Local history is like an onion. When you peel it, you find more layers.
We recently helped a Beacon Journal reader identify the name of a restaurant that stood 50 years ago across from Summit Mall in Fairlawn.
The Dry Dock operated from 1973 to 1979 at 25 Ghent Road near West Market Street. Continental Restaurant Systems, a subsidiary of Ralston Purina, owned the nautical-themed establishment.
The building has since housed The Old Dock (1979-1982), Mountain Jack’s (1982-1995), Natalie’s (1996-1997), Gamekeeper’s Taverne (1997-2000), Winking Lizard (2001-2013) and Ray’s Place (2014-2024).
That’s a lot of food.
Would you believe that we’ve barely scratched the surface? The now-vacant location dished out hospitality for nearly 100 years!
With background information from readers and some research in the Beacon Journal archives, we’ve unearthed a little hidden history.
The Ghent Road Inn
It all began with Fred A. Newman, a real estate appraiser for the Summit County auditor’s office. He built a roadside inn on the rural outskirts of Akron in the southeast corner of what was then Bath Township.
The Ghent Road Inn, a hacienda-style building, opened May 24, 1930, about 200 feet north of West Market Street (state Route 18).
Newman promised perfect service and tasty food at the Prohibition-era oasis in farm country. The menu included fried fillet of pike, roast pork loin, baked ham, fried chicken and fried jumbo frogs. Mmmm.
“When you want to dine comfortably, in a cool, well ventilated room … surrounded by pleasant people; when you want courteous, prompt attention; when you’re particularly anxious to show you know the best place to eat, come to the Ghent Road Inn,” Newman advertised.
Another attraction at the establishment was a Concert-Trope, an automatic phonograph machine that could play 32 records. The juke joint soon offered live music and dancing.
The venture began just as the Great Depression took hold. Newman, a newcomer in the restaurant business, lasted less than a year before selling out. A succession of owners followed.
In 1931, Summit County sheriff’s deputies broke up a “whoopie party” at the inn and confiscated five bottles of “giggle water.” They charged proprietor A.W. “Al” Smith with violating the ban on liquor sales.
After Prohibition ended in 1933, the inn served alcohol, but there were restrictions. In 1935, Sheriff Jim Flower fired tear gas into Michael Masino’s bar at 2 a.m. to break up a crowd that continued to drink after the 1 a.m. deadline. About 25 customers fled into the night, gasping and choking.
Mike Adella bought the inn in 1943, built an addition and served steak, chicken, spaghetti and ravioli. Three years later, he sold the place and opened the Latin Quarter on South Main Street in Akron.
The next owner, Louis Hirsch, operated the inn for about a year before a fire destroyed it Aug. 26, 1947. Three walls were left standing. The blaze, which erupted about 3 a.m. behind the bar, caused $100,000 in damage (about $1.4 million today). It was insured for only $64,000.
Stefano Giglio rebuilt the Ghent Road Inn for a grand reopening Dec. 3, 1948. The supper club boasted “the best in food, the best in music and the best in atmosphere.” Its specialties included lobster, filet mignon, pork chops, fried chicken and spaghetti.
In 1954, Giglio doubled the seating capacity and kitchen space, renaming the establishment as Stefano’s Restaurant. It closed in June 1955.
That was the end of the first chapter.
The Chanticleer
Here’s where Beacon Journal readers come in.
“Your research went back to the 1970s for the reader trying to remember the name of that restaurant,” Gwen Weber wrote. “I’ve lived in the Akron area since the mid-’50s, and the first name that came to my mind was The Chanticleer. Was that a prior business at that location?”
“I believe the name that eludes you is The Chanticleer,” Fred Vigder noted. “It was a pleasant place, and the name is French for rooster. It competed at the time with Themely’s, The Embers, etc.”
“In the ’50s and ’60s there was a restaurant called The Chanticleer at or near the location that became Dry Dock,” Rob Yanko confirmed. “This was at the time when, across the street, a horse farm was being converted into the Summit Mall.”
Business partners Michael LoCicero and Charles “Chick” Samie opened The Chanticleer on Sept. 8, 1955, in the former Ghent Road Inn.
The upscale restaurant offered fine cuisine, including broiled lobster, prime rib, sirloin steak and Cornish hen. LoCicero also served as chef.
“Every Meal a Pleasant Memory,” the ads proclaimed.
It was a tumultuous start.
Two weeks after the opening, two gunmen stormed the restaurant at 1:20 a.m. Sept. 23 and escaped with nearly $1,000 after looting the register and robbing 25 customers. On Oct. 30, burglars broke into the place and stole $2,000 in cash and liquor.
Between those high-profile crimes, two Hollywood stars made an unexpected visit. Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher were passing through on their honeymoon Oct. 2, 1955, when they stopped at The Chanticleer for a late dinner.
The couple signed autographs for thrilled customers and employees. They feasted on shrimp cocktails, soup, prime rib, Cornish hen and parfaits. A year later, their daughter, Carrie Fisher, the future Princess Leia of “Star Wars,” was born in California.
Fairlawn incorporated as a village in 1960. Youngstown developer Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. unveiled plans in 1963 to build Summit Mall on a 65-acre site across Ghent Road from the restaurant.
The $15 million mall opened with 28 stores on Thursday, Oct. 28, 1965.
In 1970, the Michaels brothers — Andrew, John and Arthur — built a retail plaza that wrapped around The Chanticleer on all but the south side. After LoCicero closed his restaurant July 6 after 15 years, workers stripped the structure to its outside walls and rebuilt again.
A new restaurant soon took its place.
Bread ’n Thread
Frank Barnett, founder of Lanning’s, opened The Grate in May 1971, a sandwich shop and cocktail lounge with live entertainment, but it barely lasted a year.
Next came a hybrid establishment that Beacon Journal readers recall.
“I remember the Bread ’n Thread, which was a combination eatery and clothing shop,” James Urban wrote. “I bought a necktie there.”
“ ‘Bread’ for the restaurant and ‘Thread’ for the clothing store that was connected in the plaza that curves around onto Crawfis Boulevard,” Susan Hale explained.
“I distinctly remember going to the Bread ’n Thread,” Nancy Seibel noted. “We danced on an elevated floor as I recall.”
The Michaels brothers opened the business in July 1972. Touted as “the gathering place for fun, food and fashions,” Bread ’n Thread had a restaurant, wine shop and fashion boutique.
Walter Garner, formerly of Garner Bros. drive-in and The Embers, managed the restaurant, which had such specialties as crepes, sandwiches, cheesecake and banana splits. The lounge offered live music, dancing and fashion shows. The waitresses wore red miniskirts.
The experiment ended in late 1973 with Bread ’n Thread giving way to the corporate-owned Dry Dock. And that brings us back to the beginning.
The Ghent Road space is for lease now. Wonder what comes next?
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Vacant Fairlawn restaurant has a hidden past | Local history
Reporting by Mark J. Price, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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