This Once-Beloved Mall Steakhouse Only Has One Location Remaining

It is a sad state of affairs that, throughout the years, many once-robust chains have closed all their restaurants and turned to metaphorical dust. For example, Don Pablo's was once the second-biggest Mexican chain in the U.S. until it shuttered for good in 2019, and as of April 2025, EVOS Feel Great Food was planning on ending all of its operations. On the other hand, we have chains that have very nearly been completely terminated, but still hold one with a single location. That is the story of York Steak House, a casual steakhouse whose restaurants were located mostly in and around shopping malls.

From nearly 200 locations in the 1980s, spread across almost 30 states, the York Steak House business was sold to General Mills in 1981, and it was mostly downhill from there. Each and every restaurant, save one, has since closed its doors. It's only the York Steak House, opened in 1966 and located on Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio (coincidentally, the city where the company was founded and headquartered), which has weathered the years — nay, decades.

The restaurant was actually sold recently, after current owner Tim Burkhammer purchased it in 2024 from Jay Bettin, who stood at the helm of the Columbus location for 35 years, having started working there in 1980. And Burkhammer nearly had to close his York Steak House in February 2026 when it was revealed he owed back sales taxes, but he paid them, and the restaurant remained operational.

York Steak House was a product of its time (rather like old-school fondue dinner parties), combining the best of both cafeteria-style vibes and sit-down restaurant service. Guests picked an entree from a series of photos on the wall, then picked up a plate to sidle up to the salad bar. Once seated (and presumably started on their tasty salad), the waitstaff would then bring their entree when it was ready. The exteriors and interiors of the restaurants were reminiscent of castles from the Medieval period (perhaps the chain's name is a reference to the infamous English royal house?). And the prices were low enough that an entire family could dine out ($2.19 for a sirloin strip steak dinner in 1975 is equal to about $13 today).

The York Steak House location in Columbus has something of a cult following, thanks in part to the fact that it hasn't changed a whole lot from the original concept. The ordering set-up is still the same, and many of the same beloved menu items, like the honey-glazed chicken and mushroom gravy, are still on offer. If the prices have had to be adjusted for these spendy times we're living in, well, the restaurant remains an affordable pick, with that same sirloin steak dinner from 1975 now costing a mere $14.79, not too far off from the pace of inflation.