Perkins Pancake House Opens – April 1965

Promotional postcard

Remember the Perkins Pancake House on North Ridge Road near Route 57?

Unless you lived in the Lorain/Elyria area back in the 1960s and 70s, you probably don't. But it was a popular restaurant that the Bradys patronized occasionally. It's a pleasant memory.

For a while, there was a promotional gimmick whereas kids ate there free on their birthday. The restaurant even sent you a postcard around your birthday as a reminder. So we took advantage of that a few times, usually on a Sunday. My favorite meal? Pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. (I'm not sure I could handle that now.)

And it was back in April 1965 that the restaurant opened its doors. There was some publicity earlier in the year.

Jan. 18, 1965

Jan. 19, 1965

Then this article appeared in the Journal about the opening on April 5, 1965.

April 3, 1965

It's nice to see the operators' names: Ed Scalzitti and Vince Ruma. About a month after the successful opening, this thank-you ad appeared.

May 11, 1965

The restaurant ran the odd ad in the Journal for the next few years. 

April 28, 1967

Dec. 2, 1967

Aug. 5, 1968

The restaurant was still open in Spring 1984, but closed later that year. For a little while, the 2170 North Ridge Road location became part of the small, local J. T. Dawkins chain.

Dec. 14, 1984

Later, it became Chris' & George' Restaurant.

Today, the building is still home to the popular George's Family Restaurant. The building still looks somewhat like the rendering on the vintage promotional postcard.

Perkins Pancake House

1966 Phone book ad

I don't go to very many chain restaurants, but there is one that I enjoy visiting every so often: Perkins. Nostalgia has a little to do with it, but I also really enjoy the food.

Like many other Lorainites, I grew up going to the Perkins Pancake House on North Ridge Road near Route 57. That particular location opened in the mid-1960's.

For my family, Perkins was a special occasion type of place. We usually went there when it was one of our birthdays – because if I remember correctly, the restaurant used to have a policy that your birthday dinner was free. They even sent reminders in the mail.

I ate a lot of pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream there as a kid in the 1960's. (Now as an adult, I rarely order it – and when I do, halfway through I regret it! But I'll order it again, no doubt.)

As the years went by, my family went there less and less, and I more or less forgot about the place. The parent company tinkered with the brand a bit in the 1980's, even changing the name to Perkins Cake & Steak to entice the carnivore crowd. But the name change didn't help, and the N. Ridge Road restaurant closed around 1985. (It's George's Family Restaurant now.)

Later, I got reacquainted with Perkins by stopping at the one on US 250 near Ashland on the way home from Columbus. I've been to the one in Sandusky (which is very good) as well as the one in Avon – but the Ashland one is still the best. It's got the best service, best food and best servers. They've had the same hustling manager for years, and it shows. (Plus, I like the local clientele there – interesting country folk who pack the place on a Sunday afternoon and ask to sit in their favorite server's section.)

Anyway, I found this vintage postcard on the cardcow.com website. If my memory serves me right, the one on N. Ridge looked something like this.

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We stopped at the Perkins down in Ashland over the weekend, and enjoyed a fine meal as usual. It's the perfect Sunday autumn drive – about an hour one-way. Plus, you get to stop at Fin, Feather and Fur outfitters next door to the east, and Grandpa's Cheese Barn just behind the restaurant.