That 1970 article about Lorain’s “quick service food” outlets (which I posted back
here) revealed that the collection of franchised restaurants on Oberlin Avenue south of Tower Boulevard were all originally owned by Ken Cassell, who wisely grouped them together.
It was certainly a nice variety of culinary tastes all in one place for Lorain’s West Siders.
There was
Pizza Hut,
Taco Kid (which introduced Lorain to tacos years before Taco Bell),
Fish and Chips and
Lum’s. I definitely remember going to that Pizza Hut, and my family also went to Lum’s (which I wrote about back
here) and was further south on Oberlin Avenue.
So what does that Oberlin Avenue “quick service food” restaurant strip look like today? Here’s my shot from last weekend.
The Pizza Hut (which closed in the mid-1990s) was most recently an internet cafe and today sits vacant.
The building that housed the taco restaurant) is now
Exhale Hooka Lounge (below).
What’s a hooka lounge? Click
here if you’d like an explanation.
Of the four franchised restaurants, only the former Fish and Chips location is still serving up food as
Diso’s Bistro (below).
Tomorrow, I’ll address the Great Taco Boy/Taco Kid Controversy. I’ll bet you didn’t even know there was one!
4 comments:
Back in the 80s we use to go to the Ponderosa that was along there, but I can't remember exactly where it was. Any idea what is there now?
We use to laugh at the place across from it called "Cone and Bun".
We liked that Ponderosa too. It was further south towards the end of Oberlin Avenue.
I did a post on it here:
http://danielebrady.blogspot.com/2011/01/saddle-up-for-some-sushi.html
I'm pretty sure it is still vacant right now.
In the 1969/1970 time frame we used to occasionally stop at the Taco Boy Restaurant on Oberlin Ave. after bowling at Rebman's Lanes. At the time taco restaurant chains were relatively new to the area, and quite popular. Strange to say, although there was a fairly large Latino population in the Lorain area I didn't become "hooked" on Spanish food until I was in the military stationed in El Paso, Texas. You could buy tacos and other foods from street vendors --- but you had to be careful if the vendor asked con chili (with chilies)? Man, they were great, but HOT!
Hey, I just remembered my first Fish and Chips meal. It was the same time frame at the Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips Restaurant on West 21st Street. The last I knew that building was also a Mexican Restaurant, but it has been vacant for many years. A lot of restaurants have come and gone in the last 50 years. Thanks for the memories Dan!
Hi Rick! Thanks for posting your great reminisces. It sure was an exciting time to have all those "quick service" chain restaurants to choose from in Lorain back then – what an incredible variety! Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips was the best! There was one in Sandusky up until a few years ago near Toft's on Venice Road.
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