Remember when a chain restaurant could become so beloved that an entire city declared a holiday in its honor? That is the kind of nostalgia waiting at this old fashioned Ohio spot, the last surviving location of a brand that once boasted over eight hundred restaurants across the country.
The name comes from a famous British character actor who played butlers in old Hollywood films, a choice meant to evoke a sense of authenticity. Today, the owner runs the fry line himself.
He emigrated from Sicily in the 1970s, started as a manager trainee planning to stay just six months to pay for grad school, and never left. Nearly five decades later, he proudly calls himself the “original fish fryer.” The restaurant operates inside a building that was originally a Wendy’s, extensively renovated to make room for malt vinegar and crispy batter…