The Hoop/Manners Story Part 1

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the Hoop restaurant on Henderson Drive was the first of four units in Lorain.

As of 1957, there were three locations: 1850 Henderson Drive, 2405 W. Lake Road and 2017 N. Ridge Road.

By 1958, another location was added: the corner of Foster Park Road and Oberlin Avenue. Thus there were Hoop Drive-ins on the east, west, southeast and southwest sides of Lorain.

1960 Telephone book ad showing all 4 Lorain locations

By 1961, however, the Henderson Drive unit became part of the Manners Big Boy chain.

The three other Lorain Hoop restaurants continued to be listed in the phone book as of 1965. Apparently there was also an Elyria restaurant as well at 146 E. Bridge Street.

Then, a deal was struck between Richard Head, the owner of the Hoop restaurants, and the Manners restaurant chain. On August 3, 1966 this article appeared in the Journal, signaling what appeared to be the end of the line of the Hoop chain. But as we will see in a later blog post, that was not quite the case.

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New Manners Drive-In To Be Built on SR 57

A new Manners Drive-in Restaurant will be built on the northwest corner of SR 57 and SR 254, it was announced yesterday by Robert L. Manners, president of the firm.

No other details were divulged except that land acquisition is in progress.

MANNERS RECENTLY purchased three area "Hoop" restaurants which were operated by Richard Head, now a Manners associate.

The "Hoop" restaurants were located at SR 254 and Oberlin Ave., W. Erie Ave. west of SR 58, and at 146 E. Bridge St., Elyria.

Manners also announced the purchase of four El Dorado restaurants in Cleveland.

MANNERS FOUNDER and principal stockholder began "as a cook with another man as manager" in 1939, just east of Euclid Beach Park on old Lake Shore Blvd. in Euclid.

His first unit "was a cinder track," he said, "and we served cars at the curb while peeling potatoes by hand."

Manners said he hopes to build about three new restaurants a year and "overhaul" older Manners units "as soon as possible."

A new Manners Hospitality College in East Cleveland will aid in training all future employees, Manners said.