The Massive Steakhouse Chain That Closed In 2000 And Has Since Faded Into Obscurity

In August 2000, the last remaining Valle's Steak House, once part of a 32-location chain with locations across the Eastern Seaboard, unexpectedly closed. Throughout the day, employees had heard rumors that the Portland, Maine, restaurant would be shutting down, and that night, it did. With the closure, Valle's Steak House officially joined the ranks of vintage steakhouse chains we still miss.

The once-thriving business began in Portland in 1933 as a beer parlor that opened at the end of Prohibition. Donald Valle, who immigrated to Maine from Italy with his family at 4 years old, soon expanded by opening a steakhouse in Scarborough, a town outside Portland. From there, he built what would become a full-fledged restaurant empire, serving classic New England steakhouse fare like prime rib, lobster, and filet mignon at reasonable prices.

By the time Valle died in 1977, there were 20 locations featuring blood-red interiors and seating for 800 to 1,500 guests. Richard Valle took over operations after his father's passing and continued expanding, reaching a peak of 32 restaurants. But by 1980, signs of trouble had already begun to show. The company halted its expansion plans amid changing American tastes, the nation's faltering economy, and Valle's focus on food over liquor. Sales started to slump and closures soon followed.

One of the biggest challenges for Valle's Steak House was the size of its restaurants. By the early 1980s, massive banquet-style dining was falling out of favor. The Rochester, New York, location, which opened in 1971, was sold just eight years later after failing to turn a profit. Rising labor costs also played a role in the chain's decline, but one of the biggest blows came from a large estate tax bill following Donald Valle's death in 1977, which ultimately forced the family to sell the business.

By 1984, the chain was under new management and had sold its eight Florida locations, but problems continued to plague the business. By 1991, Polar Bear Restaurant Corporation, which owned the chain, had closed three remaining restaurants in Massachusetts and Maine, leaving a single location in Portland owned by Donald Valle's daughter, Judith. But unlike Ohio's York Steak House chain, which has managed to hang on for years with a single location, Valle's didn't survive. It closed for good in August 2000. The once-thriving steakhouse, like other chain restaurants that have now disappeared, lives on only in the memories of its former customers.