"Bigger isn't always better - such was the case with Valle's Steak House, the Northeast restaurant chain known for its gargantuan dining rooms. Over its run from 1933 to 2000, the Maine-based steakhouse chain seated hundreds to thousands of patrons per location before becoming one of the seven steakhouse chains that have permanently closed their doors. Nowadays, foodies of the '60s and '70s likely remember it by its short name, "Valle's," best."
"In 1969, just one year after the company went public, the steakhouse saw regular weekly crowds of 200,000 - served by 1,300 Valle's employees at 30 restaurants. Proportionately, Valle's dining rooms were built with volume in mind, designed to seat 800 to 1,400 customers - a far cry from its tiny cafeteria origin. Specializing in prime steaks and lobsters and rounded out by other New England fare, the food menu was physically large to match at 16 by 30 inches."
Valle's Steak House began as a seven-stool cafe at 551 Congress Street in Portland, Maine, opened in 1933 by Donald D. Valle, an Italian immigrant. The brand expanded across Maine and entered Boston in the mid-1960s before experiencing rapid national growth after going public. By 1969, Valle's operated 30 restaurants, served weekly crowds of 200,000, and employed 1,300 staff. Dining rooms were built to seat 800–1,400 patrons, and the menu emphasized prime steaks, lobsters, and New England fare with an unusually large physical menu format.
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