Kippy's Restaurant (Today's Firehouse & Grill)

T'aint what we have its what we give
T'aint what we are its how we live
T'aint what we do its how we do it
That makes Kippy worth coming to it.

The original menu consisted of Hamburgers, Coffee, Pie, Chili, Bottled Pop, and Milk. Mr. Heath worked 16 hour shifts and had only 3 employees to operate the 104 South Main Street Kippy's. There was seating for only 25 at the first location and the building rent was $4.50 a month.

In 1947 Heath moved Kippy's to 45 South Main Street where the seating enlarged to 100 and they started serving Kippy Burgers, Biggie Burgers (w/special sauce), Finger Lickin' Chicken and milkshakes with the logo of 'Freeze your teeth and give your tongue a sleigh ride.'
Soon Kippy's turned into a chain opening in 1940 the 2100 Front Street restaurant and in 1946 it too moved across the street to a larger location where it stayed for the next 38 years.
In 1966 Arlington opened and in 1972 the Kippy's in Norton Center opened up. All the stores ran on a 24 hour schedule. 130 workers were used to operate all four Kippy's.
The Akron Kippy's closed in 1979 with the Arlington and Norton following shortly thereafter in 1980. The Cuyahoga Falls restaurant closed in 1984.

1941 Specials
Vegetable Soup - 10ç
Fish Sandwich - 20ç
French Fried Potatoes - 10ç
1. Fish and Chips
Cold Slaw
Coffee, Tea or Milk 35ç
2. Grilled Beef Tenderloin
Butter Fries or French Fries
Choice of Salad
Coffee, Tea or Milk 50ç
3.A Golden Brown Waffle
Maple Syrup and Butter
Coffee, Tea or Milk 25ç
Waffle with Ham 35ç
Waffle with Bacon 35ç
4 Hamburg Sandwich
Vegetable Soup and French Fries
Coffee, Tea or Milk 30ç
New: Kippy Blizzard Milkshake
with your sandwich or lunch 15ç
'It's thick enough to eat with a spoon"

From: Byron Hummel '53
I sure remember the "real birth" of R&R in our area especially "Request Review". Some Fri.&/ or Sat. nites in the early 50's we would be in Akron at a teen center or hanging out at Kippy's we would stop at the Mayflower Hotel to see Alan Freed in the recording booth. Sometimes he would mention on the air we were there, ask us to request a song, and once even let us say hello on the air. My name was mentioned in the 1953 "Cigam" as aspiring to be a "Moondog". I don't recall that happening but life has been and still is fun and especially fun is this site; to revisit old friends, old times and old haunts. Have a great life!

Dee Holland "I remember a cook, Wesley, would moo over the microphone. Kippy's atmosphere was a party all the time. We would always have the regulars' coffee ready and waiting at their respective 'spots'."

Pam Modzel "Our uniforms consisted of black skirts, white blouses and white nursing shoes."

Dee Holland "Pam's skirt was always waaay too short, it only came mid thigh. On Friday and Sat nights a falls cop would come in and 'baby-sit' the bar crowd." And on nights before a holiday [it] was busier than normal, we did triple then what would we do on a normal night."

Dee Holland "1/2 price to cops in uniform. A bowl of chili was 60 cents. Kippy's had two huge grills, 14 booths and two tables up front and two tables in back. The one booth in the back was for the employees except during bar rushes."