Vermilion Burger Chef Ad – April 1, 1975

The rise of the hamburger as a fast food item in the 1960s continues to be a source of interest to me on this blog. I've devoted many posts to McDonald's and Burger King, as well as both national and regional wanna-be's (Sandy's, Hardee's, Kelly's, Casey's and Burger Chef) that hoped to dethrone them.

And speaking of Burger Chef, did you know that there was one in Vermilion? I didn't, until I saw the ad above, which ran in the Lorain Journal back on April 1, 1975. I was aware of the one on 28th Street near Broadway (a girl I was dating worked there) but had no idea that my current town of Vermilion had one.

The ad reflects that it was under different ownership that the one in Lorain. The Vermilion ad is pretty unique, and seems to be channeling Wendy's old-fashioned shtick. Here's an ad for the Lorain Burger Chef from a day later on April 2, 1975 for comparison.

Alas, by 1975 Burger Chef and Jeff appear to have been put out to pasture (somewhat appropriate as that's where Burger Chef steers were grazing) and replaced by the insipid Smiley face logo.

What's that? You don't remember Burger Chef and Jeff?

They were the animated cartoon mascots for Burger Chef, featured in TV commercials and ads, and doing battle against Ronald McDonald and the Burger King. Here they are on a plastic hand puppet that somehow survived over the last 50 years, currently on eBay. The duo seem to be joined at the hip.

Since the happy, waving partners weren't on the Burger Chef sign in front of the Lorain restaurant on W. 28th Street (as seen on this generic vintage postcard, I used to wonder who the mustachioed chef was.

Anyway, how long was the one in Vermilion open? Here's the Grand Opening ad that ran in the Journal on July 12, 1973. Hmmm... I see Jeff and Smiley in the ad. Where's the Chef himself?

The restaurant lasted until the 1980s, when a fire struck the outlet on April 1, 1984.

Apparently the restaurant did not reopen. This article from a few months later on July 25, 1984 indicated that a new Rax restaurant would be built on the site of the former Burger Chef.

Today the location is home to Fiesta Cancun Authentic Mexican Food & Cantina.

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For a time, Burger Chef featured the Fun Burger, apparently designed to compete with McDonalds' Kids Meal. Here's a commercial with Burger Chef and Jeff introducing it. (Note that the Burger Chef is voiced by none other than Paul Winchell, the voice of Tigger in the Winnie-the-Pooh movie features, Dick Dastardly on Wacky Races, and Gargamel on The Smurfs.

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Here's the Grand Opening ad for the Rax Restaurant that replaced the Burger Chef in Vermilion. It ran in the Journal on October 30, 1984.

Forgotten Fast Foods: Burger Chef

Burger Chef is another largely forgotten burger chain that was big in Lorain County before eventually meeting the same fate as Sandy's – that is, being gobbled up by Hardees like a hot, crispy golden brown French fry.

   The Burger Chef at 28th and Broadway first appeared in the Lorain phone book in 1970, making the chain a relative latecomer to the fast food burger scene in Lorain County. There were also stores at 2115 N. Ridge Road, as well as 4835 Liberty in Vermilion.

   Even though one would think that having "burger" in the name might be an advantage, it didn't seem to help this chain. A possible disadvantage would be its lack of a memorable spokesperson or mascot like Ronald McDonald. There was a cartoon chef on the sign out front, but I don't recall any commercials featuring him. I do remember commercials with Burger Chef and Jeff, two of the most forgettable advertising mascots ever created. The chain also used a smiley face with a chef's hat as its logo for a while, literally putting a happy face on the situation.

   Burger Chef managed to hold on at the 113 28th Street location until around 1990, when it became Hardees. Today, it's just an empty building.

  Although the chain is long gone, a quick search on the Internet reveals that there are a lot of die-hard Burger Chef fans out there with websites. JSF's Burger Chef Tribute website is one of them. And don't miss the NEW Images of America publication featuring Burger Chef, which you can order from Amazon by clicking here!

Burger Chef - Then and Now (Sort of)

A typical mid-1970's Burger Chef (Courtesy JSF's Burger Chef Tribute Website)

Way back here in 2009, I blogged about the Burger Chef at 28th Street and Broadway in Lorain.

Readers of this blog might remember that Burger Chef, at that location since September 1968, is where fellow blogger Alan Hopewell used to hang out and swill coffee with his buddies (read about those days right here in Alan's blog). It's also where my pal Debi used to serve up those hot, crispy, golden-brown french fries during the summer of 1977.

The restaurant later became a Hardee's in the early 1990's before eventually closing.

Anyway, I happened to drive by the former Burger Chef this past weekend and grabbed a shot. It's now R & J Southern Style Cooking (below).

Here's a link to their website.

I wish them the best of luck with their restaurant. Besides its unique concept, it's got a nice high-profile location with a lot of good Lorain food memories.

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Visit JSF's Burger Chef Tribute website for some great Burger Chef memories!

Elyria's Burger Chef Today

As a follow-up to my post about Burger Chef last month...

I happened to be in Elyria recently, and while heading for home I saw the vision above; namely, the former Elyria Burger Chef located at the bend in the road where Lake Avenue meets West Avenue.

I'm still not sure why the address of the restaurant was indicated as 'Lodi Street' in the 1968 ad (at left).

Anyway, I had known that I was going to pass the old restaurant that day, so I brought my camera along just to grab this shot. Strangely enough – or perhaps by divine intervention – the JESUS SAVES sign was installed earlier that day (I saw the workers putting it up), just in time to make it into this shot and onto the internet for all eternity.

The menacing sky makes me think that it was no accident.

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UPDATE (June 28, 2016)
I drove by the building on June 9, 2016 and noticed that the former Burger Chef had recently been torn down. Sorry, Burger Chef and Jeff!

Burger Chef Grand Opening Ad – October 17, 1968

Although I've mentioned Lorain's long-gone Burger Chef on this blog many times (here, here and here), I've never had an actual date that the restaurant opened – until now.

The ad above ran in the Lorain Journal on Thursday, October 17, 1968 – 45 years ago today – and announced the restaurant's Grand Opening that weekend.

It's interesting that the restaurant's signature sandwich – the Big Shef – was spelled with a "S" instead of a "C." I wonder why?

The ad is also amusing how the photos of the hamburgers are lined up like so many yawning clams.

Anyway, although my friend Debi worked there in the summer after high school, I don't remember too much about Burger Chef except their TV cartoon spokespersons at the time, Burger Chef and Jeff!

And for a great tribute website dedicated to Burger Chef, click here.

Burger Chef Ad – October 5, 1971

Hamburgers used to rule the fast-food world, but times have changed.

These days, it’s impossible to find a simple ‘hamburger' even listed on the giant McDonald’s digital menu board, as the classic fast food item has been crowded out by more exotic (and expensive) offerings. 

I often wonder how many hamburgers are even ordered there these days? 

Anyway, back in 1971, hamburgers were still king, and the burger barons – McDonald’s, Burger King, Sandy’s, Casey's and Burger Chef – were all battling it out in Lorain.

Burger Chef seemed to run the most ads in the Journal, and here’s one of them. It ran in the paper on October 5, 1971 – fifty years ago this month.

The theme of the ad is giving mothers a break from cooking on Wednesdays, with specially priced Burger Chef burgers on that night. It’s a great idea, and I’m sure it drummed up business on perhaps what was normally a slow weekday.

Nowadays, of course, eating out is something that happens several times a week for many families, and every day for some people.

But fifty years ago, like I’ve mentioned many times on this blog, having food from McDonald’s or Sandy’s was a rare treat for us, something that only happened when Mom and Dad were going out to eat themselves with some friends. Then they would ask my siblings and me what we would like, and Dad would be dispatched (like a true food gatherer) to pick it up.

Burger Chef Grand Opening – April 25, 1968

Fifty years ago (has it really been that long?), Burger Chef was about to open its first location in the Lorain area (see ad above). Actually, it was arguably closer to Elyria, since it was out there on Route 254 near Route 57.

At that time, Elyria's Burger Chef outlet on Lodi Street was already open – so it probably made sense to slowly branch out from it.

Lorain's W. 28th Street restaurant wouldn't hold its Grand Opening until October 1968 (see ad at left).

Burger Chef has been a favorite topic on this blog since 2009. I've done a variety of posts on the largely forgotten burger chain, including a few then-and-nows.

While I was familiar with the one on 28th Street in Lorain (a high school girlfriend worked there), I don’t think I ever visited the one on North Ridge Road (State Route 254).

The North Ridge Road store continued to appear in the Lorain City Directory until the 1977 edition, when its listing was briefly replaced by Brennan’s Restaurant. By the time of the 1978 directory, the location was taken over by Kenny King’s.

Today, the store in Elyria has been torn down. Lorain's 28th Street store (below) is boarded up and looking a little worse than the last time I photographed it.

Happily, the North Ridge Road location that hosted Kentucky Fried Chicken for many years before it closed is now the home of Cathy's Ice Cream.

Vintage cup currently on Ebay

Burger King’s New Retro Look

Burger King on Leavitt Road as it looked last weekend

Most of my mid-70s high school fast food hangouts on the west side of Lorain are long gone: the McDonald’s on West Erie; the Hardees on Oberlin Avenue; the Pizza Hut on Oberlin Avenue; the Kentucky Fried Chicken on Oberlin Avenue; the Burger Chef on 28th Street; the Taco Bell, as well as the Wendy’s, on Cooper-Foster.

Many of these restaurants were replaced by a new store in another location. A few simply closed for good. But there’s one still open in the same location more than 45 years after it opened its doors: the Burger King on Leavitt Road near W. 21st Street.

It’s an impressive feat for a store in Lorain, and it speaks volumes for the quality of its food and service.

Anyway, I was there over the weekend, and it gave me an opportunity to admire its recent makeover. It’s both modern and retro. What I really like are the cut-out letters spelling out "FLAME GRILLING SINCE 1954" over the entrance.

The restaurant looks more upscale thanks to the renovation, and should enjoy continued success at that location. 

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A while back, I wrote about the numbering system of the McDonald’s restaurants. In the interest of equal time, the Burger King on Leavitt Road is No. 680 (out of more than 15,000 restaurants)!

Here’s the proof (below). (No, I didn’t eat both Whopper Juniors.)

The Burger King on Root Road that's only a little more than a mile from my house has a slightly higher number: No. 13,028! 

Eating Out in Lorain – February 1970 – Part 1

Here’s an interesting article that provides a nice snapshot of the restaurant scene in Lorain in February 1970. The article, which appeared in the Sunday Journal on February 1, 1970, focuses on the newest culinary phenomenon: “quick service food.” (The term “fast food” hadn’t been coined yet!)

Here is the article, written by Staff Writer Marsha Nutter. I’ve transcribed it to make it easier to read.

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Pizzas and Hamburgers On The Run
Eating Out Today: A New Way of Life

By MARSHA NUTTER
Staff Writer

EATING IN the car or inside the building – from paper cups, tin foil wrappers and cardboard boxes is all part of a national trend, the quick service food establishments.

These establishments, which specialize in fast service, seem to be taking over much of the restaurant trade.

Serving anything from tacos and chicken to pizza and the good old hamburger the quick service food establishments are springing up everywhere and often in clusters, so every member of the family can satisfy his tastes.

Ken Cassell, a Lorain realtor who owns several franchises, said he has studied the quick service food franchises the past few years and he feels they are here to stay. Cassell has franchises for Taco Kid, Pizza Hut, Fish and Chips and Lums.

“I think they are a tremendous service to the community,” Cassell said. The basic concept of the franchises has provided people with what they want at a modest cost – without all of the frills.”

ANOTHER POPULAR idea in the quick service food franchising, Cassell said, is grouping several franchises in one area. He has done this on Oberlin Avenue in Lorain.

“People will then come to that area because they know that’s where all of the food restaurants are,” he said. “They can then buy what their tastebuds want that day or if the entire family is out, maybe they want something different, and the whole family can be serviced.”

The quick service establishments enable more families to eat out more often because of the lower prices.

What about the success of these restaurants?

“The public tells whether or not something is successful,” Cassell said. “The public is patronizing these restaurants and they are making money so the public must be telling us something.”

JOHN GONGWEK, manager of the Red Barn Restaurant in Elyria, said he feels the quick service food establishments are a great asset to all ages – the youth can come in and grab a snack, young married couples with their children now have a better chance to go out and eat and more and more golden agers, on a fixed income, are able to eat out.

“We’re able to keep up with fast people living the fast pace today,” Gongwek said.

Floyd Ferner, manager of Sandy’s Restaurant on Oberlin Avenue in Lorain, said in his market “everything is fast, fast, fast.”

“People just don’t like to wait anymore so we stress service, quality and cleanliness,” Ferner said. “The average customer is usually taken care of within 15 seconds after he enters the door.”

HUBERT STEAGALL, manager of the McDonald’s Restaurant on SR 254 in Sheffield Township, said he feels the business is definitely on the rise.

“I have been getting more and more families coming in here for dinner and I believe this is going to continue,” said Dale Miller, manager of the Burger Chef on Lodi Street in Elyria.

Bob Bartlick, owner of Mister S on Broadway in Lorain, said he feels the quick service food establishments have lost some of their enchantment because of price increases.

“I think this is only temporary though,” he said.

“If our franchises weren’t doing the business, they would not warrant any new openings,” said Leon  Denomme, manager of Burger King on Broad Street in Elyria.

“Quick service isn’t any good without proper facilities which include a good dining room and ample parking space,” he said.

GENE FREET, manager of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant in Sandusky, said “the trend is definitely toward the quick service establishments.”

Tomorrow: The rest of the story, which includes the viewpoint of the owners of several iconic area restaurants including McGarvey’s, the Castle-on-the-Lake, Presti’s and Eddy’s Chalet West.

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You’ll note that the article shown at the top of this post includes several small photos of area restaurants. The strip of photos across the top include (from left to right) Sandy’s Hamburgers at Oberlin Avenue and Meister Road in Lorain, the Burger Chef in Elyria, the Red Barn in Elyria, Taco Kid, and the Pizza Hut on Oberlin Avenue in Lorain.

The vertical photos consist of Minnie Pearl’s Chicken on Leavitt Road and Arby’s on Griswold in Elyria.

That Burger Chef Roof-line

Last week (here) I was wondering if the former Burger Chef on W. 28th Street in Lorain (now the home of R & J Southern Style Cooking) originally had the distinctive inverted "V" roof-line that was typical of the chain back in the 1960's. The building looked so different now that I wasn't 100% sure that the original structure hadn't been torn down and replaced by the present one.

Fellow blogger Alan Hopewell's got an excellent memory, and he confirmed that the original restaurant did indeed look like the illustration at left.

Anyway, I happened to drive by the building again since then, and swung around to the back of it with my camera. Sure enough, you could easily see remnants of the original structure hidden by the fake 'roof' (below).

Since I was already curious, I also hit the microfilm and came up with the opening date: the middle of September 1968. So Alan's memory is batting a thousand.

Battle of the Good Friday Fish Sandwiches – March 30, 1972

As noted on Christianity.com, "Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, is the Christian day to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus and His death at Calvary.

"On Good Friday, we remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins."

As it is a Friday (Good or otherwise), that means no meat for Catholics. And back on Good Friday in March 1972, that provided an opportunity for two of the lesser fast food giants in Lorain to promote their own fish sandwich special and hopefully reel in some customers.

First up is my sentimental favorite: Sandy's. Sandy's offered its fish sandwich for a thrifty 25 cents each or 4 for a dollar. Here's the Journal ad that ran on March 30, 1972.

In case Sandy's didn't hook enough customers with its fish sandwich special, the restaurant chain reminded kids to stop in on Saturday for a free Easter egg give away.

Right next to the Sandy's ad in the same edition of the Journal was this ad for Burger Chef.

Burger Chef (seen in one episode of Mad Men) aimed a little higher creatively – naming its sandwich "Skipper's Treat™" and utilizing some maritime graphics. Unfortunately, its sandwiches were 3 for a dollar – possibly scuttling its hopes of torpedoing Sandy's promotion.

Oddly enough, McDonald's apparently stayed out of the Good Friday finny fray, perhaps hoping the two wannabes would sink each other.

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Although I'm not Catholic, I succumbed to all of the fish fry signs around town and carried out a tasty fish sandwich dinner from Chris' Restaurant on West Erie Ave. last week. Chris' was my Mom's favorite restaurant. I've noted before (on this post) how she often referred to it as Chris Cafe (which was the name of a restaurant in South Lorain). The name 'Chris Cafe' just stuck in her head and was re-assigned to the restaurant on West Erie.

Fire Prevention Week – October 4 - 10, 1970

October 4-10, 2020 is Fire Prevention Week™ - so it’s not too late to post this almost full-page Journal ad commemorating the same event 50 years ago. It’s always a good idea to remind everyone to be careful.

There’s not much to say about the 1970 ad. Not even a cameo by Sparky the Fire Dog!

As usual, the fun is checking to see which businesses and organizations are still around, although you can usually count them on one hand. American Crucible is one major business listed that’s long gone.

Fast-food-wise, only Arby’s is still around, since Sandy’s and Burger Chef turned off their burger grills years ago. In 1970, Arby’s had just opened its Griswold Road location (since closed).

There are a lot of insurance companies listed in the ad, but the only one I recognize as still being in business is the one that I use: Janasko. The company was still in the Broadway Building in 1970 and wouldn’t move to their present home at 562 Broadway until 1975.

Other than that, I only see theaters that closed, and banks that changed their name or were taken over by others.

Anyway, in the Sandusky Register yesterday, I noticed that Sparky the Fire Dog had paid a visit to the Erie County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, where local first responders representing Sandusky and Huron, as well as Perkins and Margaretta Townships, filmed some cooking fire prevention videos.

Courtesy Sandusky Register

A Reminder from Rover

No, I don’t mean the Rover on the radio. I mean the chef-hatted mascot of Ilene’s Dog ’N Suds (above), who wants you to pay a visit to the classic Lorain County drive-in out on North Ridge Road near Route 57.

At least Ilene's is off to a good start this year. Every time I go by it out there in Elyria Township, it seems to be pretty busy. The carhops have confirmed this to me.

The scene out at Ilene’s about a week ago

I’m doing my bit to help. It’s only the first of May – and I’ve already eaten at Dog ’N Suds twice.

Actually, I carried out both times; I don’t eat there unless I have a newspaper or something to read in the car. Plus, one of the days was truly too wretched weather-wise to have the window open with the tray hanging on it.

Since coney dogs are always in rotation on the Brady menu at home, at Dog ’N Suds I tend to order the Texas Burger: a double-decker charco-broiled hamburger that comes with the signature coney sauce as one of the toppings. It’s kind of messy and it’s probably better that I eat it at home, where I can scrub up afterwards. Both of my sandwiches were great.

The menu boards at Dog ’n Suds are down this year, so the carhops have to do more ‘splaining to the drive-in customers to go over the menu. So as a public service, here’s the current Dog ’N Suds menu. (I couldn’t resist adding the classic Rover graphic.)

Anyway, there are only 14 Dog ’N Suds still in operation in the U. S., making Ilene’s outlet on North Ridge Road rather special just for surviving this long. 

So, if you want to enjoy some good food, and the nostalgia of having a carhop serve you, head on out to Ilene’s Dog ’N Suds.

A seagull was playing “King of the Hill” during my last visit 

Grand Opening of Brady's Dairyland – June 1962

The name 'Brady' has been associated with the area around Leavitt Road and West 21st Street for some time. Back when there were just two Brady families on the west side of Lorain, it was the other Brady Bunch that owned a lot of land near that intersection.

Brady's Restaurant (which was located just north of where Burger King is today) has been a favorite topic on this blog – even though it's becoming increasingly difficult to find anyone who remembers this well-named restaurant. Brady's Chuckwagon Chicken House was another business owned by John Brady. It was located next door to Brady's Restaurant to the north, in the building where Marco's Pizza is located today.

But did you know there was a third Brady standalone food enterprise near that intersection?

Brady's Dairyland was located "Just Around the Corner From ... Brady's Restaurant" as the Grand Opening ad below says. It ran in the Lorain Journal back on June 5, 1962.

(Brady's Dairyland had actually opened in late May 1962 as noted in this post.)

Like all of John Brady's businesses, Brady's Dairyland was well-promoted, with the nearly full-page ad touting "Olde Type" Frosted Malts, Brady's Fresh Hawaiian Pineapple Barge, and "home made ice creams packaged for carry out." As an added incentive to drop by, a prize was awarded with every order over a dollar.

I like the fact that John Brady tied together all of his businesses with the same mascot, a caricature of his father (who started Brady's Restaurant) as a chef on a unicycle, delivering food.

As I noted in this post, Brady's Dairyland added donuts to its menu in 1966. But by 1970, the store disappeared in the city directory and was replaced at its 2511 W. 21st Street address by Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips.