Euclid Manners Racing Club

Here's a nifty find! A membership sticker from the Euclid Manners Racing Club! Sadly the car did not come with it.

Big Boy at 263 Babbitt Road Says Goodbye

Andrew wrote a fantastic history of a little known restaurant by the name of Lawson's that turned into a Big Boy.

As a Euclid transplant, I don't have as many personal memories as others do, but I remember the last time I ate at Bob's Big Boy on Babbitt. After Homecoming, 1994 at Eastlake North High.

Courtesy of the Euclid Sun Journal, October 2000.

History Lesson: 263 Babbitt Rd. - Lawson's Restaurant - Manners Big Boy

I was looking through the Euclid News Journal and found this picture. It was from June 10, 1971 talking about a new restaurant named Lawson's. I grew up in Euclid and had never heard of a restaurant named Lawson's. Growing up, the only Lawson's I had known of was the Convenient store. They sold bread, milk, and other food. They were most famous for their French Onion dip and chipped chop ham. They had a commercial in the 1970's talking about the freshness of their orange juice. This was before refrigerated trucks.

This help wanted ad for Lawson's in October 1972 lists the address of the restaurant as 263 Babbitt Road. The Lawson's Convenient store was only about 10 feet around the corner from the restaurant.

"LAWSON'S RESTAURANT & MOTELS 16201 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44112, Phone 216-851-2600; Restaurants and Motels in Ohio, Motels in Stow, Montrose, North Canton, Amherst and Macedonia. Swimming pools; Color T.V. and phones in all rooms." According to this postcard from the Cleveland Memory project 4 locations had Lawson Hotel-Restaurants.

By January 1973 the Lawson's at 263 Babbitt had become a Manners Big Boy restaurant. In 3 months the Babbitt location had changed names. Manners-Big Boy was founded by Robert Manners. Manners and his wife in the late 1930's had the first Drive-In in Cleveland. A Drive-In was a restaurant were you would park your car and a waitress would come and take your order. You would never get out of your car. When the food was done, a tray would be placed and attached to your window. You would never go inside which was a revolutionary idea back then. Manners-Big Boy was known for its double-decker hamburger and milkshakes.

In 1956 Manners bought 7 new restaurants. This brought the number of restaurants that Manners owned up to 38.

In 1968, Robert Manners sold his 38 restaurants plus 2 being built to Consolidated Foods of Chicago. Consolidated Foods of Chicago also owned Lawson's Milk Company which ran Lawson's Convenient store. This explains why the quick transition was made in only 3 months from Lawson's restaurant to Manners-Big Boy. The Manners name was dropped from the Big Boys in Northeast Ohio sometime in the late 1970's.

In 1995 Robert Manners died at the age of 90. Today there are only a few Big-Boys left in Northeast Ohio.

History Lesson: Save A Lot at 27591 Euclid Ave - Manners + Bob's Big Boy

Today at 27591 Euclid Ave., stands a Save A Lot grocery store. The store itself was built as a Save A Lot. Remember what was there before?

Well, the land was sold to SVH Realty in October of 2000 from Manner's, you know, Big Boy.

I wonder if it's the norm to give a new building the same exact address as the old. Maybe? Interesting.

 Above is an October 10th, 1963 ad promoting Manners, home of the Big Boy, turning 30, and also announcing the restaurant opening at Euclid Ave. and E. 276th St. Features included electronic car service and covered canopies. Neat!

And as if things couldn't get better, you also get a dollar off Manners carryout barn of "country cousin" chicken. This just sounds weird and probably delicious.

In December 1963, Judy Doll (Miss Teenage America) made a stop in Cleveland and checked out the new Manners. Her trip was uneventful, but in a good way. They tried to give her egg nog but only skim milk is allowed on her never-gonna-get-fat-diet. Also pictured are Orange high students Ellen Jacobs and Chris Manners.

Here's a snapshot of Leslie Rubenstein and Sandy Ruggiero, hard at work in 1965. 

August 22, 1965

1967 - More Country Cousin Chicken Madness!

  A want ad from May 26, 1969 looking for waitresses and a car hostess.

Look at all these locations. Manners Hot Line advertisement from January 22, 1971

The following ad for Manners on Euclid Avenue was looking for waitresses and car hostesses again. Readers, did any of you work for a Manners restaurant? I'd be curious to know just how outstanding the company benefits were.

Also something to note: It's called "Manners Big Boy". May 17, 1973

Still called Manners Big Boy in this want ad that includes several other area restaurants. September 29, 1976

I was born in 1980 and we used to hit Bob's Big Boy quite a bit. Both Euclid locations, the Willoughby location, and I'm sure some West side of Cleveland, too.

I suppose "drive-in" was an old fashioned concept, so it was replaced with drive-thru. This ad and Bob's Big Boy coupon are from May 11, 1979.

The last ad I could find was from Spring of 1986. I'm not sure when Manners California Style Restaurant/Manners Family Restaurant/Manners Big Boy/Bob's Big Boy closed, but the map below, from top to bottom, shows 1970, 1994, and 2001.

In 1970 there are cars in the parking lot, and all three canopies can be seen.

In 1994, the parking lot looks very tired, and although the restaurant is there, the three canopies are gone.

By 2001, the Save-A-Lot grocery store had taken Big Boy's place at 27591 Euclid Avenue.