Furr's Might Just Be Done Here In The Panhandle

Sometimes you just get a nostalgia moment and when you're driving around you figure, "You know what... I haven't been to so and so in forever" and today for me that happens to be Furr's. I was making my way down Soncy with a few errands to run and I figure I'd pop on by and get a quick meal.

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Furr's happens to be one of the last of the cafeteria style restaurants left besides Luby's which is also in process of shutting down. Basically you would go in, grab the tray and unlike a buffet, a server would load your plate with everything from meatloaf, to fried chicken, salad or many other cafeteria staples. What made it better in my opinion than a buffet is there was one set of hands on the food and no kids just reaching in. and the portions were controlled so you didn't sit there and stuff yourself into a food coma. Believe it or not the food wasn't half bad. It's not 5 star dining but everyone got what they wanted even the picky eaters and as a parent that was a win.

MileA

Hard Times For The Serving Line

Taking a look at the door there is a plethora of signs for everything from social distancing to promises of being back soon that look like they been getting a little faded which tells me the future isn't bright for the cafeteria

Michael J. Rivera, Townsquare Media

It turns out Furr's Parent Company Fresh Acquisitions LLC filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy back in April. Chapter 11 isn't the end of the world, that usually means the company is trying to restructure it's debt and looking for new buyers or capital to continue operations, it's when that chapter 11 turns to chapter 7 that they are pretty much done. While that announcement hasn't come, it's not looking good. Fresh Acquisitions has already had bankruptcy issues in the past and COVID-19 restrictions weren't helpful.

Michael J. Rivera, Townsquare Media

Could Furr's reopen? It's possible. Changing consumer preferences may spell the end of the chain that was originally opened in Hobbs 75 years ago. Then again, they may just be back tomorrow. Hopefully they wont join the list of restaurants that have come and gone here in Amarillo

50 Famous Brands That No Longer Exist

The Abandoned St. Anthony's Hospital on Amarillo Boulevard

The 119-year-old abandoned hospital is a fascinating place for any who are lucky enough to be granted the chance to explore.

The sprawling building saw thousands of Amarillo's citizens inside its halls daily, all the the way until it was shuttered in 2001. But there are still incredible artifacts of the all-too-recent past tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the old St. Anthony.

The explorer who took these photographs gave the following information:

"Many rooms were left untouched, we found patient files, old prescriptions, a blood transfusion machine from the 60s, and microscopic slides of breast cancer from the 70s and 80s. I put one picture in here of some heart scans so you can see the dates and diagnosis of the patient, but marked out the patient’s names of course. During a time when mental illness was not understood, 76 exorcisms were documented to have been performed between 1909 and 1931."

Take a look inside the halls of the legendary abandoned St. Anthony's hospital