Zaffer’s & Ferben’s: We Hardly Knew Ye

While looking through old Journal microfilm from 50 years ago this month, I happened to come across ads for two local businesses that I’ve never heard of before. They were both restaurants, operating in March 1971 in areas that I admittedly didn’t get to very much.

The two restaurants weren’t around very long, and both disappeared from the city directory listings by the time of the 1972 edition. Perhaps you’ve heard of them, or have fond memories of eating there. 

The first one was called Zaffer’s Coney Island. It was located at 2625 W. Erie Avenue, having apparently taken over the building that had originally been home to Taco Boy. John Zaffer was the manager. Here’s the ad which appeared in the Journal on March 12, 1971.

(As you can see, someone in the Journal art department goofed, as the restaurant address was supposed to be 2625 W. Erie Avenue.)

It was appropriate for a restaurant to be selling coney dogs at that location, since for many years there was a root beer stand (at one time Stewart’s, later A&W) on West Erie right right next door to the east (across Madison).

The other blink-and-you-might-have-missed it restaurant was called Ferben’s. It was located at 1390 North Ridge Road, across from the Sheffield Shopping Center, in the small building that was originally home to Kelly’s Jet System Hamburgers, and later, Casey’s Drive-in.

Here’s the March 12, 1971 Journal ad for Ferben’s. It’s kinda cool. I love the Western motif, especially the typography. And I’m betting that well-known local cartoonist Bob Lynch did the cowboy illustration.

I wonder if they sold Wild West Sarsaparilla there?

Anyway, both the Zaffer’s and Ferben’s addresses were listed as ‘vacant’ in the next directories. But you have to admire their proprietors, who at least had the guts to take a chance and try to make something work at locations that had previously failed with multi-outlet franchise operations.