That Bennigan's Restaurant Chain

From the July 30, 2008, Chicago Tribune.

I remember going to Bennigan's ion several different locations, especially because a lot of their places had NTN/Buzztime, a game we love to play. Most often, we went to the one in Lake Zurich, Illinois, for NTN, drink specials and those absolutely fantastic Monte Cristo sandwiches. We've never had better ones.

The Bennigan's in Springfield, Illinois, at the Hilton Hotel reopened, so we can still get our M.C.'s. I remember watching a great Illinois-Arizona basketball game resulting in an Illinois victory and a trip to the Final Four at the Bennigan's in Champaign-Urbana (home of the University of Illinois). We sure had a great time that night!!!

Bennigan's was/is a sports and Irish pub and famous for, like I said, its Monte Cristo sandwich. The chain started in 1976, not long after T.G.I. Friday's pioneered the bar-and-grill chain concept. Bennigan's grew along with the casual dining sector.

However, starting in the 1990s, Bennigan's became just another casual dining place as the market was flooded with similar-themed places and the casual dining market steadily diminished.

By 2008, the chain faced problems from food price inflation, increased minimum wage and a drop in consumer demand because of the economy. In 2008 the parent company declared bankruptcy and closed its 150 corporate locations, although some 31 have since reopened in 11 states.

Getting Hungry for a You-Know-What. --DaCoot