Wind-whipped snow pelted our faces as we exited the car in downtown Ravenna on a 10-degree day.
Inside the Horseshoe Diner , it was warm and friendly.
Woodie and Susan Goodnight welcomed us to their new restaurant in the Buckeye Mall at 250 W. Main St.
The Goodnights have revived the name of a classic restaurant that older residents of Portage County might remember. The original Horseshoe Diner operated from the 1940s to 1960s next to the Hotel Ravenna, where Etna House stands today. In fact, Woodie’s mother used to work at the little diner.
The new restaurant, on the opposite side of the street and a block away from the original location, has its share of history, too. The mini-mall opened in 1983 at the former Skorman’s Miracle Mart, the flagship of a discount chain that once boasted a dozen stores in Northeast Ohio.
Horseshoe Diner is open daily for breakfast and lunch. My wife, Susie, and I arrived at 11 a.m. on a cold, blustery Sunday.
Customers can enter the mall from Main Street or Locust Lane. Woodie greeted us in the corridor and Susan waited on us. The comfy diner, which seats 51, has a small counter with four stools and a larger room with red, white and blue vinyl booths and tables wrapped in red-and-white vinyl.