Well, here’s another vintage newspaper ad to add to the growing collection of online Casey’s memorabilia. It ran in the Lorain Journal on March 23, 1968 – fifty years ago this month.
It’s a clever promotion, giving away kites in the windy month of March with the restaurant’s great Casey mascot on it. But more importantly, it has the one ingredient that is missing from most fast food restaurant marketing campaigns today: fun.
Today’s fast food restaurants try to convince potential customers that their food is the freshest, or that you can get your meal exactly how you want it, as if you made it yourself in your own kitchen – with local ingredients.
My thought is that if I wanted that, then I would buy the ingredients at my local grocery store and make it myself for a lot less money.
I much prefer the days when fast food was a treat, and something fun.
I really liked Casey's we used to go there on our bikes we'd ride thru the woods behind the old Columbus park and come up near the bank on West Park drive, up past the Greyhound bus station on 21st street and then over to Casey's - Better than BK any day of the week but sadly all gone now.
ReplyDeleteI worked at Casey's in 1968 in Vermilion. I'm 75 now.
DeleteA fun place to work.some of my school buddies worked there too.
We went to the Casey's over on 254 on a few occasions, and I remember them as delicious burgers - them and Red Barn (though I don't think we had any of those in Lorain/Elyria). I could swear though there was a Casey's on 21st Street right across from Westgate Plaza...
ReplyDeleteYour memory is correct, Mike, the March 1968 ad with just four locations predated the opening of the W. 21st store, which held its grand opening later that year, in December 1968.
ReplyDeletehttp://danielebrady.blogspot.com/2016/12/caseys-drive-in-grand-opening-december.html
Yes, Red Barn was in Elyria - far east end of Cleveland St. next to Stang Motors. No more Barnbusters or Big Barneys for us - sad.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe I found your blog. I grew up near the Casey's in Rocky River. Our house was a five-minute bike ride away, downhill from Center Ridge where the store was. After buying my food once, I remember riding down the hill going home, falling off my bike and cutting my knee on the chain guard. Had to get stitches, and still have my "Casey's scar" to prove it. Ah, memories.
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