Cat Burglar at Dog 'n Suds – October 1963

Dog 'n Suds has been open a few weeks now, and it reminded me that I had this little news item about the iconic drive-in. It appeared in the Chronicle-Telegram on October 18, 1963.

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'Skinny' burglar cuts mustard

Lorain County Sheriff's deputies are looking for a skinny burglar who broke into the new Dog-n-Suds Drive-in, 2050 North Ridge Rd., Wednesday night by slipping through the slats of a jalousie window at the side of the stand.

Deputies said the slats were only about 12 inches apart. The burglar got away with about $170, according to Manager Dick Tomanek, former Cleveland Indians pitcher.

Deputy Charles Bulger said he discovered the break-in while on a routine check this morning at 3:20. He said the burglar must have made his escape through a rear door just as deputies arrived, but a search of the area failed to turn up anyone.

Bulger said the  burglar seemed to know where the cash box was hidden behind a gallon jar of mustard. The jar had been swept off the counter and the mustard was all over the floor, he said. The burglar forced one of the slats on the window, cut through the screen inside, then was able to reach a crank on the inside to open the jalousie, Bulger reported.

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From the book,
"Pitching to the Pennant:
the 1954 Cleveland Indians"

It's interesting that in the article, the restaurant is referred to as the "new Dog-n-Suds Drive-in," further supporting my belief that it really hasn't been there as long as everyone thinks. (I did a whole post on the inconsistencies associated with the dates that the drive-in originally opened.)

I also didn't know that Dick Tomanek (at right) had once been the manager of the place. It makes sense, since the former Indians pitcher (1953-54) was born in Avon Lake and had just finished up his Major League Baseball career a couple of years earlier.

He had also appeared at the grand opening of the Lorain Westgate Shopping Center (which I wrote about here).