Bill Knapp's

A popular chain of homestyle restaurants, Bill Knapp's opened in Battle Creek, Michigan on July 21, 1948. Known for its celebration cake and birthday discounts, Bill Knapp's filed for bankruptcy in 2011 but the cake is still available in stores.

If you ask longtime Kalamazoo residents about their favorite restaurants, there are few that bring more nostalgic reactions than (Battle Creek') Bill Knapp's and (nationally) Howard Johnson's.