The Kahiki Supper Club was a destination restaurant in Columbus. The Polynesian style restaurant was listed on the National Register of Historic Places but was demolished in 1999. (Postcard view)

By Ken Drenten

Growing up on the east side of Columbus near the suburbs of Whitehall and Reynoldsburg, I was at the epicenter of much of the explosive growth of the fast-food and restaurant industry.

Columbus was well-known for many years as a test market for new restaurant chains. White Castle, Wendy’s and other chains were born there.

Some of these places were those I remember my parents taking me and my siblings to when we were kids; others were ones that visited with friends and on dates. I worked at one of these restaurants from the late 1970s to the early 1980s – Elby’s, which I remember especially well.

In 2026, most of these chains and locally-owned places are gone that were part of the restaurant scene in Columbus that I grew up with. I should note that there are a number of places in Columbus that go back many years still operating, such as The Top Steakhouse, Massey’s Pizza, Rubino’s Pizzeria, the Goody Boy Drive-In and others.

Here are the ones I can remember, approximately where they were located, and what I have learned about them. Let me know if you remember any others!

The Tracey family has sold root beer, hot dogs, coneys and hamburgers at the Ohio State Fair since the 1950s. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

A&W Root Beer Drive-In. I believe there was an A&W Drive-In on E. Main Street in the Whitehall area but I can’t find any records of the location. There is a modern location on E. Main near S. Hamilton Road. The Tracey family ran several A&W drive-ins in Columbus since the 1950s, including a large food stand at the Ohio State Fair that still operates each year. I have great memories of working at that concession stand for two weeks in the summer of 1976.

Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips, locations at 1765 Brice Road and 3871 E. Livingston Ave. I don’t remember these specific locations. I patronized the Lancaster location later on, and I really liked their fish and chips. There are now a few Arthur Treacher’s locations open in the Cleveland area.

Beverlee Drive-In, 3288 E. Broad St. Some of my earliest memories of fast food are from this drive-in with carhop service, visiting there with my family.

Bill Knapp’s, on E. Livingston Avenue at the York Plaza shopping center just east of Noe-Bixby Road. This chain, founded in Battle Creek, Mich., in 1948, was like going to your grandma’s for Sunday dinner. Their slogan was “GOOD Things to EAT!” Their menu was filled with fried chicken, ham and au gratin potatoes, cake, pie and lots of other comfort food. If you visited on your birthday, you received a free chocolate cake and your bill was discounted by the percentage equal to your age – an exceptional deal the older you got! The chain shut down all restaurants in 2002.

Block’s Hot Bagels, at McNaughten Road and E. Main Street, was an east side institution since 1967. When I was a high school student and a member of the student newspaper staff, we had weekly Block’s Bagels sales as fundraisers. (I tried not to eat too much of the profits.) The store closed operations in March 2025, and news reports indicate a new bagel bakery will be opening in the same location soon.

Bombay Bicycle Club, S. Hamilton Road near Eastland Mall. BBC was an upscale restaurant and bar known for their fern bar atmosphere, Monte Cristo sandwiches and Long Island iced tea. This location later became Casa Gallardo, an upscale Mexican restaurant chain. The chain operated from 1975 to 2012.

Girves Brown Derby Restaurant, S. Hamilton Road near Eastland Mall. This restaurant chain had an upscale atmosphere that made you feel like you were treating your date to something special in the 1970s and ’80s. They specialized in steaks and ribs. I think Brown Derby had one of the first salad bars I can remember. There are still several of these restaurants open in the Akron area.

Burger Boy Food-O-Rama (BBF, later Borden Burger), 3090 E. Main St., Whitehall, 2133 E. Livingston Ave. (at Alum Creek Drive, both locations later became Wendy’s). Some of my earliest memories of fast food are going here with my family for burgers, fries and shakes with carhop service. BBF was formed in 1961 and was sold to Borden in 1970. Borden closed and sold most of the restaurants in the mid-1970s.

Burger Chef was a popular choice for hamburgers, fries and shakes in the 1960s and ’70s. (Open source image)

Burger Chef, 3771 E. Livingston Ave. The building still stands as a check cashing business. In its heyday, Burger Chef gave McDonald’s and Burger King a run for their money. The chain was formed in 1954 and hit its peak in 1973 with more than 1,000 locations. By 1982, many restaurants were closed and other locations became Hardee’s. A single former Burger Chef location in Cleveland, Tenn., never closed down. It operates as The Chef and serves the same menu items customers loved so many years ago.

Chi-Chi’s Cantina, Brice Road & I-70. Chi-Chi’s was a large and successful Mexican restaurant chain founded in 1975. The chain filed for bankruptcy in 2004, and grocery stores still carry Chi-Chi’s brand salsa and snacks. Does anyone else remember going to Chi-Chi’s in the 1980s on their birthday and wearing a huge sombrero while the waitstaff sang to you?

Cork ‘N Cleaver, Brice Road & I-70, located roughly where Home Depot is now located. This was a place for steaks, chops, prime rib, seafood and adult beverages. Formerly a chain, there are now a few locally-owned locations remaining, including in Fort Wayne and Evansville, Indiana.

Damon’s The Place for Ribs, on Main Street near James Road. This chain was founded in Columbus in 1979 and lasted until 2011. Damon’s piloted the sports bar/restaurant theme later perfected by many other restaurant chains, with large-screen TVs, electronic trivia games, bar food and cold drinks.

Duff’s Smorgasbord, S. Hamilton Road in Great Eastern Shopping Center in Whitehall. Duff’s was a cafeteria with a unique circular rotating serving mechanism. I remember going there with some football teammates for lunch on a practice day in late summer of 1974. The food was great but the results later on in practice, not so much. I don’t know when Duff’s in Whitehall closed but the chain had pretty much shut down by the end of the 1990s.

Elby’s Family Restaurant, 5186 E. Main Street, Whitehall; Brice Road; I also worked at 4300 Karl Road and S. Hamilton Road locations. People still talk about Elby’s chocolate fudge cake and strawberry pie. I worked mainly at the E. Main location from the late 1970s to early 1980s as a dishwasher, busboy and short order cook when I was in high school and college. Elby’s, based in Wheeling, W.Va., was founded in 1956 and was sold to Elias Brothers in the late 1980s; most locations were sold or closed by 2000. Some former Elby’s locations still stand today as Roosters and Tee-Jays restaurants.

Emil’s Steer-Inn, 4484 E. Main St. near S. Hamilton Road, Whitehall. A drive-in restaurant with carhop service and marvelous pies. I remember my parents taking me here for a treat after a high school academic recognition. I have an Emil’s postcard from the late 1950s or early 1960s. It reads: “Emil’s Steer Inn – Nationally Known Sandwich Shop and Restaurant – The Nation’s newest and most ultra-modern eating place. Dedicated to the serving of delicious food, fine pastries and rich French ice cream. A popular slogan here is Steer Out to Emil’s Steer Inn.”

Emil’s Steer-Inn was located at E. Main Street at S. Hamilton Road in Whitehall. (Postcard view)

Friendly’s Ice Cream, S. Hamilton Road, Whitehall. I believe their former location is a Greek restaurant now. Friendly’s is still a viable chain, but there are no locations remaining anywhere in Ohio. Most of their locations are in the Philadelphia area.

Fuddrucker’s, E. Main Street near Noe-Bixby Road in Whitehall. This chain, founded in 1979, is still in business after a number of acquisitions but has no known locations in Ohio. Its business model is create-your-own burgers with a huge burger topping bar.

G.D. Ritzy’s, 6111 McNaughten Road; 7332 E. Main St., Reynoldsburg (this location later became a Chinese restaurant). Fast-food chain founded in early 1980s known for hamburgers, hot dogs, thin-sliced French fries, ice cream and shakes. There is a Ritzy’s still remaining in Columbus at 4615 N. High St.

Grill & Skillet, 2924 E. Main St. This longtime neighborhood diner opened in 1945 and closed in 2025.

Howard Johnson’s Restaurants were frequently part of motor lodges. (Postcard views)

Howard Johnson’s Restaurant (later Ground Round), locations at E. Main Street & Country Club Road, and E. Broad Street and James Road. Customers came to the familiar peaked orange roof restaurants for family-style meals and ice cream. The former location on E. Main Street has been an empty lot for a long time.

Kahiki Supper Club, 3583 E. Broad Street. Opened in 1961, this lush tropical-themed restaurant and bar with iconic Tikis guarding the entrance was the one of the largest such restaurants in the world. The restaurant, which transported customers to a Polynesian village atmosphere, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Despite its unique character, it was demolished in 2000 due to structural issues.

Back in the day, many restaurants handed out matchbooks as a way to advertise their business. Here are some from my collection. Top row, left to right: Bill Knapp’s, Emil’s Steer-Inn, Duff’s Smorgasbord, Burger Chef. Bottom row: Howard Johnson’s, Howard Johnson’s, Elby’s Family Restaurant, Brown Derby, Lum’s. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

Lum’s, 771 S. Hamilton Road, Whitehall. Lum’s was formed in 1956 in Miami, Florida, with some 400 locations at its peak before it declared bankruptcy in 1982. This location was built in 1968. Lum’s claims to fame were hot dogs steamed in beer and the “Ollieburger.” My dad was fond of their Reuben sandwiches. I believe a Rally’s is located at this old Lum’s location.

Max & Erma’s, at Brice Road and E. Livingston Avenue in Channingway near Reynoldsburg. Max & Erma’s was the ultimate fun place to go out to eat, with table-to-table telephones, an ice cream sundae bar in a bathtub, eclectic decor (such as an entire canoe on the ceiling) and a great menu. The original Max & Erma’s opened in German Village in 1958 and was purchased in 1972 with chain expansion following quickly. The chain expanded during the 1970s and 1980s to a peak of 110 restaurants but declared bankruptcy in 2009 and was sold. The original German Village location closed in 2017. Today, the only Ohio locations are in Lancaster and Middleburg Heights.

McDonald’s, S. Hamilton Road near E. Broad Street. This specific McDonald’s had the early 1960s-style architecture with the twin golden arches. After renovations that eliminated the original style, it was torn down sometime in the early 2000s. I remember visiting there with my Cub Scout den. They showed us how they sliced fresh potatoes and made French fries right at the restaurant.

MCL Cafeteria, 5240 E. Main St., Whitehall. This chain opened in 1950 in Indianapolis and closed its Whitehall location in March 2026 after more than 50 years in business there. MCL was a favorite of my mom’s and we took her there often. MCL has two locations in Ohio and five locations in Indiana remaining open.

Mills Restaurant in downtown Columbus was open from 1916 to 1976 at 77 S. High St., across the street from the Ohio Statehouse. (Postcard view)

Mills Restaurant, 77 S. High St., across the street from the Ohio Statehouse, was open from 1916 to 1976 and was a Columbus institution. The cafeteria-style restaurant had huge murals on the walls depicting scenes from Ohio’s history. The site is now taken up by the Huntington National Bank headquarters.

Peter Pan Drive-In, 4352 E. Broad Street at Yearling Road, Whitehall. This drive-in restaurant opened in 1961. As a newspaper reporter I was there when the sign was taken down from this establishment in the early 1990s. I believe there is a restaurant in business there today.

Ponderosa Steakhouse, S. Hamilton Road, Whitehall (near the Lum’s Restaurant). This budget-friendly restaurant served grilled steaks, chicken and sides cafeteria-style. Ponderosa and Bonanza restaurants have merged, and there are a few Ohio locations still open, including 3875 S. High St., Columbus; 545 S. High St., Hillsboro, and 8801 Ohio River Road, Wheelersburg.

Rax Roast Beef Restaurant is still open in Lancaster. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

Rax Roast Beef, 3075 E. Main St., 4484 E. Main St., 6780 E. Main St. (these locations later became other chain restaurants). Rax was a chain begun in 1960s in Springfield, Ohio. A few Rax locations still exist in Ohio (including Circleville and Lancaster) and other states.

Shakey’s Pizza, S. Hamilton Road, Whitehall (location is now M&M FInancial). Shakey’s Pizza was a favorite place for family dinners as well as the Friday night after-football crowd. Features were a glass wall to watch employees make pizzas, a player piano that tinkled tunes from the good old days, old-time silent movies on a big screen and a banjo player. Shakey’s Pizza is still in business in California and Washington, but no locations in Ohio.

Sister’s Chicken & Biscuits, 4399 E. Livingston Ave. at S. Hamilton Road, now a check cashing business. Sister’s was started in 1978 by Wendy’s as upscale fast-food with a menu of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, “dirty rice,” biscuits and other comfort food. After a flurry of expansion in the 1980s, the chain was sold to a franchisee but was closed down in the mid-1990s.

Tommy’s Pizza at S. Hamilton Road and E. Livingston Avenue had the best pizza and subs in town. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

Tommy’s Pizza, 1430 S. Hamilton Road near E. Livingston Ave. Formed in 1952, Tommy’s has hands-down the best pizza and subs in Columbus. Tommy’s locations remain in Upper Arlington and Dublin. The east side Tommy’s was open since at least the mid-1970s and closed in 2014. I remember going there to solicit advertising for the high school yearbook in 1976 or ’77.

Western Pancake House, E. Broad Street near Mount Carmel East Hospital. This family feeder was memorable for its big fiberglass cowboy waving his hat, sitting on a rail fence in the parking lot.

York Steakhouse, located near Eastland Mall. Founded in 1966, York Steak House was a cafeteria-style chain with as many as 200 locations nationwide in the 1980s. Now, a single independently-owned location at 4220 W. Broad St. near Westland Mall in Columbus remains open.

Zantigo, 6325 E. Main St., S. Hamilton Road; Mexican fast food chain founded in 1969; the chain was later sold and many locations became Taco Bell restaurants.

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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