I received an email from a fan of my book who informed me that the 74 year-old institution Wilson's Sandwich Shop would be shuttered soon. The Courier (of Findlay, Ohio) reported that the economy was to blame and one of the owners Michael Fenbert was going to switch from grinding and pressing patties to outsourcing fresh patties to save money. Fenbert was quoted as saying, "I'm going to buy patties until we close down."
Thankfully the news is only partly true. I spoke to Vicki at Wilson's on Monday and she told me they are not closing. Whew. It was a misunderstanding. They will be outsourcing patties though. Turns out the good-old patty making machine they have been using for decades is suddenly not up to code. The paper reported that the machine had "the potential to pinch fingers." Duh. I asked Vicki if the patties would still be square and she replied, "Oh yes."
Wilson's is a historically significant burger joint whose square patties were most definitely one of the inspirations for the square patties at Wendy's (the other being Kewpee of Lima, OH just down the road.) To lose this place would be tragic.
