Restaurant at Beam Rd and Hwy 31?

[bgriff51]

Does anyone remember a restaurant where the Swifty Gas Station stands? I seem to remember a limestone building there with some sort of a porthole window in the entry way. Taken down sometime in the mid 60's as I remember. Ring any bells with anyone.

[Deleted]

bgriff51,

Yes, there was a restaurant at that location in 1957 when I returned home from service, living on the corner of 20th and Lee St. it was close to patronize. If I remember correctly the owner was Bob Henry. I can't recall how long Bob Henry was at that location, but I think he latter open a restaurant in the 2100 block of Central Ave.

[John]

There was a restaurant there that I recall was named Nicks.

[richard]

I received an e-mail from a frequent visitor to these message boards. He said that he looked at his 1956 Log and one of his classmates is pictured in Nick’s ad that year. Her name was Mary Combs and the picture shows her working behind the fountain. That 1956 ad doesn’t list an address, but the 1958 and 1959 ads gave the location as U. S. Highway and Beam Road.

My 1953, 1957 and 1959 reference books list the address as 3007 National Road. The 1953 book lists the operator as H. M. and Creta Combs. In the name section Mr. and Mrs. Combs lived at 1617 Meridan Street.

The 1957 and 1959 reference books list Mrs. Creta E. Combs as the operator and the name sections lists her address as unchanged, but lists her as the widow of Howard M.

Ad from the 1956 Log.

[richard]

Nick’s Drive-In from the 1958 Log.

[richard]

Nick’s Drive-In from the 1959 Log.

[John]

That restaurant was owned and operated by the Combs family. John Nick Combs, a son was in the graduating class of 1953 and was a friend of mine. He went to college for a time, I'm not sure where, and then joined the military, the Air Force I believe, and became a pilot. He was killed in a plane crash in the summer of 54 or maybe 55. The family continued to operate that restaurant several years after that as I know that it was still operating in the early 60s.

[marksix]

I remember Nick's drive-in,although I cant actually remember it really being a drive-in,it was always just a sit down place,no car hops or eating in your car like at Frisch's or Becker's.They had a really good tenderloin sandwich,of course this was in the days before Sysco and the like when the food you ate was generally made at the restaurant.
In later years it became the second location of the Col. sanders Kentucky Fried Chicken (First one in town was around 7th and Washington I think?) and it had the big rotating chicken bucket on a pole.

What happened after that I never really understood,they took the Colonel's picture off the bucket,served the same product but they called it "Famous Recipe Chicken"The Downtown store remained a Col. Sanders outlet.

[Gregg]

When they removed the Colonel's picture, didn't they re-name it "Lee's?"

[Deleted]

I remember a Famous Recipe Chicken being in the location of now the Ohama Shoten ( Japanese Grocery ), at 2324 National Rd., that I believe would have been in the early 60's.
I can't recall if at a latter date the Famous Recipe Chicken was changed to Colonel Sanders .
I do believe the Colonel Sanders down town was at 10th and Washington St., next to Williams Electronic.

[richard]

Mar 10, 2009 10:43:31 GMT -5 marksix said:

I remember Nick's drive-in,although I cant actually remember it really being a drive-in,it was always just a sit down place,no car hops or eating in your car like at Frisch's or Becker's.They had a really good tenderloin sandwich,of course this was in the days before Sysco and the like when the food you ate was generally made at the restaurant.
In later years it became the second location of the Col. sanders Kentucky Fried Chicken (First one in town was around 7th and Washington I think?) and it had the big rotating chicken bucket on a pole.

What happened after that I never really understood,they took the Colonel's picture off the bucket,served the same product but they called it "Famous Recipe Chicken"The Downtown store remained a Col. Sanders outlet.

Go to this link to see a history of Fried Chicken in Columbus by jimbo700 in reply # 24.

columbusin.proboards34.com/index.cgi?board=columbusdecade&action=display&thread=66&page=3

[Gregg]

My Bad! Famous Recipe is now called "Lee's famous Recipe" here in Tennessee and many other areas of the country, and it's named for Lee Cummings, nephew of Harland Sanders. I "mis-remembered " the Columbus locations as being of the same name.