against a steep decline in foot traffic in recent years as many of their core customers forgo sit-down dining in favor of eating at home, according to restaurant executives and industry analysts. Dining chains have responded by revamping their menus, closing unprofitable locations and, in some cases, seeking bankruptcy protection,” according to Aaron Gregg at the Washington Post.
Since 2019, the category of “mid-scale” restaurants that includes family dining has seen its foot traffic fall 26%, according to 2024 data from Circana. That’s a much larger decline than the 10% drop for the restaurant industry as a whole, Restaurant Dive reported.
GlobalData Managing Director Neil Saunders told the Washington Post that rising prices have hurt the family restaurant business.
“I think the family segment is more pressured as families have been hit hard by inflation and so are dining out less or are trimming spending when they do eat out,” Saunders said.
A report from Nation’s Restaurant News shared similar insight.
“Perhaps the biggest explanation for the family-dining downturn as it applies specifically to 2024, however, is the shift in consumer behavior. Fatigued by relentlessly high menu prices, low-income consumers started cutting back significantly on restaurant visits in Q2 — a trend that triggered a major value competition across all segments,” the website reported.
Related: Popular pizza dining chain closing 100s of restaurants nationwide