Fast-food chain that once lit up American roads still missed decades later

Red Barn was an early American fast-food chain known for barn-shaped restaurants and a menu of familiar comfort foods. Though it disappeared decades ago, its distinctive look, food and advertising still prompt nostalgia among former customers.

Founded in Ohio in 1961, the chain expanded to about 300 to 400 locations across 19 US states, Canada and Australia. It filed for bankruptcy in 1986, and its final franchise locations closed by 1988; its Big Barney burger predated McDonald’s national Big Mac launch, while a Facebook group for fans has more than 9,000 members.