Sambo's?

Anybody out there remember Sambo's? I loved Sambo's as a kid, and I remember how I would get lost in another world when my folks took me there.

Isn't there still one in Pasadena? Are there any others?

[ Edited by: Tiki Chris on 2003-11-15 10:16 ]

Santa Barbara, Ca. is the only 1 left, & it looks to be having trouble.

I used to eat at Sambo's when I was a kid. Recently I ate at the Santa Barbara location.
It's not like the old Sambo's.

I worked graveyard shift (11:30PM-7:30AM) at a golf club factory back in the 70's. The hi lite of my evening was going to breakfast at the Sambos down the street (at 3:30AM). Just me, a killer breakfast, strong coffee & a chatty waitress. I can't say I'd like to return to those days...but I do miss the Sambos.

There is another Sambos in Lincoln City Oregon. The original building burned down last year and was rebuilt, or replaced rather, by a new contemporary generic styled building. It still bares the name SAMBOS, and I believe it still uses the trademark logo. I'll check next time I'm through there.
I loved those places as a kid.

Here is an interesting article of the very first sambos.
http://www.santabarbara.com/dining/a_stones_throw/sambos/default.asp

That is interesting. I wonder why they say it is the only one left? Does anyone know of any other lost and unrecognized Sambos out there?
I remember hearing that the reason for the demise of the chain was that both the name and the logo were deemed racist and unseemly.
Another urban legend perhaps?

Oh yeah, and the food at the one in Lincoln City ? well the last time I was there was quite a while ago, but it was questionable at best.

[ Edited by: seamus on 2003-11-16 13:26 ]

I remember a Sambo's here in Boise. I fondly remember a painted mural of Sambo and the tiger and the telling of the story on the children's menu. Alas, one of the loves of my life was lost there. A kermit the frog stuffed animal was carelessly left in the booth. My cold hearted mother refused to return to look for it. So very sad. The Sambo's is gone now but I have a new Kermit.

Ah, Heaven on Earth. Didn't its ethnically challenged name used to be "Little Black Sambo's". The name changed in the early 70's?!?! They were everywhere once. Most turned into Denny's or the like.

This also brings to mind the fast food joint that had walking talking chicken legs and hot dogs as Mascots, the Red Barn. At least McDonalds went the mile and came up with Fry Guys, Capt'n Crook and Grimis (who looks like what you feel like after a "Happy Meal"). I believe every community in the good ol' USA has a gambrel roofed building that once housed a Red Barn Restaurant. Most were turned into Arby's or another Restaurant. The one in Burlington Vermont is a Gift Shop after a short stint as a strip club (The city outlawed stripping after the club moved in). The Red Barn building in Mountain View, CA. is still there on the corner of Rengstorff? and El Camino.

"I like you, man. You're crazy, but I like you."

[ Edited by: Primo Kimo on 2003-11-16 19:27 ]

There was one in Augusta, Georgia. Ate there as a kid a lot.

There was one across the street from the apartment complex our family moved into when my dad got transferred to Orlando in 1978. We lived in a place called "The Executive Apartments," and I haven't a clue where they were because when you're a kid you could care less about street names.

Alas, Walgreens strikes again!

My first job when I was 15 was washing dishes at Sambo's in Buena Park CA, across the street from Knott's Berry Farm. I'm sure the PC attitudes in the 70's and 80's caused the demise of the name, but as some of the others stated, they changed over to Coco's and Carrow's and ran quite a few more years..
As I drove by my old stompping grounds last week what should I see on that corner but ANOTHER WALGREENS!!!

They really are taking over the world, one spot at a time.

Trustar

All they need to do is put a Starbucks in'em like Dominicks in Chicago...

(Deleted message. I was asking about the Oregon coast one and somehow had missed Seamus's message!)

[ Edited by: Erika on 2003-11-18 10:42 ]

I guess it's true that a thread is only as good as it's last post.

No problem- I feel compelled to be a smart ass more and more now that TikiBong has transformed into the pleasant poster.

[ Edited by: seamus on 2003-11-18 15:49 ]

[ Edited by: seamus on 2003-11-18 19:31 ]

Here are audio clips from the Little Black Sambo album(note the racist stereo type):
http://www.basichip.com/kid_stuff/little_black_sambo_clip_2.mp3

http://www.basichip.com/kid_stuff/little_black_sambo_clip.mp3

Here is a paragraph of the history that was with these photos:
Little Black Sambo
Critics have observed that Helen Bannerman's classic story, first published in 1898, presents one of the first black heroes in children's literature. Little Black Sambo was initially regarded as a book that positively portrayed black characters, especially in comparison to the more negative books of the time that depicted blacks as simple and uncivilized. But as racial consciousness grew in America, Little Black Sambo became an object of harsh criticism and heated debate. Some educators recommended that the book be removed from library shelves; others defended the book as a harmless product of a bygone era. Since Bannerman did not retain the copyright, there were a number of versions of Little Black Sambo that appeared with illustrations other than her own, often with pictures considered stereotypical in their portrayal of blacks. There was even a chain of restaurants based on the book called Sambo's. The specialty of the house was pancakes.

A Tiki Cheers To You!

[ Edited by: Unga Bunga on 2003-11-18 15:45 ]

i read an article on cnn.com (do a google for "sambo's" & it's one of the first sites listed). apparently, the name of the restaurant was based on the 2 owners' first names: sam & bo.

it's weird that sambo became such a negative "black/african" stereotype since the original story takes place in india (hence the tiger instead of, say, a lion).

btw, thanks for those audio clips. mamie & papie?

On 2003-11-18 16:12, Tiki Chris wrote:
apparently, the name of the restaurant was based on the 2 owners' first names: sam & bo.

That's also how Kelbo's also received its moniker, except it was last names.

That story was one of my favorites when I was a child. My Grandparents lived in India during the war(grandpa was a doctor with the British army, grandma a nurse) and my Dad was born there.(Whitbread is the last name, a very English/Scottish family) My Grandma had this book at her house, and I loved to read it, especially since I'm an animal lover. I loved the part where the tigers ran around a tree, eventually turning into butter, which was eaten with a big stack of pancakes! Sooo silly. The book I loved is one I haven't seen anywhere else. It was big and thin, softcover with big beautiful pictures. I still search for it on e-bay, but haven't seen it yet. It's amazing all the memorabilia and restaurants associated with this story, apparently made up by a lady to keep her children occupied. Sadly it was changed to be more 'pc'(a turban added to the boy to make him look more Indian). Personally, I loved the original.