Tis the Season
Tis the season... for olive burgers?
This may not be the first thing you think of when Christmas time rolls around. But for me, it brings back so many memories of not just those particular olive burgers, but one of the men behind the food. My dad, Dick Faber, along with his cousin, John Boyles, started the Mr. Fables restaurant chain that became a local favorite.
Here's a summary of Mr. Fables' history per Wikipedia (with a few tweaks from me):
In 1929, Gerald Boyles opened a licensed Kewpee location on North Division Avenue in Grand Rapids. Gerald developed two secret recipes for a burger dressing and onion ring batter. In 1963, Gerald's son, John Boyles and his cousin, Dick Faber, purchased Gerald's Kewpee business and renamed it Mr. Fables (FAB from Faber + LES from Boyles).
In addition to Grand Rapids and Holland, Mr. Fables also operated locations in Grand Haven, Muskegon, Big Rapids, and Benton Harbor over its many decades in business. At the height of their business, they owned and operated 17 restaurants.
In 1988, Boyles and Faber sold the chain including licensing for the secret recipes (provided that they remain secret) to Colonel Chicken, Inc., incorporated by Donald W. Reynolds (later Fables-Innkeepers Management, Inc. then Grand Rapids Innkeepers Management, Inc.). Faber and Boyles hoped the new owner would grow the chain.
Mr. Fables fell victim to the national chains in the late 1990s. While the Fables stores occupied many of the premium real estate locations throughout Grand Rapids, they were sold off piece by piece. Some of those locations were purchased by New Beginnings Family Restaurants.The last Mr. Fables restaurant closed in 2000.
I am sad that the restaurants are no longer around. I would have loved to show my children the restaurants that my dad and his cousin worked so hard to operate. I know they would have loved the crispy onion rings, the juicy burgers made fresh right in front of you that would drip onto the wrapper when you took a bite... Mmmmm.... Those were the days of fresh and hot food. And I should know, I worked in 4 of them during my high school and college years. And we ate many, many Mr. Fables meals - the food was just that good. We never tired of it.
My dad had such a good business sense. He definitely found prime property locations to build the restaurants, served quality food, and took great care of his loyal employees. I know there were so many of them. There were people who had worked for him for 15, 20, and even 40 years. I remember my parents getting dressed up to attend the annual employee recognition award ceremonies. The company would recognize the many years of service that their employees had earned, reward them, and celebrate their accomplishments. They made a point of valuing each person in their employ.
He also was a stickler for a well-run restaurants. We would go on their closed days to "check the stores" and my mom and I would be sent throughout the restaurant, directed to "look for dirt". Anything that was not thoroughly cleaned got written up and left in a note for the manager the next day. One of the rewards for our labor was being able to bring home a 3-gallon container of vanilla ice cream, some Roman Meal bread, and occasionally a cookie or two.
My father didn't mind when the time came to sell the restaurants. He had worked in the business for many years (since his high school days at the Kewpee) and was ready for a change. Since neither of my brothers or I aspired to run the business, he and his cousin decided to sell. I think it was easier for him at the time because he had other business interests, and by then was spending time in Florida for the winter.
My dad passed away on Friday, December 20, 2013 after suffering a serious stroke on December 5. By God's grace I was able to go down to Florida and visit him one last time to say goodbye. I told him how thankful I was for him, how he had done a good job taking care of my mom (in her last year of life) and how much I loved him. Although he was mostly paralyzed, and couldn't speak, he knew I was there and was able to receive the love I had for him.
I'm so glad I had the chance to see him that one last time. What I realized so clearly after he passed away was how important relationships are; they are truly one of the most important things in this life.
And even though I still feel the sadness of him being gone, I am so thankful for the times we had and all the memories of him I will always keep close in my heart.
Blessings.
This may not be the first thing you think of when Christmas time rolls around. But for me, it brings back so many memories of not just those particular olive burgers, but one of the men behind the food. My dad, Dick Faber, along with his cousin, John Boyles, started the Mr. Fables restaurant chain that became a local favorite.
Here's a summary of Mr. Fables' history per Wikipedia (with a few tweaks from me):
In 1929, Gerald Boyles opened a licensed Kewpee location on North Division Avenue in Grand Rapids. Gerald developed two secret recipes for a burger dressing and onion ring batter. In 1963, Gerald's son, John Boyles and his cousin, Dick Faber, purchased Gerald's Kewpee business and renamed it Mr. Fables (FAB from Faber + LES from Boyles).
Gerald Boyles developed two secret recipes for the chain when it was still a Kewpee: burger dressing/sauce and onion ring batter. It was distributed by Gordon Food Service and made by Chadalee (now Litehouse Inc.) at its Lowell facility. The burger sauce: while most assume that it is just mayo and olives, Litehouse would only reveal that it contains eggs and fresh lemon.
They were known for the Deluxe (olive burger) and the Mr. Fabulous. They also had kids meals (called a 'Munch Box'), a fun machine for which kids could request tokens, and a sucker tree.
In addition to Grand Rapids and Holland, Mr. Fables also operated locations in Grand Haven, Muskegon, Big Rapids, and Benton Harbor over its many decades in business. At the height of their business, they owned and operated 17 restaurants.
In 1988, Boyles and Faber sold the chain including licensing for the secret recipes (provided that they remain secret) to Colonel Chicken, Inc., incorporated by Donald W. Reynolds (later Fables-Innkeepers Management, Inc. then Grand Rapids Innkeepers Management, Inc.). Faber and Boyles hoped the new owner would grow the chain.
Mr. Fables fell victim to the national chains in the late 1990s. While the Fables stores occupied many of the premium real estate locations throughout Grand Rapids, they were sold off piece by piece. Some of those locations were purchased by New Beginnings Family Restaurants.The last Mr. Fables restaurant closed in 2000.
I am sad that the restaurants are no longer around. I would have loved to show my children the restaurants that my dad and his cousin worked so hard to operate. I know they would have loved the crispy onion rings, the juicy burgers made fresh right in front of you that would drip onto the wrapper when you took a bite... Mmmmm.... Those were the days of fresh and hot food. And I should know, I worked in 4 of them during my high school and college years. And we ate many, many Mr. Fables meals - the food was just that good. We never tired of it.
My dad had such a good business sense. He definitely found prime property locations to build the restaurants, served quality food, and took great care of his loyal employees. I know there were so many of them. There were people who had worked for him for 15, 20, and even 40 years. I remember my parents getting dressed up to attend the annual employee recognition award ceremonies. The company would recognize the many years of service that their employees had earned, reward them, and celebrate their accomplishments. They made a point of valuing each person in their employ.
He also was a stickler for a well-run restaurants. We would go on their closed days to "check the stores" and my mom and I would be sent throughout the restaurant, directed to "look for dirt". Anything that was not thoroughly cleaned got written up and left in a note for the manager the next day. One of the rewards for our labor was being able to bring home a 3-gallon container of vanilla ice cream, some Roman Meal bread, and occasionally a cookie or two.
My father didn't mind when the time came to sell the restaurants. He had worked in the business for many years (since his high school days at the Kewpee) and was ready for a change. Since neither of my brothers or I aspired to run the business, he and his cousin decided to sell. I think it was easier for him at the time because he had other business interests, and by then was spending time in Florida for the winter.
My dad passed away on Friday, December 20, 2013 after suffering a serious stroke on December 5. By God's grace I was able to go down to Florida and visit him one last time to say goodbye. I told him how thankful I was for him, how he had done a good job taking care of my mom (in her last year of life) and how much I loved him. Although he was mostly paralyzed, and couldn't speak, he knew I was there and was able to receive the love I had for him.
I'm so glad I had the chance to see him that one last time. What I realized so clearly after he passed away was how important relationships are; they are truly one of the most important things in this life.
And even though I still feel the sadness of him being gone, I am so thankful for the times we had and all the memories of him I will always keep close in my heart.
Blessings.
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