Shoneys Restaurants in Florida

Shoney’s restaurants are a combination of American diner and family restaurant and have a more ‘homely’ feel to them than, say, Denny’s; you might almost describe them as old-fashioned (but in a nice way).

Shoney’s restaurants offer full table service for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as an ‘all you care to eat’ buffet. Children (4 and under) can often eat free (one free meal for each adult).

The Shoney’s Classic Breakfast Buffet includes a large selection of items, including scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, fluffy pancakes, cinnamon French toast, potatoes, seasonal fruits, and fresh-baked biscuits. It is served until 11 a.m. on weekdays and until early afternoon at weekends. Other traditional breakfast entrees include fried steak with hot country milk gravy, eggs, breakfast potatoes or southern-style grits, and buttermilk biscuits or toast.

The Express Lunch Buffet and Afternoon Buffets include soup, a salad, a homestyle Vegetable buffet, fried chicken, meatloaf, pork chops, and turkey ‘n’ gravy.

Lunchtime entrees include the Famous Patty Melt burger topped with aged Swiss cheese and grilled onions, the All-American Bacon Cheeseburger (my personal favourite) topped with crispy bacon and a choice of American, Monterey Jack or Swiss cheese and the Mushroom Swiss Burger topped with sauteed mushrooms and Swiss cheese. You can also get club sandwiches, Philly cheese steaks, Bubba’s BLT double-decker, the Original Slim Jim and the Ultimate Grilled Cheese on sourdough bread.

All the Classic dishes include the ‘all-you-care-to-eat’ soup, salad and vegetable buffet with freshly prepared salads, fresh fruits, and homestyle vegetables. Shoney’s also offers a range of salad entrees for the more health-conscious.

The Evening Buffet, which starts at 5 p.m. on weekdays and early afternoon at weekends, features specials accompanied by a selection of hot soups, fresh salads, and a homestyle vegetable buffet. It also features fried chicken, meatloaf, pork chops, pot roast, and cube steak. The buffet also features seafood favourites such as golden-fried shrimp, crispy fish, oysters, catfish, stuffed crab, and peel ‘n’ eat steamed shrimp.

Shoney’s also have a comprehensive dessert menu, including warm walnut brownies with ice cream and hot fudge, hot fudge cake, apple crisp with a crispy brown sugar and almond topping, sundaes and strawberry pie.

Alex Schoenbaum opened the Parkette Drive-In and Bowling Alley in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1947. In 1951, he purchased the franchise rights to the Big Boy Hamburger chain for the southeastern states, and in 1953, launched the restaurant chain under his nickname of ‘Shoney’. Today, some 320 company-owned and franchised Shoney’s restaurants across 21 states are still centred around the south and east. Shoney’s has around 15 restaurants in Florida; below is a list of the Shoney’s restaurant locations in the immediate Orlando/Kissimmee area: