My parents took us there a few times in the early years. (My brothers and I could really tie on the feedbag when we were in high school, so I'm sure my parents got their money's worth.) I remember having to wear sport coats and ties there. (In fact, we seemed to almost always dress that way, even if we were going somewhere casual – like McGarvey's in Vermilion – where we stuck out like a sore thumb in a sea of T-shirts.)
Anyway, here's another Sveden House Thanksgiving ad, this time from the late 1970s (below). It's much more ornate than the 1972 version.
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| November 23, 1977 ad from the Chronicle-Telegram |
Sveden House continued to appear in the phone book until it disappeared in the 1984-85 edition. It was replaced in the 1986 book by the Mark Restaurant and Lounge.
Unfortunately, the Mark didn't last very long. By the time of the 1989 city directory, the building's new address – 40844 Griswold – had gone vacant.
By the 1990s, the building had another address – 451 Griswold – and several more businesses tried to make a success of it there. Beginning in the 1991 book, Dinosaur Kiddyland Restaurant and Amusement called the 451 Griswold address home for a year or two. The building was listed "not verified" in the 1994 book, before Fun Times appeared in the 1996 book.
There were no listings at all from 1998 on, until Jumbo Buffet appeared in the 2002 book and returned the building to its roots. The buffet continued to appear until 2011, when it briefly shared a listing with New Star Buffet.
Here's the photo from the Lorain County Auditor's website (below) of the New Star Buffet. You can see the silhouette of the Sveden House logo in the design of the illuminated light box on the front of the building.
And here's my recent photo (below) from a week ago or so.
Unfortunately, I don't believe that the buffet is still open. When I dialed the restaurant's number on Wednesday evening, I found myself connected with the answering machine of a healthcare company.
7 comments:
Very interesting...what was the buffet in lorain - pearl road maybe? Campbell's?
There was a Campbell's Buffet at Route 57 and Fairless Drive in Lorain (in the old Kmart Plaza). I think it started out as Duff's Smorgasbord first.
Duffs! I remember that place - even the conveyor belt dessert table!
We nicknamed it Duff's Pig-out Palace!
Loved the apple fritters
I remember this building as Dinosaur Kiddyland when I was a kid, and being excited that Elyria had its own version of Chuck E. Cheese (since North Olmsted was apparently SO FAR away). I always thought it was interesting that the various Asian restaurants that followed continued using the shield-shaped signs, and I wondered why it ever had them in the first place. Now I know! Incidentally, Dinosaur Kiddyland also had a number of Asian foods on the menu.
I Remember Campbell's Buffett. My Dad and Step Mom used to take me there when I was a kid. I loved that place
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