Christine Hayes - Lost Restaurants of Central Ohio and Columbus

Published by American Palate

A Division of The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2017 by Christine Hayes and Doug Motz

All rights reserved

First published 2017

e-book edition 2017

ISBN 978.1.43966.351.6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017953981

print edition ISBN 978.1.62585.914.3

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the authors or The History Press. The authors and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

For our mothers, Betty Hayes and Mary Motz.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

It is my own memories of Columbuss lost restaurants that inspired me to become a restaurateur. Central Ohios long winters push us indoors for inspiration, conversation and celebration over drinks and food (yes, in that order!).

It was in these lost restaurants that a diverse community of food service workers, barkeeps, neighbors, hungry people and foodies became family while breaking bread and toasting one another goodnight, sometimes every night. We patronized these spaces for lots of reasons beyond food; they provided us comfort, hospitality and respite from the rest of the world. Its why you never saw a television in Surly Girl Saloon; we wanted to be an escape.

As a Columbus lost restaurant alum, I am proud of my peers and grateful we got to grow up together. While the restaurant industry is competitive, the restaurant owners were often the best of friends, collaborating often to give charitably, throw parties and lift each other up. That story of our collective Central Ohio restaurant family supporting one another is realized best in the chapter celebrating Haiku and how so many of us came together to support Rachel Widomski, who was run over by a patron skipping out on a hundred-dollar tab.

Im proud of my former business partners and their ongoing ventures: Tim Lessner at Tip Top, Carmen Owens at Grass Skirt and Marcy Mays at Ace of Cups. We all remember the lost restaurants that inspired us and are grateful that so many are being documented here.

Bettys menu cover. Courtesy Jim Ellison.

The restaurant business is hard, and most people just dont get it. One person ripping you off can close a restaurant. The city can take away your parking lot, like it did at Tip Top for a month. You can have a bad, snowy winter, and it can lead to ruin. Trust me, Ive made a lot of enemies, but Ive always been forthright and honest about the situation at hand.

People have asked me if these books make me feel bittersweet. In fact, I look back on all lost restaurants with a sense of pride and awe. Im lucky enough to say I was there. When Doug and Christine interviewed me about the closing of Bettys for Lost Restaurants of Columbus, Ill be honest that it was a cathartic experience to sift through all those memories again. But the Lost Restaurants books are the closest thing to being there, celebrating the endless nights and days of our lives. To so many of us, these restaurants hold our happiest memories and, for me, my youth and my most ridiculous dreams.

How many engagements were made at Rigsbys? How many prom nights and homecomings were celebrated in train cars at Victoria Station? How many anniversaries were celebrated at the Bexleys Monk? And how many family birthdays were spent at the venerable Clarks Dining Room?

We may never know the answer to any of those questions, as each lost restaurant holds so many of our own milestones. If youre at all like me, you wear your memories of lost restaurants like your favorite T-shirts from your favorite rock concerts. Old school takes on a new context here; you really had to have been there for the borscht at the Russian Tea Room or the time the lights went out at Rickys Galaxy Caf!

So it is my real hope that youll read through these stories and that they may bring up treasured memories or even inspire you to have a new perspective the next time you go to your favorite neighborhood haunt for a bite. The men, women and in many cases families who ran these places did it out of love, and I invite you to sit back, get comfortable and enjoy a trip down memory lane.

Liz Lessner

Lost Restaurateur of Columbus

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many thanks to the Acorn Bookshop Nuts, Maria Alexander, Ricky Barnes, Richard Baumann, Mark S. Brackney, Sonny Brockway, Chuck Capuano, Nora Chalfont, Doral Chenoweth, Thomas Clark, Augustine M. Cosentino, Gale Douglass, Jim Ellison, Bret Gandee, Becky George, Jerry Glick, Mark Gordon, Nick Gore, Bob Grove, Randy Headley, Charles Hedges, Donna Herb, David Hetzler, Arnett Howard, Bob Judson, Mary Beth Kanatas, Ted Kanatas, George and Joan Kasotis, Charles and Grace Langstaff, Karen Klingbeil LaValley, Pat Lewis, Walt Lindeboom, Jim Loeffler, Todd Long, Sandy Bean Lynch, Suzanne Kanatas Mardas, Dick and Harriet McClish, George and Diane McCoy, Sue Snouffer Kuhn Melvin, Sam Merkle, Martha Johnson Miller, Tim Miller, Elizabeth Moras, Michael Motz, Carmen Owens, Karen Kanatas Park, Jim Girves Paul, Felix and Sally Pedon, Kevin Pica, Todd Popp, Emily Prieto, Dana Navin Schultz, John Vollmer, Linda Vollmer, Matt Voltolini, Jeff Wasserstrom, David Webb, Bill Weidinger, David Wiggins, Ed Wolf and Helen Yee.

And to our invaluable, fabulous research specialists: Mary Ann Perine and Brenda Bellis of the Greater Buckeye Lake Historical Society, Aaron ODonovan of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Natalie Fritz and Kasey of the Clark County Historical Society, Mary Rodgers of the Clintonville Historical Society, Susan Logan of the Delaware County Historical Society, Jenn Lusetti of the Licking County Historical Society, John McPherson of the Logan County Historical Society, Phylis Miller of the Morrow County Historical Society, Darlene Weaver of the Pickaway County Historical Society, Beth Weinhardt of the Westerville Historical Society and all the reference librarians of the Old Worthington Library: gold stars!

Introduction

THE MEMORY OF A MEAL

Writing history is elusive; obtaining that one last fact or photograph is often as frustrating as finding that one book thats perfect for a person in the bookstore.

We have enjoyed giving talks on volume one of Lost Restaurants of Columbus. Weve tried to include in this, the second volume, the restaurants most asked about when our talks conclude. The most-asked question: Why do restaurants close? with the corollary, I wanted the ____ [Kahiki, Jai Lai, etc.] to last forever.

The answer is the firestorm of red tape surrounding a restaurant: lawyers and litigation, insurance, parking, partners, plumbers, permits and taxes. Flood, fire and fatigue figure in too. In the middle of all this is a chef who just wants to feed people and make them happy.

Trends of eating sometimes make the grand dames of restaurant fame seem old-fashioned, unless nostalgia is curated carefully. Neighborhoods deteriorate or get too popular; when it becomes dangerous to park or parking gets scarce and also expensive, the restaurant loses faithful customers.