What was it known for? Well, burgers for one. They had a half pound burger called the Ground Rounder that I had many times when I was a teenager. They tried to appeal to families with gimmicks as well - for example:1. Free peanuts as an appetizer! What do you think the kids do with peanuts? Throw the shells on the floor! That was not discouraged by the restaurant - they constantly had sweepers come by and get the shells. I think Layup and I had fun with those.
2. Silent movies shown on a big screen! Yes, there was a screen set up in the restaurant area that showed black and white movies on a loop. No one could understand what was going on - but it was a novelty.
3. Kids pay what you weigh! Yes, there was a giant scale in place where if you were under a certain age - maybe 12? - you paid for your kids meal at a rate of a penny a pound. How did they make money on that?
4. And of course, there was a clown. Some nights, there was a clown in the restaurant to entertain - blow balloons, face paint, etc. Sounds creepy - and it was!The Ground Round had at least 130 restaurants in its heyday - mostly in the Northeast and the upper Midwest. There was one on Perring Parkway that we went to many times in the 80's. I remember the burgers and the peanuts - not the clown, however. The burgers were good.
(For the Baltimore readers - is Perring Parkway the home of every major chain in America? Was it in the 80s? Every restaurant seemed to be on the road. )
There was one in Iowa City when we lived there - I never got Janice to take the kids and go with me to revel in my nostalgia. She wanted to go to other chains like Bennigan's and Old Chicago. I did go there for lunch once or twice in two years - the peanuts were stale and it was less fun to throw the shells on the floor as an adult.
The Ground Round is making a comeback - there are 19 restaurants, mostly located in Maine, Minnesota and North Dakota. Yes, the one in Iowa City has closed. They are trying to reinvent themselves as a sports bar -no clowns, no scale - which is probably a good idea. I think the reason for their failure is - they tried to be a family restaurant, but sold steaks and had a bar. Why would you go to a happy hour as an adult with a clown, kids throwing peanuts and silent movies being shown? It really couldn't find an identity, I think.
Here are some fun commercials from the 80s:
1. $3.99 steak dinner! Layup is probably throwing up from the added carbs to the steak meal. Fries, onion rings AND texas toast included!
2. The picture of the lemon scrod here is ---- unappealing , to say the least. The jingle is catchy, though.
3. Yep, kids pay what they weigh! Better bring your appetite!
The Browns made the Ravens look like the Ground Round clowns last week - I was impressed in how Freddie made the adjustments needed in the offense to be effective. I am scared of Monday night's game - I have a lot of respect for Kyle Shanahan - he was our offensive coordinator during our last "good" season - the 7-9 2014 season - and he made the offense respectable. He's innovative. I'm a little scared of Breida and Kittle.
On to the games:
Car 19, Jax 16. I can't figure this game out. Carolina's D is playing better than I expected, and their game plan should be CMC. But can you go against Minshew and his roll right now? Fournette will have another big game.
Cin 23, Arz 20. What an egg Cinci laid Monday night. I have to believe they will bounce back. It should rain during the game here, so that may limit Kyler Murray's magic.
Atl 27, Hou 24. This is a final stand game here for Atlanta. They have to win here, or else their season is over. And I don't think Houston is good enough in protecting Watson to give so many points.
NO 31, TB 24. I don't believe in the Bucs hype. Yes, Arians is a good coach - but it still is Winston at QB. Maybe I'm just blinded and think the Saints are better than they really are.
Min 27, NYG 13. Another team I don't buy the hype on. The Giants- and Danny Dimes - beat TB (bad secondary) and the Skins (nuff said). They are pissed and Cousins should have a career day.
Chi 23, Oak 10. So explain how Oakland will score? Chase Daniel is not that much of a change from Trubisky - and they should have a few nice drives.
Phi 27, NYJ 16. Phi's pass D worries me. They are not good, and have injuries. After the bye, I think the Jets will move the ball enough to keep this close.
Bal 30, Pit 20. The Ravens will be pissed - and really, the Steelers did not impress me Monday night. Jackson will take advantage of the porous Pit pass D and have another stat-filled game.
Ten 20, Buf 13. I like Vrabel as a coach and I think he will devise a scheme to contain Josh Allen. And while Buffalo's D is good, they do have a weakness on their run D - which Ten can exploit.
NE 31, Was 10. What to say about this game? I think Brady will come out trying to atone for last week's bad performance and get up 21-0 in the first quarter. Maybe a good 1H play for the Pats.
LAC 30, Den 23. What to expect from either of these teams? Denver's D has disappointed - so the Chargers will score - and the Chargers have so many injuries on D that even Flacco will be able to move the ball.
Dal 27, GB 20. Dallas will rebound at home here and will run Zeke into the ground. The absence of Adams will really affect Green Bay - we saw that Thursday night.
KC 37, Ind 20. How will Indy stay with KC? Their defense is worse than KC's! And we're not sure on the status of TY on Mack. If one of those are missing, it's hard to see the Colts getting near KC.
Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 5-9; overall: 33-26-1
ATS: 2-7 last week, 15-21-1
Over/under: 3-2 last week, 18-5 overall
Jax/Car under 41
Atl +5
NO -3
TB/NO over 46.5
Min -5
Chi -5
Chi/Oak under 40.5
Bal -3.5
Bal/Pit over 44.5
Ten -3
NE -15.5
Den/LAC over 44.5
Dal -3
KC -11
That's a lot of favorites. I don't like that.
Supercontest picks: Last week: 1-4; overall: 9-11
Atl +5
Min -5.5
Chi -5.5
Ten -3
Dal -3.5
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