On August 25, 1939, at midnight, May’s Dinette was formally opened. The diner was located on West Washington Street, between Jackson and Decatur Streets. An advertisement in the August 25 Sandusky Register boasted that “We Never Close.” Lunch prices began at twenty five cents. On the outside of the diner was a sign that read “Food cooked in butter.” The restaurant was air conditioned, and the soda fountain was always open for sodas and sundaes. Their specialty was steak dinners, served to the customer’s liking. Rolls, pastries, pies and cakes were baked fresh daily at May’s Dinette. No listings were found for May’s Dinette in historical Sandusky City Directories. By 1941, Hilda’s Dinette had an advertisement in the buying guide of the City Directory. Hilda’s Dinette was located at 408 W. Washington Street, so it is possible that Hilda’s Dinette took over the business formerly known as May’s Dinette.
Here is an inside view of May’s Dinette from August of 1939.
Updating Hilda's Dinette (formerly May's Dinette). Paul & Jean Morton leased Hilda's Dinette in the late 1940's. In l956 they bought it from Hilda Reark. They sold Hilda's Dinette in 1962. The buyer (unknown) orginally moved it to River Avenue in Sandusky where the McDonald's restaurant now stands. The diner never opened and eventually it was moved to FREMONT, OHIO, but never opened.
ReplyDeleteI first want to say that I absolutely love this blog and all of the history that you are keeping alive here. I was wondering though, could you do a story about Berardi's Family Kitchen and how they opened the original Berardi's French Fry stand at Cedar Point?
ReplyDeleteI would love to read about this one if so... Thanks again
I'm working on a blog post about the history of the "Diner Dinette" company, who built this place. Would it be possible for me to use the interior picture in my post, and if so, what would the proper credit for it be?
ReplyDeleteIf it is for non-commercial use and you include a link to the original post, we would be okay with that. The citation would be the Sandusky History blog of the Sandusky Library.
ReplyDelete