Missing Ann Arbor Institution

Submitted by fritZ on October 16th, 2020 at 6:31 PM

We didn't get an Ann Arbor Institution post this week. 

I nominate Pizza Bob's for the next write up.

What say you MGoBoard?

Sam1863

October 17th, 2020 at 4:40 AM ^

My nephew worked at Pizza Bob's several years ago, and used to regale me with stories of both the milkshakes (which were as good as he advertised), and which UM sports celebs had come through the door. (Big surprise, he thought John Beilein was a great guy.)

But his favorite visitors were the women's volleyball players. Athletic women with legs that went on forever. No surprise there, either.

Wendyk5

October 16th, 2020 at 11:32 PM ^

I used to be a Pizza House for chipatis person. One of my housemates worked at Pizza House when we were in school (mid 80's) when it was still just a frame house and so we ate a lot of chipatis. But I've changed my tune since then. Pizza Bob's bread (chipati) is thinner and more delicate, and I now like it better. 

Blue Me

October 16th, 2020 at 6:48 PM ^

Taco Bob's Killer Taco for $5 was an incredible value in 1984.

It was really more burrito than taco but who's counting?

RGard

October 16th, 2020 at 8:05 PM ^

I think they already did Rick's.

Edit: No they didn't do Rick's.  So yes, Rick's is in order.  I remember our professor taking us there for class late on Friday afternoons and enjoying underage beer and wings.

UNCWolverine

October 16th, 2020 at 8:56 PM ^

May 1996 weekend of the then Jim Harbaugh celebrity golf outing. My friend was dating one of the bouncers so he let me into this closed event at Rick's. That night I got to have beers with Harbaugh, Junior Seau, AC Slater, Stephen Baldwin, and a bunch of Red Wings. 

I told Harbaugh about my first ever Michigan game sitting in the front row corner of the endzone (before they lowered the field, couldn't see shit). Then he scored a TD and ended up in that corner where I hit him on the top of the helmet as he was celebrating. He loved that story, slapped me on the back sort of like he did to Lions coach Schwartz.

While taking a leak Mario Lopez asked me if I had a condom. The next day word spread around campus that his limo dropped a tri delt off at her sorority house....

Toasted Yosties

October 16th, 2020 at 7:25 PM ^

Defunct institution here, but my dad just bought me a shirt for Drake’s Sandwich Shop for my birthday, from a company that produces shirts of defunct places. It’s been gone most of my life, but when I was four or five, I have fond memories of getting candy there as well as old-fashioned cherry cokes. If I ever won the powerball, I’d probably open up a new version with some new features. But as it is, great memories of Drake’s. 

MGlobules

October 16th, 2020 at 9:01 PM ^

While I was a junior and senior at Huron High, a lot of the prettiest girls in my class worked at Drake's. They used to wear these lime green jackets over their miniskirts. Transports of ecstasy thinking about it even now. Once did a little kissing with one of them up in the often roped off Martian Room. 

 

UNCWolverine

October 16th, 2020 at 8:58 PM ^

my aunt and uncle live on the river off of barton drive. We go to Casey's every time I'm in town. I've probably had their french dips 20 times.

My parents came up for my 21st birthday and we went to Casey's. I had my first ever legal beer there, a pitcher of Bell's Solsun. Absolute delicious, Oberon doesn't quite taste the same. 

Blue Me

October 16th, 2020 at 9:39 PM ^

Me and two friends looked at buying the Del Rio when it was for sale about twenty years ago.  Far too much in the way of upgrades required for what they were asking for it, though ($850k IIRC) -- needed one of everything.

Don

October 17th, 2020 at 8:18 AM ^

The Del Rio was originally operated as a collective, employee-managed coop, and this organizational structure was not conducive to long-term financial health. Which no doubt contributed to the need for significant upgrades when you were looking at buying it.

For a couple of years back in the late '70s I worked on a painting company owned by a friend who I'd met in UM's architecture program. One of the jobs we did was painting the exterior of the Del Rio building, and I got to ride the cherry-picker we rented to paint the upper floor windows. Nice view from up there.

Blue Me

October 17th, 2020 at 8:48 AM ^

It's been a while but my recollection is that very little was dropping to the bottom line -- think they were only showing a profit of $45K a year or so. But maybe they were stuffing mattresses. 

Would have been great to save Del Rio but, as an investment, it made no sense at all.

Remember their great cassette tape collection (from which they took no requests)? The wait and bar staff was pretty entitled. We went there during a pub crawl during an incredible hot day during the Art Fair and were ejected because my buddy quoted Chaucer (replete with a "teat" reference). I still get a lot of mileage out of that decades later!

Blue Me

October 17th, 2020 at 8:54 AM ^

It's been a while but my recollection is that very little was dropping to the bottom line -- think they were only showing a profit of $45K a year or so. But maybe they were stuffing mattresses. 

Would have been great to save Del Rio but, as an investment, it made no sense at all.

Remember their great cassette tape collection (from which they took no requests)? The wait and bar staff was pretty entitled. We went there during a pub crawl during an incredible hot day during the Art Fair and were ejected because my buddy quoted Chaucer (replete with a "teat" reference). I still get a lot of mileage out of that decades later!