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| Vintage photo of the Pit (Courtesy of Your Pit BBQ) |
“About a year into it, Mr. Tedford decided it wasn’t for him, “ explained Steve Pinkley. "So Mom and Dad bought their portion out.”
Steve has many great memories of his parents running the Pit. One was the creative way in which his father drummed up business for the restaurant.
As Steve recalls, his father would take him and they would walk down the line at the Ford plant, visiting his friends. Just seeing him (“Pinky” to his friends) would remind them to stop in at the Pit if they hadn’t for a while. “They’ll come eat here tomorrow,” his father would say.
Another funny memory involved his mother and the monthly ritual of paying the bills.
Steve has many great memories of his parents running the Pit. One was the creative way in which his father drummed up business for the restaurant.
As Steve recalls, his father would take him and they would walk down the line at the Ford plant, visiting his friends. Just seeing him (“Pinky” to his friends) would remind them to stop in at the Pit if they hadn’t for a while. “They’ll come eat here tomorrow,” his father would say.
Another funny memory involved his mother and the monthly ritual of paying the bills.
“My mom was such an organizer,” laughed Steve. As he explained, a bill would be stuck on a nail on the wall until it was paid. They would grab a bill off the wall to pay it.
Mrs. Pinkley was particular about sorting and counting the money in preparation for deposit in the bank. “I had the job of doing that,” said Steve. His mother wanted it all nicely organized for the bank.
Mrs. Pinkley was particular about sorting and counting the money in preparation for deposit in the bank. “I had the job of doing that,” said Steve. His mother wanted it all nicely organized for the bank.
One time, when Steve was just a boy, he saw the big pile of money that was being counted and said to his mother, “We’re rich!”
Then his mother had to explain that first all those bills hanging on the wall had to be paid, as well as the employees. Then they could keep whatever was left after that.
Steve remembered how well his parents treated the employees. “My Mom and Dad were amazing owners,” he said. "Employees would stay for 10 to 12 years. They kept them for a long time.
“It was really a family,” said Steve.
Many things contributed to that family atmosphere. There were Christmas parties, and the Pinkleys would even treat their staff to a day at Cedar Point on a Wednesday.
Why Wednesday?
That was the day that the Pit was closed. You see, the Pinkleys originally wanted to close the restaurant on Sunday to honor the Sabbath. But as Steve noted, “People want to eat out.” So the decision was made to remain open on Sunday but be closed on Wednesday, which was a Baptist Church day. So Wednesday became the day that they would clean the restaurant.
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| Vintage Pit flyer drawn by Steve Pinkley |
Christmas was special at the Pit. That’s because since the age of 16, Steve began selling Christmas trees behind the restaurant with his mother. “I did that for 40 years,’ said Steve.
Steve’s parents had a big influence on him. “It was an honor to work with my Mom and Dad,” admitted Steve. “I loved those lessons. 'Use your gifts,' they would say.”
Those gifts and lessons learned would help Steve with his own endeavors in the hospitality business later, which included a grocery store and a restaurant.
Steve’s parents had a big influence on him. “It was an honor to work with my Mom and Dad,” admitted Steve. “I loved those lessons. 'Use your gifts,' they would say.”
Those gifts and lessons learned would help Steve with his own endeavors in the hospitality business later, which included a grocery store and a restaurant.
Next: The rest of the story