By Katelyn Umholtz The Ground Round is making a comeback, at least in Shrewsbury, according to reports this week. MassLive shared Friday a picture of a Ground Round sign over the recently closed Bauhinia Restaurant sign near Route 9, and reported confirmation of the opening from its new owners, Nachi and Joseph Shea. The restaurant chain, similar to other chains Applebee’s and Chili’s, began in Massachusetts in 1969, serving American comfort food like boneless chicken wings, burgers, sirloin, fajitas, and chocolate cake.
The restaurant was also known for handing out peanuts, which customers would then throw the shells on the ground. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports that there were more than 200 locations of the Ground Round chain at its peak, including one in a different location of Shrewsbury that closed in 2004 — the same year the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Now there are only four left, one in Ohio and three in North Dakota, according to MassLive.
The owners, who said they have restaurant experience, had eaten at a Ground Round before and said others in their community wanted it back. “The idea is to take today’s efficiencies and apply it to the best of the ‘old’ Ground Round,” Nachi Shea told MassLive. “We are listening close to our community to make sure we help families share their memories with the next generation and build new ones for more generations to come.
” It will reportedly open the week of Jan. 25, with lunch.