Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Walters has declared today "Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips" Day in his city, honoring the last standalone location of the once-thriving chain on State Road.
Founded in Columbus in 1970 -- and later headquartered in Youngstown -- the chain's hush puppies and tartar sauce were once popular at 826 locations around the country.
Over five decades, it's survived being sold multiple times, co-branded (with Arby's and, later, Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs) and the 1970s’ "Cod Wars.”
The chain was back in the news recently as the second-to-last outlet, in Garfield Heights, closed earlier this month. And Nathan's Famous recently announced plans to bring the Arthur Treacher's menu back as a ghost kitchen concept.
The chain was named for actor Arthur Treacher, best-known for his role in 1964's "Mary Poppins" and as the announcer and sidekick on "The Merv Griffin Show." In 2003, Griffin discussed Treacher's business acumen in this clip from CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman."
ARTHUR TREACHER alert: today would have been Merv Griffin’s birthday. Here he is @Letterman discussing Treacher, his former sidekick/announcer. Thanks to the great @thedonz5 for this as part of his exhaustive @ByeLetterman talk show compilation https://t.co/MhaE8OvyPT pic.twitter.com/033Q2fDYtD
— Kabir Bhatia (@KabirBhatiaTime) July 6, 2021
