History
of Bearden's
Opened in
1934 as "Jackson Limited", it was
Charlie Jackson's second drive-in in the area. The word
"Limited" referred to the model train
circling above the dining room and was taken from the
era of train travel during which many of the great passenger
trains were known as "Limiteds".
In a time when there were few suburban eateries, Jackson's
Limited and Jackson's Airport locations flourished.
Due to a labor shortage brought on by WWII, Jackson's
Limited was forced to close in 1943.
The restaurant
was leased and reopened in November of 1944 by M. W.
(Bill) Orange and operated for several years as Jackson's
with help from his brother, J. B. Orange. In 1948, Ross
Bearden bought the restaurant from Charlie Jackson.
M. W. Orange retained his lease and formed a partnership
with Ross Bearden to build more restaurants. At the
same time, J. B. Orange started Orange Line Publishing
Co., producing one of the country's first suburban telephone
directories, with his first book servicing Rocky River.
Ross
Bearden and M. W. Orange built three more Bearden's
Restaurants during the 1950s starting with Rocky River
Drive in Cleveland (1952), Pearl Road in Parma (1954),
and Warren Road in Lakewood (1956).
The
1950s were the heyday of the drive-in restaurant theme
and Bearden's was no exception. Staying open until 2
or 3 in the morning on Friday and Saturday nights and
having police direct traffic and provide parking lot
security was the norm. To this day, we still hear stories
of high school romances, first dates and hot cars. The
popularity of the drive-in theme waned in the early
1960s and soon "Curb Service" was a thing
of the past.
With
Ross Bearden's death in the mid 1960s and M. W. Orange's
failing health in the late 1960s, J. B. Orange took
over the operation of the restaurants. He purchased
the Lake Road restaurant in June of 1971and began a
series of remodeling projects. A shingle roof and Tudor
facade were added along with a "Dairy Window"
for the sale of soft serve cones and sundaes. In 1974
the "Pavilion" was enclosed and became the
"Back Room" with its own train, wooden benches
and tables, and Ben Franklin stove. In the early 1980s,
the Tudor facade was covered with the existing stone
and the "Back Room" was remodeled.
Most of J. B. and Ruth
Orange's children worked in the restaurant while growing
up. Their youngest son, Joe, took over management in
1982 and purchased the business from his parents in
1985. The last major remodeling took place in 1994 with
the closing of the restaurant for one month during which
the entire restaurant was gutted and rebuilt. The "Back
Room" was eliminated, the kitchen was moved back
and the front dining room was enlarged, retaining the
train, of course.
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