On April 2nd, Opening Day, I carried out my meal because rain was in the forecast. It was just overcast while I was there, but by the time I was on Route 2 heading home, the expected torrential downpour came. (By the way, the cute car-hop unintentionally made my delicious Texas Burger & Fries a theme dinner by wearing cowboy boots.)
It was perfect weather for my second visit, this past Saturday for lunch. My chili dog (hold the onions) and root beer were picture perfect too – and I'm not woofin'. The service was great too.
Anyway, Ilene's Dog 'N Suds on North Ridge Road is the only one in Ohio now, and one of only 20 locations in the whole country! So get out there and support an iconic Lorain County business.
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I've been writing about Dog 'N Suds on this blog since 2009. Many posts were dedicated to trying to determine when it actually opened.
A few years ago, I finally figured out that it originally opened around the fall of 1963, remained open in 1964 but seemed to have been shuttered during 1965. Then in the summer of 1966, it reopened as Eckstein's Dog 'N Suds.
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| Grand Opening Ad from Lorain Journal, July 1, 1966 |
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Years ago, you had to be a real bloodhound to track down Dog 'N Suds memorabilia in antique shops and flea markets. I used to collect a few items, and still have a vintage wrapper somewhere in my files.
But a quick check on eBay reveals a veritable coney-dog-copia of Dog 'N Suds mugs for sale.
I wonder if any (the ones with Rover the mascot) are from the early August 1966 theft of 24 mugs from the Oberlin Dog 'N Suds drive-in on Route 58 by a, er, cat burglar?
There are other Dog 'N Suds items on eBay as well, including a paper cup, a place mat and a free root beer card.
10 comments:
Yum! I haven’t been there for several years but after reading this it’s definitely on my list of fun things to do.
Man that's a good-looking chili dog
Hey Dan - I plan on being in Lorain in June and Dan you gave me another food stop I need to make along with OhBoy and Yala’s maybe Slovak Home for perch if I’m there on a Friday.
PS make mine with onions
You deserve a treat for your dogged support of this fine establishment which is nearing its half-millennia mark (in dog years, of course).
I think the big news here is that after years of denial you have finally purchased an SUV, albeit a small one.
I might give them a try this year.Last year,the couple times I did go,their food wasn't anything special to justify the price.Their fries were just a generic waffle type no taste grease stick.I kept on looking at them thinking that all that grease will be plugging up my arteries and I might have a heart attack right then and there and die in the parking lot.And I always get a hamburger but it wasn't anything to brag about.Plus the root beer was flat.But I tried.But it didn't seem the same.
Dennis...
So you know...
Last time I saw Dan I sorta gave him a hard time about buying a (smallish) SUV.
If you'd like, next time I see him, I can lean into him a little bit more. Just let me know.
Hey Dan,how does your Hyundai compare to any of your classic Oldsmobiles of yore?
Dennis, I cracked up at your comment, as I did feel a little sheepish about it being a 'subcompact SUV.' The way I look at it, it was shrunken down to about 65% of the size of a regular SUV by the same type of shrink ray they used in "Fantastic Voyage."
And Anonymous, you wondered how it compares to my classic Olds? It doesn't, of course. My '95 Achieva and my Cutlass Supreme were the last two cars I really loved and enjoyed. Since then, sadly, it's been about price and the Venue was about what I wanted to spend. It's nice, I like it and it's fun to drive but I am still nostalgic for the Cutlasses of my youth.
And finally, I think Dog 'N Suds really has it together this year. I agree, last year there were some misfires. But I've been going there a few times each summer for a long time and it seems like they got it right as the food and service has been excellent. They have a regular staff of carhops that have been there for a while now and they really work hard. And they changed their fries, they have a crispy coating on them and are quite good too. I hope you enjoy a good meal if you do go.
I agree with the Oldsmobiles of yesteryear.GM should've kept Oldsmobile.And Pontiac too for that matter.My father had a big "59 Olds Super 98 back in the early "60s.That's where his love affair began with Oldsmobile.You should get one as a classic car now Dan and relive all those wonderful memories.
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