Here is a menu from the Black Cat Restaurant in Fostoria, Ohio. Not sure when it’s from, but whenever it was, you could get a Large Thick Porterhouse with potatoes, salad, rolls and hot beverage for $2.95. Of course you wouldn’t want the hot beverage, would you? You’d wash it down with an Extra Dry Martini for 70 cents.

 

This is cut and pasted from the Fostoria history section of Fostoria.org:

 

History of the Black Cat Restaurant
“The place to take your best girl !”
From R/t Oct 23, 2003
Article impart by Gene Kinn.

The Black Cat is Fostoria’s oldest eating establishment and is the only full-service bar and restaurant within the city. It was originally opened in 1928 by Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Burkhart, and their son, Cecil. Then it was a small barbecue stand. It had carhops, severed milkshakes, and sold gas.

Following the repeal of prohibition in 1933, the first license for the sale of 3.2 beer in Fostoria was granted to the Black Cat.

The business was closed in 1943 when Cecil entered the armed forces and his parents retired. Following the war, Cecil and his wife, Helen opened the Hays Bar in downtown Fostoria and operated it until 1950 when they reopened the Black Cat.

The facility was later sold to Orville and Zip Twining. They divorced and Zip continued to operate the restaurant. Following her death ownership passed to Sip Orians, long-time Black Cat bartender, as stipulated in Zip’s will. After several years, Orians sold to Jim McDermott. Later a group, including Terry Swartzwelder and Bruce Theobald, Jr. purchased the facility.

Leah Hipsher bought the Black Cat in 1981 and operated it for nearly 18 years, later in 1998 turned the operation over to her son, Ron.

Earlier this month (Oct. 2003), Hipsher completed and extensive renovation of the dinning area, The re-do includes new wooden dividers, new tabletops and booths, new carpet and paint. A gas-burning fireplace and new ceiling fans. “We wanted to brighten it up and bring it more up to date.” he said.

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(back to me)

It’s no longer in business, unfortunately, so I can’t take the menu over to them and see if they would’ve honored the prices. Though, as a vegetarian, all I could’ve ordered was some onion rings for 50 cents and french fries for 40 cents, and maybe a couple of those extra dry martinis.

Found this in a box of books I was sorting through, and just wanted to share. The menu is a scrunch bigger than my scanner, so it’s not quite a complete scan, but you’ve got everything important. I’m kinda thinking about framing it.