Do You Remember This Nostalgic 1970s Restaurant With Mason Jar Drinks? You Can Still Dine At It Today

Food trends come and go, as do restaurants. Many we grew up on, and certainly ones our parents remember, are now closed down and defunct — existing only as memories. Some retro relics though, are surprisingly still somehow standing — even ones you would have sworn were long gone. One example is PoFolks, a moderately popular spot in the ’70s and ’80s that, if the name itself wasn’t hint enough, is a restaurant chain that didn’t shy away from a heavy-handed theme. Think dining tables with checkered tablecloths, “artwork” relics that looked like they came from grandma’s attic, and all the downhome soul food fixings — fried chicken, fluffy buttermilk biscuits, and drinks in Mason jars, far before Pinterest made it cool. Basically, PoFolks walked so Cracker Barrel (and its iconic look) could run. 

As you might have guessed from its name, which sounds like “poor folks,” its whole aesthetic and schtick was pretty much … poverty, slightly dressed up as a more charming hardscrabble, homestyle, country vibe. If this sounds like something that should have been left to history … perhaps. But despite that, PoFolks restaurants do still in fact exist, sold off to one individual owner who keeps a handful going, all in Florida. If you’re determined to dig into some of this quirky history for yourself, you’ll need to head to either Panama City, Pensacola, Lynn Haven, Niceville, or St. Petersburg, where PoFolks — yes, still with that name — still operate.

These five locations are operating in a bit of a time warp, but if you’re hungry for some nostalgia served country style, head on down to Florida, the last remaining state home to PoFolks. The franchise originated in South Carolina in 1975 (named for a Bill Anderson country song), and saw a bit of a boom from there. During its peak in the ’80s, PoFolks had expanded to over 100 locations across 17 states. From there, the hamburger chain Krystal scooped up the franchise, but couldn’t save the downhome dining spot from filing for bankruptcy by 1988.

Though it’s fallen quite a ways from its former glory, the existing handful of PoFolks locations remain steadfastly committed to the original bit — nothing has changed from the branding to logo, or the penchant for quirky spelling, i.e. “samiches,” “t’maters,” or “appetizements,” of the items the chain serves up. So if kitsch is what you’re craving, you’ll get your fill here, to say the least, where you can choose from entrees like the famed fried chicken, described on the menu as “tender an’ moist an’ juicy as all git out,” “kuntry fried steak,” or a Po Plate. True to its original form, the restaurant proudly serves “bellywashers,” aka drinks, in Mason jars. And if that’s not enough, you can even buy into the franchise and open up a PoFolks location of your own to really help keep kooky culinary history alive.