A History of Restaurant Chains, Franchises, and National Retail Stores in Anchorage, Part 1

A 1978 Taco Bell advertisement in the Anchorage Times.

This is part of a weekly series on Alaska history by Anchorage historian David Reamer. If you have a question about Anchorage or Alaska history or an idea for a future article, please complete the form at the bottom of this article.

This article started with a simple question: When did Taco Bell open in Anchorage? These types of questions are common and understandable. People spend their time and money at stores and restaurants for years, even decades. Memories accumulate and become a comfort. Given enough time, people can feel nostalgic about almost anything.

This relationship is more complicated for national chains than for locally owned businesses. Everyone in Anchorage has a story about their favorite little restaurant, cafe, or shop that disappeared because it couldn’t compete with the deep pockets of outside corporations. But people also love chains for their prices and consistency. There’s something comforting about chains seeming to be everywhere: they may not offer the best products, but they’re accessible and predictable. The following is the first of a two-part history of when larger fast food, casual dining, big box stores, and other national chains came to Anchorage.

The first chain store in Anchorage, although stretching the definition a bit, was City Drug in Kyvig, KA. Later called Anchorage Drug, the store opened in 1915 as a licensed Rexall franchise, meaning they purchased the rights to sell and promote Rexall branded products. A better answer for the first chain store in Anchorage is the Piggly Wiggly grocery store, which opened in 1929. This was the grocery chain’s fifth store in Alaska, after Ketchikan, Juneau, Petersburg and Cordova, and it perfectly illustrates Anchorage’s relative status before WWII.

The Sears catalog store opened in 1938, followed by a succession of other relatively early chain stores in Anchorage, including the Singer Sewing Center in 1947, Dairy Queen in 1952, the A&W Drive-In in 1952, Ben Franklin’s $5 Discount Store in 1953, and Tasty Freeze in 1957. The Anchorage A&W was rather unique in that it used lions as an attraction.

The 1960s was a time of notable expansion of larger retailers. In 1959, the original 1917 Masonic building, one of the oldest and most important buildings in town, was demolished to be replaced by Woolworth, which opened in 1960. Woolworth closed in 1997. Today, the building houses Polar Bear Gifts, but the door handle still says Woolworth. Downtown’s JC Penney department store opened on March 21, 1963, replacing local mainstay Hoyt Motor Company. Surrounding property values ​​increased several-fold. The 1964 earthquake caused the store to be demolished, but a larger building was soon built in the same location. Other major retailers that expanded into Anchorage in the 1960s included Safeway in 1960 and Montgomery Ward’s in 1966.

In the 1970s, national chains came to Anchorage, highlighting the opening of a McDonald’s at the intersection of Arctic Boulevard and Northern Lights Boulevard on July 2, 1970. A second location opened five months later on Dever Road near Boniface Parkway. The Dever location was the largest McDonald’s in the country at the time. The downtown location, which opened in 1976, was even larger.

Kentucky Fried Chicken requires more explanation than other chains. The first place to sell KFC-branded chicken in Anchorage was Jan’s Drive-In, which opened in late 1959 or early 1960 at Fourth Avenue and Gambel Street. Later, restaurants purchased the license to KFC products. These eateries maintained all other characteristics and sold KFC products without becoming KFC franchisees, although many locals still referred to them as KFC. In 1973, a freestanding, fully KFC-branded Kentucky Fried Chicken opened on Muldoon Road.

In September 1970, Church’s Chicken opened at the corner of East 10th Avenue and Gambel Street. Mayor George Sullivan attended the grand opening and even operated the fryer for a while. It’s hard to imagine an Anchorage mayor these days working the frying station as a PR stunt. If a future mayor wants to get attention by fixing McDonald’s perpetually broken ice cream machines, we sincerely apologize.

Anchorage’s first Taco Bell opened on Northern Lights Boulevard in January 1978. Its ads touted a few long-discontinued items, including the Bell Beefer, which was discontinued in the 1990s and was nothing more than taco fillings in a burger bun, except as a test run in a few locations. But Taco Bell is a lifestyle, a hub for bad decisions and late-night cravings, which is why Taco Bell enthusiasts still clamor for the Beefer’s return.

Taco Bell’s Ball Beef

An advertisement for Pizza Hut’s grand opening appeared in the Anchorage Daily Times on October 2, 1969.

The first national pizza chain to come to Anchorage was Pizza Hut, which opened a location on Spenard Road in 1969. Shakey’s Pizza came next in 1971, followed by three more locations in Anchorage and one in Eagle River. The last location closed in 1990. Then came Godfather’s Pizza in 1981, Chuck E. Cheese’s (in the old Gary King Sporting Goods building) in 1982, Domino’s in 1985, Little Caesar’s in 1987, Papa John’s in 2000, and Papa Murphy’s, also in 2000.

A Dunkin’ Donuts advertisement from the Anchorage Daily News in 1978.

In January 1978, Anchorage’s first Dunkin’ Donuts opened on Northern Light Boulevard, now home to Panda Chinese Restaurant. At its peak, Anchorage had four Dunkin’ Donuts locations, but the last one closed in 1990. Other well-known sweet chains that have come to Anchorage include Baskin-Robbins in 1977, TCBY in 1985, and Krispy Kreme in 2016.

Advertisement for Rax Roast Beef from the June 4, 1987, Anchorage Daily News.

A more forgotten chain is Lux, which opened in 1983 on Old Seward Highway. Specializing in roast beef, the restaurant struggled to differentiate itself in the fast food wars of the 1980s, and its Anchorage location closed around 1987 during a rapid national decline. The building has since housed Yen King, Sushi Yako, and Sushi Ya. Kenny Rogers Roasters opened on Diamond Boulevard in December 1995 and closed in the early 2000s. The restaurant was less known for its food than it was before, when its landlord blocked off the entrance with a large trailer during an eviction battle with the franchisee. The site is now occupied by a Ciseries Buffet. Skippers Seafood and Chowder lasted longer but left little cultural impact. The first Skippers opened here in 1979, the latter location closed after a fire and never reopened. The last Skippers there closed in 2007 as the chain struggled to restructure during bankruptcy proceedings.

Other fast food restaurants that have opened in Anchorage include Burger King in 1975, Wendy’s in 1977, Arby’s in 1981, Popeyes Chicken in 1987, Subway in 1988, Schlotzsky’s in 2000, Quiznos in 2001, Carl’s Jr. in 2002, Pita Pit in 2013, Panda Express in 2015, and Sonic in 2022.

Casual dining family restaurants are the most important of the chains. Most chains are distinguished by their wall décor or culinary specialties. Each chain is as unique as the same restaurant in another state. For example, no one would mistake Clinkerdagger, Bickerstaff, or Pett’s Public House, which operated in Anchorage from 1977 to 1987, for any other. Red Robin, which opened in Anchorage in 1985, is similar to, but not identical to, Applebee’s, which opened in Anchorage in 1999. Other notable casual dining franchises to open in Anchorage include Denny’s in 1977, Village Inn in 1979, Sea Galley (“They have crab legs!”) in 1981 (closed in 2018), Benihana in 1999, International House of Pancakes in 2002, Golden Corral in 2006, Olive Garden in 2012, Buffalo Wild Wings in 2013, Hard Rock Cafe in 2014 (closed in 2020), and Texas Roadhouse in 2014.

Postcards from Anchorage’s Clinkerdagger, Bickerstaff and Pez Public House in the 1970s. (Courtesy of David Reimer)

The first Chili’s Grill & Bar in Anchorage opened in 2002. But the first Chili’s restaurant opened along Old Seward Highway between Huffman and O’Malley roads in 1992. When the national chain found out about Chili’s, they threatened to sue, and rather than fight a costly battle, Chili’s owner Eric Harstad renamed the establishment Eric’s.

A common misconception in Anchorage is that the Spenard Roadhouse on Northern Light Boulevard and the Castle Megastore building on 5th Avenue were once Pizza Huts. Notably, the roof is shaped like a Pizza Hut, but it was formerly a Sizzler Steakhouse. At its peak, Anchorage had three Sizzlers, the two mentioned above and one on Diamond Boulevard. The Northern Light location was the first to open in 1977 and closed around 1993. Hogg Brothers moved in in 1994 and closed in 2008. Spenard Roadhouse opened in 2009.

Then there’s the Brest-Au-Rant, so named because it prioritized the appearance of the waitresses over the quality of the food. No exhaustive list of Anchorage retail openings and closings would be complete without including this sleazy establishment. Typical of this type of establishment, Hooters opened in December 1995 at the former Pierce Street Annex site on Tudor Road. After a small public outcry, the Anchorage Council hesitated to approve the restaurant’s liquor license, but eventually relented and canceled a scheduled public hearing. It closed without notice in early 2008. The Tilted Kilt opened in the fall of 2014, becoming the chain’s largest location, but closed in early 2016. Internet sleuths who enjoy the misfortune of others may enjoy their online reviews.

Part 2 next week will begin with forgotten stores that predicted the future of shopping, as well as the appearance of major retailers like Costco, Walmart, and Sephora.

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Key sources:

Burnton, Hal. “Shakey’s Closes Alaska Stores,” Anchorage Daily News, April 10, 1990, H-1.

“Ceremony Planned for Woolworth Building,” Anchorage Daily Times, August 5, 1960, p. 18.

Devaughn, Melissa. “Eric’s Cuisine prides itself on no-frills, great-value food.” Anchorage Daily News, 8 Magazine, January 26, 2001, pp. 5-6.

Dugan, Sean. “New Anchorage restaurant is part of a trend that gives diners a feast for the eyes as well as the mouthful.” Anchorage Daily News, October 26, 2014.

“Glovers Building to be Fully Occupied March 1.” Anchorage Daily Times, February 24, 1947, p. 2.

“McDonald’s here is the largest,” Anchorage Daily Times, November 17, 1970, p. 6.

Wilner, Isaiah. “Restaurants Locked Out.” Anchorage Daily News, June 26, 1998, B-1, B-8.

“Woolworth Bidding Scheduled to Open Aug. 10,” Anchorage Daily Times, July 22, 1959, p. 1.

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