Antlers Considered For Red Bull Inn – March 1970

Here’s yet another one of those “What Might Have Been” stories that seem to pop up here on the blog from time to time. They’re usually of little cosmic importance, but interesting nevertheless.

This one is from the pages of the March 7, 1970 edition of the Journal, and involves a restaurant chain that was interested in having Lorain’s Antlers Hotel as one of their locations.

The restaurant chain was called Red Bull of America, with their individual locations usually called Red Bull Inn. The chain was based out of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, which is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area.

Here’s the article, written by Tom McPheeters, Staff Writer.

Although Lorain ultimately did not get a Red Bull Inn, the regional chain enjoyed a certain amount of success for many years. Columbus, Ohio was one of the locations.

Lewis Fleck was the Red Bull executive mentioned in the Journal article. At the time of his passing in 2004, his obituary provided a nice capsule history of the chain. It noted, "When Louis S. Fleck was looking for a different theme for a new neighborhood bar and restaurant 40 years ago, he didn't let his German heritage get in the way.

"Mr. Fleck decided to pattern his new establishment after an English pub and call it the Red Bull Inn.

From that first fledgling business in Carnegie in 1964, Mr. Fleck's Red Bull Inns grew to include, at their peak, more than 20 restaurants in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia before the chain dwindled to one because of financial problems.

"As the result of his working-class roots, Mr. Fleck opened many of his Red Bull Inns in mill towns like Ambridge, Charleroi and Johnstown, Dan Fleck said. Most were successful for more than 20 years, but the restaurants started to go south with the decline of the steel industry.”

Perhaps because of its reputation as a mill town, Lorain was considered for a Red Bull Inn location.