Every town should have an Al Ingalls
At one time or another every town should have an Al Ingalls.
Bluffton had one. And we truly feel for the towns that didn’t.
Al and his wife, Millie, owned Ingalls Restaurant. It was the last real sit-down restaurant on Main Street.
What a place. Hours were, oh, 5:30 a.m. to, what, 10 p.m. at night?
Those hours were set for the community, not the owners. It operated in a sort of informal “community system.” Meetings took place there. Deals developed. Coffee was poured. More meetings took place. More deals developed. More coffee was poured.
It was an interesting cycle.
The Sunday after-church crowd might wait 30 minutes for a table. Imagine that.
During the week, at noon and dinner, Al met you at the door with menus in hand. He greeted you like your were his long-lost best friend.
“How many?" (meaning table for how many?), he’d ask. He didn’t really need to ask. He knew the answer just by looking at you. It was simply conversation. It was a connection.
He liked connections. That’s why his restaurant worked.
Did Al Ingalls invent the buffet salad bar? Okay, maybe not. But, he realized early on its value and made it affordable.
He did lots of other things. Consider:
• He’d prepare the fish. If you caught it and brought it in. He’d prepare it for you.
• The restaurant was a donation center. Al was known to hang a string from the kitchen to the front door. Patrons could clip cash and checks on it in times when someone in need – well, was in need of cash.
• In the mid-1950s Bluffton College had some unusually great football teams. Reliable sources tell that some of the more famous players were given, let’s call it, grants-in-aid, from a rotating donation fund housed in the restaurant.
After all, a good football team brings people to Bluffton. Those fans have to eat somewhere.
Some claim payment was based upon the number of touchdown a grant recipient scored in a game. But, that's all hearsay.
• Birthday parties took place in the back room. The room had a name: the Alcove Room. At these parties you could even bring your own cake.
There’s lots more to write about Al – how Bluffton got its parking lots behind Main Street, how the Ream holiday folk art display landed here…the list goes on.
Yep. Every town should have an Al Ingalls.
We know, because we had a great one.
Stories Posted This Week
Saturday, November 23, 2024
- Pirate football downs Patriots in Region 22 final
- Owen D. Ziessler worked for Accubuilt
- Weekend Doctor: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
- Agenda for Bluffton Council on November 25
- Super Cute Dresses ships 10,000 packages via Bluffton Post Office in 2024
- Volunteer opportunities at Bluffton Hospital
- Invitation to provide monthly display at Bluffton library
Friday, November 22, 2024
- Ticket and livestream info for Bluffton Pirates v. Patrick Henry football
- Service of thanks at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran
- Pirate girls basketball beats Hornets in McDonald’s opener
- 100+ voices in Bluffton's Handel's Messiah chorus
- Pirate Worcester named top district defender
- BVHS receives Level 7 achievement in ‘Most Wired’ survey
Thursday, November 21, 2024
- McDonald’s Holiday Tournament, Thursday, November 21
- 2024 Fall Festival in pictures: At the Schumacher Homestead
- Fairy I. Parkins was postmaster of Benton Ridge
- Council committee and residents discuss ADUs, best and worst case scenarios
- BPL hosts Open Crafts and Game Space, November 26
- Women in Business meet November 21
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
- Bluffton Beavers sports roundup, Nov. 13-19
- ODOT prepping for first snow of the season
- Mason named OBL 2024 Banker of the Year
- October 2024 land transfers in Bluffton school district
- November chamber meeting explores member news, Blaze plans and flag etiquette
- Bluffton EMS by the numbers: October 2024
- Children left unattended in running vehicles can lead to abductions
- Icon search function goes from 0 to 30