For almost a half-century, an unpretentious family-owned diner near the State Street Bridge earned a reputation for serving home-cooked meals.
But Skooter’s Family Restaurant has become one of the latest businesses to close its doors for good, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Located at 1602 State St., Skooter’s closed on March 29, owner Vicki Michael said. While the dining area was closed, a family effort involved Michael; her husband, Dennis Michael; Vicki’s mother, Janice Grace and Michael’s 15-year-old grandson, Kai Linneweber, to provide carry-out meals. But due to a lack of demand, the carry-out effort only lasted a few weeks, she said.
When Indiana restaurants were later opened to 50% capacity, the 66-seat Skooter’s was too small and cramped to make a profit, Vicki Michael said.
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Although the family had hoped to reopen to full capacity on July 6, “we were still leery (of the COVID-19 virus) because the dining area is very tight,” she said. “Due to the layout and counter seating, our customers would still be grouped close together. We just decided we shouldn’t reopen.”
While the deal has not been finalized, Michael said her family have already agreed to sell the property to an out-of-state developer. Further details will be released when the sale is completed, she said.
Skooter’s was cherished by many in Bartholomew County. Almost 79,000 people have visited the Skooter’s Family Restaurant Facebook page, while 2,402 had listed themselves as friends of the restaurant.
In just a week after Vicki Michael used social media to announcing the permanent closing, the Facebook page has received more than 550 comments from saddened and nostalgic customers.
A long history
The following history was written from an interview with Skooter’s co-founders Larry and Janice Grace and their daughter, current owner Vicki Michael.
The origin of Skooter’s begins with a factory shutdown in Muncie nearly 50 years ago. Two unemployed friends came up with the idea of becoming partners, and franchising Scotties Hamburgers, which was one of their favorite Muncie restaurants.
Larry Grace and partner Howard Estep (1939-2019) did not choose to come to Bartholomew County due to business factors like market research, demographic studies, competition assessments or labor availability. Instead, they chose Columbus because of abundant nearby fishing and hunting opportunities.
Scottie’s management consented to the franchise, even though neither partner had restaurant management experience.
“I couldn’t even boil water,” Larry Grace said.
But they moved ahead, acquired land at the southwest corner of 24th Street and Central Avenue and poured a concrete foundation. In February, 1972, two oversized semis from Muncie carrying a pre-assembled modular building arrived at the site. It took less than a month before the Scottie’s opened in Columbus in March.
As a promotion, Scottie’s offered 12-cent hamburgers. The result was a record-breaking crowd for all Scottie’s franchises that created a line so long police were sent to manage traffic. After the promotion, the burger prices went up to 14 cents.
“They were so small, we were able to squeeze out 22 patties per pound of beef,” Larry Grace admitted with a smile.
While often compared to White Castle sliders, Grace and Estep were selling their burgers in Columbus 10 years before White Castle opened at 17th Street and National Road.
But nine months after the opening, the home office discovered a Dayton, Ohio corporation had legal rights to the name “Scotties.” So all franchises were told to call themselves “Friendly Fosters,” named after an investor and distinguished pilot. Besides inexpensive burgers, the diner was known for always being open and providing endless cups of coffee for a dime.
But the partners no longer wanted to following someone else’s rules, so in 1974, Grace and Estep broke off from the franchise and decided to go independent.
On their own
While Grace and Estep briefly owned an eatery in Greensburg, both dreaded the drive between restaurants, so they sold the Decatur County diner to two members of Janice Grace’s family.
But as one restaurant was sold, another was purchased. In 1974, the partners bought a restaurant formerly called “Bell Burger.” The fast-food outlet at 1602 State St. had gone bankrupt less than a year after it opened, Larry Grace said.
“The (sellers) told us a restaurant on State Street will never make it,” Janice Grace said. “They were wrong.”
While the Graces and Esteps talked over dinner one night, a consensus was reached that they should name their two eateries something similar to Scotties, the restaurant that first inspired the partners. It was Estep’s first wife, Phyllis Estep (1941-1988) who suggested the name “Skooter’s — and it stuck.
As the Esteps ran the Central Avenue diner, the Graces managed the State Street location. No longer tied to a franchise, Larry Grace began expanding his menu by adding biscuits and gravy.
However, the entire Grace family credit their cook, the late Frieda Greathouse, who kept expanding the menu little-by-little over the years.
“Frieda did much to make this place what it became,” said Janice Grace, 77.
Both Skooter’s were open through the ‘70s,’ 80s, and most of the ‘90s. After the Grace-Estep partnership ended amicably, the Esteps sold their property on Central Avenue to investor Bill Russell in the late 1990s.
While he operated the restaurant a few more years, Russell said he eventually decided to replace the almost 30-year-old modular building with a modern retail and office complex around 2002 that now houses Hilltop Vape Shop, The Morales Group and Miracle Ear.
And then, there was one
In 1974, Vicki Grace Michael began working for her father, Larry Grace, when she was only 12. Depending on the need, she would either be a waitress, cook or dishwasher. After six years at the Central Avenue diner, she began working side-by-side with her dad exclusively at the State Street location
Father and daughter worked together side-by-side until Larry Grace suffered a massive stroke in September, 1997. While Vicki Michael had to take over management, she said her 23 years of experience made it a smooth transition.
Larry Grace set strict quality standards for those who worked for him, and he kept a number of employees for more than three decades.
“I think that’s because Dad is probably one of the most generous individuals I’ve ever known,” Michael said.
When one ailing employee was unable to work for a year, Larry Grace continue to pay her, so she wouldn’t lose her home. He was also known to lend money to other employees and well-established customers if he knew for certain they had come upon hard times.
All three of Vicki Michael’s daughters — Fodrea Elementary principal Lyndsey Linneweber, Jessica Michael, and Kelsey Michael — began working as waitresses when they turned 14, and kept working at Skooter’s through college. Today, Jessica Michael manages the Starbucks coffeehouse in Edinburgh, while Kelsey Michael works for a pharmaceutical company in Tampa, Florida.
Although the State Street location is no more, don’t be surprised if Skooter’s returns some day at a different and larger location, Vicki Michael said. In fact, she’s already feeling pressure from her daughters to find a larger location to revive the family business, she said.
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The following represent just a sample of the more than 500 comments written after Scooter’s Family Restaurant announced on July 1 it would permanently close.
“You will always hold a special place in our hearts. We loved bringing the kids and exchange students to your restaurant for that home-cooked, family friendly dining” – Trina Newton
“Oh, no. This makes me sad. I have been by several times lately to see if you were open yet. Great food and always great staff and hospitality.” – Mary Perdue
“Breaks my heart. I have been going here ever since my granny started taking me 47 years ago.” – Tammy Joe Heck
“Thank you! For years, you cooked dinner for my mom & dad who otherwise would have eaten sandwiches every night.” – Cheryl Jessie
“I would hate to try to count how many Saturday mornings started with biscuits and gravy at Skooter’s for me and my dad.” – Deryl Cross.
“Wow! What an incredible legacy for you and your family.” – Lisa Bogard Piercefield
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Go to therepublic.com for more photos of the restaurant and owners.
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