He was everything you’d expect from a family-diner straight out of Yesteryear. Our waiter was a young fellow with a bright smile. We later confessed our sin, thinking we’ll make up for it in the tip. We heard and recorded the old-fashioned ringing telephone a couple of times over until our waiter reached inside it and answered, “Schmucker’s…” After we heard it several times, we tried to record it but couldn’t quite get it right. In the back corner of the restaurant, a worn, wooden telephone booth has been there since day one.
Once we nestled into our seats, yes, by the door as feared, we became a quaint world unto our own. Heck, even the chrome stools at the wrap-around lunch counter are originals. The owner’s name is still Schmucker, albeit the grandchild of the founders Harvey and Nola. That, and the fact nothing changes inside these walls unlike the ever-changing world outside. So, ya, Schmucker’s Restaurant is …cozy.īut that’s the charm of it. I hoped it wasn’t the one within arm’s reach because then someone else was sure to be loitering in my space while I ate. When we went inside, we crammed the doorway with another cluster of folks waiting for a table to be emptied and bused. The most memorable thing about Schmucker’s Restaurant, bar none, is the pie! To quote an old saying, the pie “is to-die-for.” It’s funny how a mere scent can trigger a memory. And, ooh, that smell: a concoction in the air that wafted somewhere between fresh-hand-peeled potatoes and thoughts of grandma’s pie cooling on a windowsill. It still felt right, even after romanticizing it in our minds from back in the day. We snapped a photo to commemorate the old roadside diner with its nondescript faded yellow brick, glass block windows, and neon sign. When we drove around the place hoping to find a parking spot, I asked the ‘kids’, “Whattaya think?”Ī deep voice in the backseat said, “As long as it has burgers, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Their school wasn’t in the immediate area, but it was close enough for a road trip to the dear ole diner still frying up memories after all these years. Recently, my wife and I traveled several hours to see one of our kids and our niece attending school in the area. The waitress said it still looked the same as it did when it opened in 1948. Back from my Army stay in Europe, now in college treating my girlfriend (soon to be wife) to a great bite I could afford, the road leads here. When I first walked into this Toledo roadside diner 25 years ago, it felt like my kind of place. For A Classic Roadside Diner – It’s the Real Deal!
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