Swanton Ohio Nagging Question (Toledo, Maumee: home, school, live)

[TXStrat]

Okay, my family has been trying to remember this for quite some time. At the intersection of Airport Hwy (RT2) and Wilkins Road there is a Charlie's Restaurant. It started out as a Swifty's back in the late 70s, then it was a fried chicken place for a time. What was the name of the chicken franchise? I had a yellow shirt from there as a kid, it was bright yellow and, if I recall correctly, had a cartoon chicken with a chefs hat on the front.

[ohazco]

Are you confusing two different restaurants? There is none at Wilkins, Charlies is at the corner of Airport and US20A (where 20A peels off to go to Maumee), and Cold Keg is a mile west of there which has a cartoon chicken in a barrel or something on their sign, and a neon sign advertising frog legs on the front of the building. If Charlies used to have a chicken too then I couldn't tell ya what that was... I always thought it was a corn field before Charlies, but was pretty young then.

[canudigit]

It was something else for years before it became a Charlie's, but it wasn't a chain restaurant or a chicken place. I can't remember what it was called, just that it stayed open 24 hours a day because it used to be open when I would drive home to Fulton County at three AM from working at UPS in Maumee. That was about 25-26 years ago.

[rrtechno]

I thought the Charlie,s where 20A turns south was connected to the Coney Islands in Toledo at one time.

I guess it still is. Charlies Greek Restaurant, Toledo Ohio. Gyros, Greek Salads & Greek food!

[canudigit]

I just thought of it. That place was called Kirk's Country Kitchen throughout most of the '80s and possibly into the '90s. It had orange plastic booths and stayed open 24/7.

[TXStrat]

I am almost positive it started out as a Swifty's. Then it was the chicken place for a few years, then Kirk's, and now Charlie's. Swifty's had burgers that made the school cafeteria burgers look tasty....it was pretty rough, even as a kid in the dark ages of the 70s.

[canudigit]

I don't remember Swifty's, but then I probably wasn't paying attention when we would take Airport Hwy. into south Toledo to visit our grandmother when I was a kid back in the '70s. I do remember, as you do, that the fast food options were pretty slim pickings back then. Going to McDonald's at Southwyck was a treat for us, since we had nothing remotely like it yet out amongst the cornfields, unless you want to count a very nasty Burger Chef restaurant that we used to visit in Napoleon sometimes.

[TXStrat]

I remember the Burger Chef. There was one, cannot remember if it was in Napoleon for sure, that had a coveyor belt you put your tray on when finished.

[buddieboy]

Originally Posted by canudigit

I don't remember Swifty's, but then I probably wasn't paying attention when we would take Airport Hwy. into south Toledo to visit our grandmother when I was a kid back in the '70s. I do remember, as you do, that the fast food options were pretty slim pickings back then. Going to McDonald's at Southwyck was a treat for us, since we had nothing remotely like it yet out amongst the cornfields, unless you want to count a very nasty Burger Chef restaurant that we used to visit in Napoleon sometimes.

i lived in napoleon in the mid seventys to 81 i atr at berger king frequently untill therr was mcdonalds (80s)there food was ok and served the community fot a time it was a cruise point 75 and 76 kids in muscle cars chevys fords with 8 tracks and little craig speakers lol ...love that place