TOLEDO, Ohio — The Green Derby, Johnny’s, Betsy Ross, Posner’s, White Hut, White Tower: Each decade, each year, the list of iconic Toledo restaurants gets shorter.
And although the owner of Uncle John’s Pancake House says the restaurant will reopen down the road sometime in the next year, there is still something special about the building the iconic restaurant has occupied for decades.
On Sunday, for one final time, longtime customers and lots of former employees visited the building where so many memories were made over it's 61 years in business.
“I've been coming here since I was a little girl. My dad used to bring me here. He's gone now,” said customer Brenda Moore. “This is one of his favorite restaurants ever, so I've been coming ever since I was about 11 years old.”
The mood was bittersweet on Sunday as former employees reminisced about their time working at Uncle John’s.
Claire Knapinski got her first job at Uncle John’s when she was 16.
“I was a waitress here, and so there's a lot of memories. I brought my kids here when they were little. We wore these polyester dresses, and our name tags said, 'Aunt Claire,' or whatever your name - 'Uncle' whatever. It was kind of cute,” said Claire.
Eddie Kanarowski got a job at Uncle John’s when he was a senior at Start High School following his younger brother Bobby into the dishwashing trade.
“I started work in the fall of '67, and we got paid $1.10 an hour. We probably ate $5 an hour worth of food,” said Eddie.
Although, it will never be the same, everyone who came to say goodbye on Sunday says they are happy the restaurant will still be around, even if it will be in a different location.
“It's weird. It's weird to know that it’s not going to be right here. You know, it's weird. But as long as he opens up because it's one of the best breakfast spots there is. I love it,” said Moore.
Owner Sal Tubeileh says he is hoping to reopen the restaurant by July 1, just down the road near Dorr St. and Secor Rd.
In the meantime, he is grateful for his loyal customers.
“I want to say thank you so much to the community, the city of Toledo, supporting us. Our customers have been loyal to us for years, and hopefully for years to come,” said Tubeileh.
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