Sandy Claus - 1969

The gone but not fogotten Sandy's hamburger chain (which I first profiled back here in a multi-part series) did a nice marketing campaign during Christmas 1969. The ad above ran in the Journal on December 4, 1969 and introduced the promotion: 3 sleds that were going to be given away at both the west side (Oberlin Avenue and Meister) and the south side (E. 42nd Street) locations.

The cartoon carolers in the ad are a bit unusual: all male, and the one in the middle looks strangely like a Russian czar.

As you can see, by this time Sandy's had replaced the original full-body dancing blonde lassie logo with the brunette 'head only' version. I never understood why they did that, especially since the blonde was on the twirling signs.

Anyway, this ad was followed by another ad on Thursday, December 11, with a nice touch: a Scottish 'Sandy Claus'.

An article in the business section on Monday, December 15 (below) gave some more information on the promotion and listed the first winner.

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Sandy's Has Santa, Sleds and Sandwiches

Lyle Olson, manager of Sandy's Restaurant on E. 42nd Street across from Southview High School, and all his fine staff of lads and lassies wish one and all a Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

To help keep the holiday spirit in the minds of customers this Christmas season, Olson has been giving away sleds to the luckiest of his sandwich munchers. The first of Olson's hamburger and milk shake fans to win a sled was Robert Gou, of 4225 Camden Ave., Lorain. To be a lucky winner no purchase is necessary – just stop in at Sandy's and register. Another sled will be given away next Saturday, Olson said, adding that Santa Claus made his stop at Sandy's recently with candy for the kids.

But there's another reason to make Sandy's your stop during the holiday season and that's for a rest and refreshment break during those long shopping trips. Wash down a tasty hamburger, cheeseburger or even a Great Scot with a thick fresh milkshake or other beverage and you'll be ready to hit the trail again with renewed zip.

Sandy's has a secret about the way they prepare their foods for the best in freshness and taste. But the raw materials – the ingredients – are so important to good flavor that they don't keep it secret about where they buy their stuff. "It's high quality ingredients," Olson said, "that give us the best possible start on flavor. We buy Oberlin Farms Shake Mix and milk products and get quality ground beef and pork from C. H. Gundlach & Sons Packing Co., Sandusky. They are also the suppliers for the Meister Road restaurant.

Olson and his Sandy's Southview staff keep the restaurant dining area and kitchen spotless so you can eat the best food in a bright, clean place. Eat either at a table in the restaurant or carry out an order for eating in your car or at home. And keep watching for Sandy's chicken. As soon as equipment is delivered and installed, it will be here, Olson said.

Clash of the Burger Titans

It’s been a while, but I’ve featured Sandy’s many times on this blog over the years. The Scottish-themed hamburger chain with Thrift ’N Swift service held the Grand Opening of its Meister Road location in the Lorain Plaza Shopping Center back on June 18th - 20th of 1965.

Since Sandy’s was so close to where we lived, it was the hamburger chain that my family patronized –although it was a rare treat. The nearest McDonald’s was down on West Erie Avenue, and consequently we only caught a glimpse of it on the way to Lakeview Park. (We never passed it when we went to Vermilion, as we always took the short cut via W. 21st Street.)

Since the McDonald’s on West Erie Avenue had opened in June 1960, however, it had a five year head start in Lorain on Sandy’s, which had some catching up to do.

Thus it’s not too surprising to see the section of the restaurants page of the June 24, 1965 Lorain Journal above. Note the ads of the two strange burger bedfellows, right next to each other: recently-opened Sandy’s (with its large ad featuring the winsome Miss Sandy) and McDonald’s (with the now forgotten, bizarre Archy McDonald in a puny ad).

Despite the sex appeal of Miss Sandy, however, McDonald’s eventually won the battle – conquering Hardee’s (the successor of Sandy’s) and even taking over the chain’s location on Meister Road. Today, only a few grizzled local Baby Boomers (like me) even remember that Sandy’s was ever there.

But hold on to your french fries – there’s a rematch of sorts about to happen.

A Hardee’s is planned for Avon as part of a proposed Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores truck stop complex on Chester Road. Its neighbor? None other than McDonald’s.

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Click here to visit a terrific, unofficial Sandy's website with tons of links to great vintage photos of store restaurants. Click here to explore three pages of Sandy's memorabilia, such as original napkins, cups and ads!

Finally, be sure to visit the RoadsideArchitecture.com website, which includes a page devoted entirely to former Sandy's restaurants!

Sandy’s Souvenir Glass – Nov. 1971

Back in November 1971, the Sandy’s chain of fast food restaurants was featuring a special promotion for its customers. For only 59 cents, the purchaser received a 14 ounce, reusable plastic glass filled with a milk shake, along with a cheeseburger and an order of ‘golden brown French Fries.’

Above is the ad that ran in the Journal on Nov. 17, 1971.

It’s appropriate that the glass is referred to as a souvenir, because the Sandy’s era of the hamburger chain was winding down and soon the Hardee’s name would replace it. 

According to this Wiki page, “On November 30, 1971, a Hardee’s purchase of all of Sandy’s stock was announced, and Sandy’s plaid berets were soon to be seen no more.” As originally planned, the Sandy’s restaurants were supposed to retain their own identity, but they eventually were all converted to the Hardee’s brand.

I never felt the same way about Hardee’s as I did about Sandy’s. Chalk it up to the Scottish lassie, I guess.

By the time Hardee’s took over a year or so later, McDonald’s and Burger King already had a strong presence in Lorain County. Their national advertising campaigns helped them to completely overshadow the smaller burger chain.

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Unlike the small glasses with the original blonde Sandy’s lassie, the souvenir plastic cups with the brunette version mentioned are much harder to find. But a few exist today and found their way online. There are a couple on eBay right now.

New Sandy’s sign – June 17, 1968

Last week I did a post on the Grand Opening of Sandy’s in Elyria back in May of 1962.

Regular blog reader Lisa left a comment on that post, recalling that the restaurant sign with the likeness of “Sandy” used to slowly twirl around, simulating a Scottish dance.

Well, Lisa has a good memory.

Above is a photo of the sign in front of the Lorain Meister Road outlet that accompanied a promotional article in the business pages of the June 17, 1968 Lorain Journal. The article noted, “Ray Voit, manager, is particularly proud of the new Sandy’s sign in front of the restaurant which is decorated with American flags, American beauty roses and evergreen shrubbery."

It’s kind of cool seeing that Sandy's sign again, and the Pure gas station next door. It’s such a familiar site if you grew up in that part of Lorain, like I did.

Here’s a 1955 view of that same Pure gas station, when it was all alone on Oberlin Avenue.

I’ve mentioned several times how back in the 1960s, Sandy’s was our fast-food hamburgers of choice. The closest McDonald’s was down on West Erie, so Sandy’s was much closer being only a few minutes away.

Not that we had Sandy’s very often. It was a rare treat. I do remember at least one or two times that Grandma came over for a visit (in her big ol’ 1963 Buick LeSabre) and brought a bag of Sandy’s hamburgers and french fries. I used to pick the pickles off mine, and generously gave them to her. “Thanks for the hot, wet pickles,” was her unenthusiastic reply.

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To see one of the surviving twirling Sandy signs up close, click here to visit the always interesting RoadsideArchitecture.com website.

Forgotten Fast Foods: Sandy's Part 3

Here's a Sandy's ad from the 1968 Lorain phone book. For some reason, the company gave Miss Sandy an extreme makeover in the late 1960s, changing her from a blonde to a brunette.

   Sandy's had a strong presence in Lorain County. Besides the Sandy's on Meister Road, there was another one in Lorain off of Route 57 at 2233 E. 42nd Street. Elyria also had several Sandy's locations, including 443 Cleveland Street, 393 Midway Boulevard and 641 Hilliard. (The Cleveland Street location was actually the first in the area, opening May 1, 1962.)

   Around 1972, Sandy's merged with Hardees, with most of the locations switching over to the Hardees name. Hardees managed to hang on at the Meister Road location for years, before finally closing at the end of the 1980s. The building was demolished and, ironically, today there is a McDonalds at the site.

   For more information about Sandy's, follow this link to a great website which is the definitive online source for information about the restaurant chain. The website includes a comprehensive history as well as photographs, ads, TV commercials and much, much more!

Sandy's Becomes Hardees – May 1973

Sandy's Hamburgers has been a favorite topic on this blog since its beginning.

Why? Because it was very likely the first fast food my family ever had, since it was only a few minutes away on Oberlin Avenue. The burgers tasted very much like McDonald's, which isn't surprising since the chain was founded by some ex-McDonald's executives.

But all good things come to an end. Seemingly after only a few years in Lorain, Sandy's was taken over by Hardee's – and it just wasn't the same. 

Maybe it was the loss of Sandy's cute Scottish lassie with the tam o'shanter, which lent a friendly face to the proceedings. Or perhaps it was the name change. "Sandy's" sounds much more friendly and personal than the nondescript "Hardee's."

Nevertheless, the change happened – and here's how the company notified the customers in the Lorain area. The ad below appeared in the Journal on May 3, 1973.

It's a clever ad. But charco-broiled or not, the burgers didn't taste the same – or as good, at least to me.

But it really didn't matter that much to my family, since we weren't eating there anyway. For years, Dad grilled out hamburgers almost every Saturday night, so we didn't eat fast food burgers very often. The only exception were the occasional Whoppers from Burger King on Leavitt Road.

The Hardee's on Meister Road lasted until the end of the 1980s. Today, the closest Hardee's is down on State Route 83 near beautiful downtown Burbank, Ohio.

Anyway, you know you're getting old when you talk about something like Sandy's that almost nobody else remembers.

Forgotten Fast Foods: Sandy's Part 4

Here is an advertisement for Sandy's that ran in the Journal back in June 1970. (Click on it for a larger version so that you can read it!)

   I had kind of forgotten that the Sandy's equivalent to McDonald's Big Mac was called the Big Scot. (The name was lodged in my brain, however, because I have given the "Big Scot" nickname to at least two Scotts at work over the years.)

   The Sandy's mentioned in the article was right across from Southview High School, which must have been a great location. (There's a First Federal Savings of Lorain at the location today.) 

   Click here to watch a Sandy's Big Scot TV commercial on YouTube!

Sandy's Grand Opening – June 18, 1965

Sixty years ago today, Sandy's Hamburgers celebrated the Grand Opening of the Meister Road restaurant that was part of the Lorain Plaza shopping center. Above is the large ad that ran in the Journal on June 17, 1965.

I've written about 20 posts devoted to Sandy's.

The problem is, these days, it seems that very few people remember Sandy's. That's because it wasn't around very long in our area. By May of 1973, it had been taken over by Hardee's and the restaurants were going through a makeover. 

Hardee's isn't all that well remembered either, even though it is still around (and the subject of two blog posts of its own).

Anyway, a few weeks after the Grand Opening, this ad appeared on July 1, 1965.

A day later, this short article appeared in the Journal on July 2, 1965.

Sandy's kept the excitement going the following month when it celebrated the 7th anniversary of the burger chain's opening with a special promotion. Below is the ad that ran in the Journal on August 26, 1965.

I really miss those early days of fast food in the 1960s. The unique architecture of the restaurants, the memorable mascots (like Miss Sandy) and the regular scheduling of special events made fast food fun. Today there is much more variety and heathier choices across the fast food spectrum, but the food is not cheap. The restaurant buildings are designed to be generic as well (and easily re-purposed), and there is no longer any fun in the restaurant experience. But fast food chains like McDonald's are doing better than ever, even without balloons and visible mascots.

Sandy’s Ad – Jan. 17, 1972

It’s always nice to put a face on some of the old businesses that I write about here, so here’s a chance to do exactly that with Sandy’s, a favorite topic on this blog.

Above is one of those ads masquerading as an article that appeared in the Journal’s business section. It appeared in the paper back on January 17, 1972. It features a nice photograph of Sandy’s manager Larry Rounds and veteran counter waitress Opal Roark. They both worked at the restaurant on Meister Road.

Strangely, the article makes no mention of the fact that Hardees had bought all of Sandy’s stock in late November 1971. I guess that’s because the original intention was that the two hamburger chains would maintain their own brands. But as we know, that wasn’t the case, and the Sandy’s name would soon disappear – and be largely forgotten fifty years later.

Elyria Sandy’s Opens – May 1962

Fifty-six years ago this month, the first area Sandy’s held its Grand Opening in Elyria the weekend of May 19 and 20, 1962. The ad above ran in the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram on May 18, 1962. (Lorain’s West Side wouldn’t get its own Sandy’s until late June 1965.)

Anyway, the article below from the same edition of the Chronicle-Telegram of May 18, 1962 tells the story of the Elyria store.

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Thrift and Swift will open Sunday

The new Thrift and Swift Drive-In restaurant will have its official grand opening Sunday.

The new business, located at 443 Cleveland, is operated by the Thrift and Swift chain, which has 47 other drive-ins in the country.

“Miss Sandy,” a beauty queen, will be in charge of the affair which will feature the Oberlin College Scotch Bagpipers.

“Miss Sandy” is the chain Trademark. The company’s headquarters are in Kewanee, Ill.

The modernistic building is constructed on a lot just east of Olive St. on the south side of Cleveland St. with a frontage of 165 feet. Maximum depth of the lot is 250 feet.

The restaurant’s chief attraction will be its 15-cent hamburger, manager Phil Lunt says. There are three self-serving windows and the drive-in will be open from 11 a. m. to midnight weekdays and until 1 a. m. Fridays and Saturdays.

There is room for 60 cars on the large, asphalt parking lot. The restaurant will employ between 20 and 25 persons.

Ceramic tiling decorates the exterior with Douglas fir pylons supporting the roof. Cooking equipment is all modern.

Andrew Allan, Jr., 807 Washington Ave., was the general contractor for the building.

The chain is operated by the Northeast Ohio Co. of which Robert Meeder, Mansfield, is president. Richard Fowler is secretary-treasurer. Lou Wenger, Mansfield; Henry Huber, Mansfield; Dr. John Dawe, Wooster; Dr.Charles McAlister, Wooster, and Robert Weaver, Mansfield, are board members.

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Contractors for the Sandy’s drive-in included Lorain Glass Co. Inc. (all glass & blazing); Swart Signs (pylon sign, all building signs, all neon borders); Walt Kokoski Masonry; Ternes Plastering (waterproof stucco); Nate & Co. (all painting); Don Leuszler Roofing; Herman Ostergaard Plumbing; Novak Electric; W. G. Walker Co. (ceramic tile); Nelson Paving Co.

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Today, a CVS pharmacy occupies the former Sandy’s location in Elyria.

(Courtesy Google Maps)

Forgotten Fast Foods: Sandy's Part 1

Although there was a McDonald's at the corner of Leavitt Road and W. Erie Avenue as early as 1960, I don't remember ever eating there as a kid. The drive-in my family patronized was Sandy's on Meister Road, which was closer to our home.

   Although Sandy's is largely forgotten now, at one time the chain seriously challenged McDonald's and Burger King. The story of how the company began is an interesting one.

   Sandy's origin had a McDonald's connection. The company was started by a group of four businessmen from Kewanee, Illinois who jointly owned a successful McDonald's franchise in Urbana. However, when the group attempted to exercise their option to open additional franchises in Peoria and Decatur, Ray Kroc denied them permission as he had decided to limit new franchises to single owners. Frustrated, the four businessmen decided to start their own drive-in chain and in 1958 Sandy's was born.

   

Feb. 1970 – Sandy Goes Back to Blonde

Sandy circa 1965

Yesterday I wrote about a platinum blonde named Dolly. And strangely enough, today's post is about another blonde: Sandy, the Scottish mascot lassie of the long-gone Sandy's Hamburgers fast-food chain (of which there were two outlets in Lorain).

Sandy circa 1968

For a restaurant chain that hasn't been around Lorain (or anywhere) since the early 1970s, I sure write about it a lot. But it's getting pretty difficult to find anyone who remembers it besides me.

Anyway, when the Sandy's chain started out in the 1960s, Sandy was a winsome blonde. But at some point, the decision was made to make her a brunette. Maybe it was in the interest of realism.

That's the new Sandy at right. Why does she remind me of Elizabeth Montgomery – another blonde?

Nevertheless, in the ad below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on February 23, 1970, Sandy was depicted once again as a blonde.

Hoot mon, the whole thing became moot anyway because within the next few years, Sandy's was bought out and merged with Hardee's – who had no mascot at all.

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Here's a pretty good little mini-documentary about Sandy's. It even features an ad from this blog for the Grand Opening of the Sandy's on Meister Road.

Battle of the Good Friday Fish Sandwiches – March 30, 1972

As noted on Christianity.com, "Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, is the Christian day to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus and His death at Calvary.

"On Good Friday, we remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins."

As it is a Friday (Good or otherwise), that means no meat for Catholics. And back on Good Friday in March 1972, that provided an opportunity for two of the lesser fast food giants in Lorain to promote their own fish sandwich special and hopefully reel in some customers.

First up is my sentimental favorite: Sandy's. Sandy's offered its fish sandwich for a thrifty 25 cents each or 4 for a dollar. Here's the Journal ad that ran on March 30, 1972.

In case Sandy's didn't hook enough customers with its fish sandwich special, the restaurant chain reminded kids to stop in on Saturday for a free Easter egg give away.

Right next to the Sandy's ad in the same edition of the Journal was this ad for Burger Chef.

Burger Chef (seen in one episode of Mad Men) aimed a little higher creatively – naming its sandwich "Skipper's Treat™" and utilizing some maritime graphics. Unfortunately, its sandwiches were 3 for a dollar – possibly scuttling its hopes of torpedoing Sandy's promotion.

Oddly enough, McDonald's apparently stayed out of the Good Friday finny fray, perhaps hoping the two wannabes would sink each other.

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Although I'm not Catholic, I succumbed to all of the fish fry signs around town and carried out a tasty fish sandwich dinner from Chris' Restaurant on West Erie Ave. last week. Chris' was my Mom's favorite restaurant. I've noted before (on this post) how she often referred to it as Chris Cafe (which was the name of a restaurant in South Lorain). The name 'Chris Cafe' just stuck in her head and was re-assigned to the restaurant on West Erie.

Sandy’s on E. 42nd St. Grand Opening – June 27, 1968

Sandy’s has been a favorite topic on this blog since the beginning, although it seems that there are very few people who remember the long-gone hamburger chain that had outlets in Lorain and Elyria during the 1960s and early 70s.

It really wasn’t around that long before it was gobbled up by Hardee’s in 1973.

But there was something about Sandy’s that made it special. Was it Miss Sandy, the winsome Scottish lassie mascot, who often appeared in person at the store openings? Was it the Scottish theme, which gave the restaurant a unique ethnic heritage? Or perhaps it was the name ‘Sandy’s’ itself, which gives one the impression of a single owner and personalized service?

Or was it the food? I remember it tasting pretty much like McDonalds, which makes sense since the chain was started by ex-McDonald executives.

Anyway, I covered the Grand Openings of the Elyria Cleveland Street location (1962) here, and the Lorain Meister Road location (1965) here. So in the interest of being complete, here’s the Grand Opening ad for the South Lorain location. It ran in the Lorain Journal back on June 27, 1968.

As you can see, back then a key ingredient in the fast food business was the emphasis on fun. There were eight Sony transistor radios given away, balloons and even free Miss Sandy glasses. There are a few of these glasses on eBay right now; here’s one of them.

Speaking of Miss Sandy, she made a personal appearance at the Grand Opening festivities of the E. 42nd Street location on all three days. The ad even revealed who she was – sort of. Under the words ‘MISS SANDY” are the tiny words: FORMERLY MISS SANDUSKY.

Christmas Ads – 1968

I'll wrap up my calvacade of vintage Christmas ads with a sampling from the pages of the Journal from December 1968 – 50 years ago.

I'll start off with – what else? – two Christmas Club ads, this time for the City Bank Company. Like the ads I posted for Central Bank and Elyria Savings & Trust, these feature jolly old St. Nick as well. Here's the one that ran on December 8, 1968.

As you can see, City Bank offered those lucrative 50 cent savings plans just like Central Bank.

Here's another ad for City Bank from December 15, 1968. Now that's a good looking Santa.

The Lorain County Plumbing Industry had a great Santa in their ad too, which ran on December 24, 1968.

Hey, where's my favorite plumber, Raymond Plumbing? 

Anyway, the last 1968 ad is for Sandy's, a longtime favorite topic on this blog. It ran on December 19, 1968.

I wonder if anyone still has one of those Sandy's Christmas stockings? I'd bet it would be worth quite a lot today to Sandy's aficionados. But it won't be too long before Sandy's is completely forgotten (if it isn't already), as there are very few people that I know who have even heard of the hamburger chain.

Sandy’s E. 42nd St. Article – March 16, 1970

Earlier this week, I posted a 1970 Journal article about Tudy’s Spot Drive-in that was part of a special advertising section that the paper used to feature.

Regular reader and commenter Todd, who worked at the Journal, pointed out that the section was called the “Business & Industry” pages. As Todd noted in his comment, "The advertiser would sign a separate advertising contract that was for 20 weeks that included a business card size ad every week and 4-5 stories/photos over the contract period. If I remember correctly, these pages ran on Mondays. 

"We had a fellow on our ad staff that would go out and interview the store owners and take the photos. 

"This section was very popular while I was employed there in the 80s and 90s; however, I'm not sure when it officially began or ended.”

Anyway, the stories were very well-written and provide a nice snapshot of various local businesses during that time period.

And here’s another one from that same March 1970 time frame. It’s about Sandy’s and its chicken. This time, however, it’s the outlet out in South Lorain on E. 42nd Street off State Route 57. (Got to give it equal time, you know.)

Note that the article ends with, “Be Swift ’n Thrifty and eat at Sandy’s Southview Restaurant across from Southview High School.

Of course, fifty years later, Southview High School is gone. 

Thrifty savers, however, can bank their pennies at First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Lorain, which is located at Sandy’s old address on E. 42nd Street.

Sandy's Gets a Chicken Sandwich – January 1970

It seems like chicken sandwiches were in the news a lot last year.

Popeyes rolled out their chicken sandwich in August, only to run out of chicken a few weeks later and remove the item from its menu. When the chain returned the popular sandwich to its menu in October, it did it on a Sunday, needling Chick-fil-A (whose restaurants are closed on the Sabbath). And McDonald's is reportedly working on a new crispy chicken sandwich.

Anyway, it seems like a lot of clucking over a fast food item that's been around for a long time.

Sandy's, the Scottish-themed fast food restaurant chain, launched its own chicken sandwich locally back in January 1970, as noted in the advertisement below. It appeared in the Journal back on January 5, 1970.

It's interesting that the details as to how the chicken was going to be prepared in the new equipment was a secret. Floyd Ferner, the manager of the Sandy's on Meister only revealed that "the chicken is prepared in a hermetically sealed unit."

Hey, isn't that how Carnac the Magnificent's envelopes were sealed in a mayonnaise jar on the Tonight Show?

Anyway, I personally think the Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich is superior to the others. Why? It usually arrives hot and juicy in its little foil wrapper; the pickles are a nice touch and the sandwich is priced just right. Plus you get the famous Chick-fil-A courteous service (as opposed to the disinterested service you get at many other fast food joints with the exception of Taco Bell).

But I’ve also eaten and enjoyed the Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich for years too. To each his own, I guess.

Forgotten Fast Foods: Sandy's Part 2

Friday, June 18th 1965 was the grand opening for the Lorain Sandy's drive-in at 1111 Meister Road in the Lorain Plaza Shopping Center. The ad announcing the opening promised a festive atmosphere, with the Cleveland Kiltie Band performing, as well as an appearance by the local "Miss Sandy".

   Miss Sandy, of course, was the advertising mascot for Sandy's, a cute blonde kilted lassie doing a Highland dance. Her greatest exposure was on the rotating sign in front of each restaurant.

   The ad at right appeared in the Lorain Journal in July 1965. The toasted cheese sandwich sounds pretty good; it must have been, because when I showed a copy of this ad to one of the librarians at the Lorain Public Library, the toasted cheese sandwich is the specific menu item that she fondly remembered!

   

   

Hardee's Ad – Sept. 5, 1973

Sandy's became Hardee's in Lorain in May 1973 (which I wrote about here). The Sandy's sign at the hamburger restaurant at Oberlin Ave. and Meister Road came down, and gone forever was the lovely, tam-o-shanter-wearing 'Miss Sandy' mascot.

But who or what was a Hardee? 

According to its Wikipedia page, it was the name of the man who, in 1960 in Greenville, North Carolina, launched the chain: Wilber Hardee. (I think they should have gone with the more memorable "Wilber's.")

The funny thing is that Hardee himself was out of the picture early in the game, when there were only a few restaurants. But by the end of the 1960s, the company had expanded to hundreds of locations; it bought Sandy's in 1972.

In an apparent effort to mimic McDonald's, Hardee's introduced its own advertising characters designed to appeal to children. Gilbert Giddyup was a mustachioed, tin-star-wearing cartoon cowboy with two bullet holes in his ten-gallon hat. His nemesis was Speedy McGreedy, the 'burger rustler" who was dressed more like a gangster. (Hey, wasn't McDonald's original mascot also called Speedy?)

Anyway, I'm not sure how well known Gilbert Giddyup was at the time of the Hardee's ad below, which ran in the Journal back on September 5, 1973. Nevertheless, his face was emblazoned on the 'back sack' mentioned in the ad and sold for a buck.

By George, maybe Hardee's originated the whole backpack phenomena for schoolkids, fifty years ago.

Amazingly, several of these Gilbert Giddyup Back Sacks have survived and are for sale on eBay right now.

Other Gilbert Giddyup promotional items are out there as well, no doubt triggering (no pun intended) much head scratching over his identity.

The flicker ring is kinda cool.

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UPDATE (Sept. 10, 2023)

I stopped at the Blue Heron Service Plaza (eastbound) on the Ohio Turnpike over the weekend, and decided to do a little follow-up to this post by grabbing a burger at the Hardee's there. I was prepared for it to be not-so-good, seeing as it was a Turnpike outlet and, well, I couldn't remember the last time I ever ate a Hardee's (the last one I ate at was in Burbank, Ohio near I-71, decades ago).

Amazingly, my Big Cheeseburger was one of the best burgers I've had anywhere – superior to McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's! The 1/4 pound of burger meat was top-quality, the combination of sliced onions, pickles and a very flavorful ketchup was great, and the egg bun enhanced the whole taste experience. It was prepared quickly and was less than five bucks. I was in a state of blissful shock.

I couldn't tell you if it was charco-broiled or not, but it didn't matter – it was delicious.

Sad to say, though – no sign of Gilbert Giddyup anywhere! Guess he rode off into the sunset to the Retired Ad Mascots Ranch.

Sandy’s Fish Sandwich Ad – August 1966

Well, it’s Friday – and even though it’s not Lent, many people still think of having fish for dinner.

I believe the American Slovak Club is still holding its well-known fish fry dinners, with an expanded carry-out menu available. Here are the links to its website and Facebook page.

For those of you that haven’t lived in Lorain for a long time, you might be surprised that the city still has a Long John Silver’s on Cooper Foster Park Road. It’s a real survivor, having been there since at least the late 1970s. I’ve carried out dinner from there a few times in the last couple of months, and the food (including the hush puppies) is as good as ever. I’m also happy to note that the previously crater-filled parking lot was recently repaved.

Anyway, back in August 1966, a fish sandwich advertised as ’the hottest and largest’ in town was available at Sandy’s in Lorain and Elyria. The ad above appeared in the Lorain Journal on August 5, 1966.

It always amuses me to see cartoon ad mascots promoting the consumption of their own kind. I guess this one was only following orders, seeing as he's dressed as a Sandy’s employee.

I guess the ad was a mild dig at arch-rival McDonald’s and its Filet O’ Fish Sandwich.