As you can see from the 1980 Lorain City Directory listing below, Dunkin Donuts and Mr Hero had joined the restaurant lineup on the east side of the highway.
The original L&K Restaurant next to the Marathon station – the granddaddy of all of the chain restaurants along that stretch of Leavitt Road – would last appear in the 1982 directory, its address going vacant in the next edition.
And by the time of the 1983 city directory, Sambo’s would also be gone – replaced at its location by Friendly’s.
The mid-80s brought even more chain restaurants. A Sisters Fried Chicken outlet opened in the L&K Restaurant’s old location at 940 Leavitt. Here’s its listing in the 1986 city directory.
The 1986 city directory was also the last to include a listing for the L&K Towne House Restaurant. By the time of the 1987 edition, it would become Ike’s Great American Restaurant.
As noted in a past post, Bob Evans Restaurants opened its Amherst store in late 1987.
But what about the L&K Motel? It would continue to appear in the directories until around the 1991 edition, when Travelodge was listed at that location, bringing an end to L&K’s presence in Amherst.
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| 1991 city directory listings |
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Many more changes occurred along that portion of Leavitt Road since the 1990s.
Today, the Big Boy is long-gone; an empty lot sits near Route 2 where once the jolly statue of Big Boy stood. Sisters Chicken & Biscuit is gone; a Taco Bell sits at its old location. A Chipotle Mexican Grill occupies Friendly’s spot. Days Inn now runs the motel that started out as a Lawson’s Motor Inn, and there’s a Denny’s at the L&K Towne House’s old address
Today, the Big Boy is long-gone; an empty lot sits near Route 2 where once the jolly statue of Big Boy stood. Sisters Chicken & Biscuit is gone; a Taco Bell sits at its old location. A Chipotle Mexican Grill occupies Friendly’s spot. Days Inn now runs the motel that started out as a Lawson’s Motor Inn, and there’s a Denny’s at the L&K Towne House’s old address
The BP gas station – the successor to Jack’s Sohio – is closed as well, leaving Sunoco as one of the oldest businesses on Leavitt in that area.
Neat! Thanks for that little bit of L&K trivia! Ike's was a name that was more familiar to me, seeing the signs in Wadsworth & Wooster. Turns out, there's still an Ike's in Lima, though the road sign says "Ike's Mid American Restaurant." Not a bad place either.
ReplyDeleteHi Ryan! Glad to hear that the surviving Ike's in Lima is doing well. I like that they were able to have some continuity with their name by tweaking it just a little.
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