Lenny's Drive-in on Oberlin Avenue

Even though I grew up on the West Side of Lorain, I had never heard of Lenny's Drive-In until I saw this ad announcing its Grand Opening.

The full-page ad ran in the Lorain Journal on July 10, 1956 – 57 years ago today.

Courtesy www.gono.com

Lenny's Drive-In was in fact a Richardson Root Beer stand. In addition to the 'rich' root beer, the menu also featured 12 inch hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries and super shakes.

So where was Lenny's Drive-In located? The answer: right next door to the Airport Tavern (now Mutt & Jeff's) at 3730 Oberlin Avenue. That's the Airport Tavern's siding visible in the photo.

Unfortunately, Lenny's Drive-In didn't last very long, which is why I never heard of it.

By the 1962 City Directory, it was gone and replaced at that address by the Corral Drive-In run by Bob H. Knight. The Corral Drive-In advertised steakburgers, shrimp and Southern fried chicken.

But despite its mouth-watering menu, the Corral Drive-In headed for the last roundup and was not in the 1964 City Directory. The address was simply listed as "No Return."

Very briefly, a final attempt was made to try and make a success out of a drive-in at that location. In the 1965 Directory, Mike Adams Drive-In Restaurant made its only appearance. But it too was gone in the 1966 Directory.

Finally, in the 1967 Directory, the well-known DeLuca Bakery made its appearance at that location with a 3780 Oberlin Avenue address. It's a possibility that the rear portion of the drive-in was incorporated into the larger bakery building that replaced it (see recent photo below).

In this view from the rear of the properties, that's Mutt & Jeff's
on the left and the former DeLuca Bakery building (now Rite-Nau Beverage) on the right

Today Rite-Nau Beverage Drive-Thru occupies the former DeLuca Bakery building, and carries on the drive-in tradition by providing frosty beverages to people behind the wheels of their cars.

Note the same window of Mutt & Jeff's that is visible in the Lenny's Drive-In photo

To see some still existing Richardson Root Beer stands, drop by the great Roadside Architecture website (here).