Wal-Mart Radio Grill -

[Analog Devolved]

Does anyone remember the Wal-Mart Radio Grill?

It was a Wal Mart department in the late 90's in the new Supercenter stores. It was a 1950's themed eatery that served Hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, nachos, French fries and pretzels. They also had a taco salad.

Does anyone remember eating here? There is remarkably little information online about the Radio Grill. I remember eating at these a few times.

The radio grill was owned and operated by Walmart and staffed by Walmart employees. It died out in the early 2000's when it was briefly replaced by the Walmart "Snack Bar" before being eliminated entirely.

Radio grill had a bigger menu than the snack bar and played 50's music. The Radio Grill was a partnership with coca cola and served collectible 50's themed reusable coke cups. The radio grill also offered yellow bags that could be refilled with popcorn while browsing the store.

In 1997 the Radio Grill offered a collectible car.

Fellow kiwis do you remember eating at Walmart's radio grill?

 

[DDBCAE CBAADCBE]

I remember the snack bars and stuff but not specifically the Radio Grill. Was that a regional thing maybe?

 

[Analog Devolved]

I remember the snack bars and stuff but not specifically the Radio Grill. Was that a regional thing maybe?

I'm pretty sure it was a national thing. Theres a lot of photos of "former radio grill" areas in walmarts and the few videos on YouTube from a former walmart executive suggesting it was nationwide for a short period of time.

 

[The Shadow]

We had something like that at our Wal-Mart. It was just called "McDonald's", though

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

Does anyone remember the Wal-Mart Radio Grill?

No, was it as awful as Wal-Mart Radio's music and hosts?

 

[Analog Devolved]

No, was it as awful as Wal-Mart Radio's music and hosts?

From what I remember it wasn't too bad as far as big box food goes. Most big box stores that have groceries also have some ready-to-eat section. It was about the same as those hamburger/pizza puff Kronos places.

 

[Haramburger]

If you asked me where this was with the OP screenshots I would've guessed K-Mart. I'm really surprised that the snack bars are so successful in Sam's Club and Costco's, but dead and empty in Targets and any other place that still has his shit. Those hot dog/sausage carts outside of Home Depots and Lowe's used to be hopping before COVID.

 

[The Great Citracett]

Yeah actually I remember this, except for some reason I was thinking it was a Kmart thing. My grandparents took me to eat there a few times as a little kid because it was pretty popular with old people.

The nachos were just chips in a clear plastic tray with a separate section for cheese. Same thing they had at school really. This was probably around 1994-95 I think.

Wasn't long after that they got rid of it, then a few years later put in a Subway franchise, which failed, but then came back a few years later and stuck around and now most Walmarts around here have them.

 

[I can't imagine]

I remember the snack bars and stuff but not specifically the Radio Grill. Was that a regional thing maybe?

The snack bars were either converted into Radio Grills or fast food restaurants (mostly McD's) in the 90's sometime. Most any store built in the mid-late 90's had a McDonald's in it, which, if you live on the west coast, means almost 100% of them. Early 2000's stores were usually built with Radio Grills, IIRC, then they dumped the concept and started putting in Subways. Nowadays, they mostly have either McDonald's or Subway, though there's the odd exception (one near me inexplicably has a Wendy's, which I've never seen anywhere else).

 

[TwinkLover6969]

OK Boomer

 

[Samson Pumpkin Jr.]

On the same note as former in-store restaurants, I miss zellers, they had a restaurant in every store and the food there was pretty good too. I remember they served whole steaks and other meals that a proper restaurant would serve

edit: Eaton's was cool too

 

[The Wichita Lion]

Never ate at one but I do remember them. All the stores in my area have been remodeled since they got rid of them though so any evidence they ever existed is long gone.

 

[Xarpho]

I don't think I ate at Radio Grill, I just wanted McDonald's back.

Also, it looks like Radio Grill offered chicken fried steak, which is pretty unusual for any snack bar restaurant to do (and something increasingly rare today in general).

 

[Quijibo69]

Never got a Wal-Mart where I lived until the mid to late 90's.

 

[Dom Cruise]

Whoa, I do remember the Radio Grill, but had totally forgotten about it, I haven't seen that logo for it in I don't know how long, the main thing I remember that food area being was a McDonald's, now my local Wal-Mart still has a Subway but the Radio Grill/McDonald's was in the back store and that area has long been something else.

I love being reminded of weird ephemerial stuff like this, thanks for the trip down memory lane.

 

[Cast Iron Pan]

I love how relatively thin the people are in that first photo. That's not something you'll see at a eatery in Wal-mart anymore.

 

[MalWart]

I vaguely recall one of the Walmarts I frequented growing up having one of these, if for no other reason than the restrooms being right behind it. Never actually ate there, but I'd occasionally get a Coke. They nixed it when they redid the store in the mid-2000s and replaced it with shitty-ass Subway, although the old checkerboard tiling remained.

Personally, I was more of a Food Avenue (Target) kid growing up:

 

[Dom Cruise]

I love how relatively thin the people are in that first photo. That's not something you'll see at a eatery in Wal-mart anymore.

I did a reverse Google image search on that picture and evidently it dates from 2001.

 

[Cast Iron Pan]

I vaguely recall one of the Walmarts I frequented growing up having one of these, if for no other reason than the restrooms being right behind it. Never actually ate there, but I'd occasionally get a Coke. They nixed it when they redid the store in the mid-2000s and replaced it with shitty-ass Subway, although the old checkerboard tiling remained.

Personally, I was more of a Food Avenue (Target) kid growing up:
View attachment 1521455

Bikini and burger! Come in for a two piece, stick around for a 6 piece.

 

[Quijibo69]

I vaguely recall one of the Walmarts I frequented growing up having one of these, if for no other reason than the restrooms being right behind it. Never actually ate there, but I'd occasionally get a Coke. They nixed it when they redid the store in the mid-2000s and replaced it with shitty-ass Subway, although the old checkerboard tiling remained.

Personally, I was more of a Food Avenue (Target) kid growing up:
View attachment 1521455

I knew someone who ate there one time, they got a green hot dog.