Houlihan’s Old Place: The Era of the Funky Themed Restaurant

It was the post-hippie era, early- to mid-Seventies, but the hippie influence had permeated into the lives of regular citizens and lingered for awhile.

The full name was Houlihan’s Old Place, squarely identifying itself, as a theme restaurant. Along with TGI Friday and Bennigan’s, Houlihan’s marked the beginning of the theme restaurant era.

Gilbert Robinson was the Kansas City firm behind Houlihan’s Old Place and apparently named it because it “Old Place” because it was in an old clothing store.