
11/17/2016
In the 1980's and earlier it was customary in Southern California to ask at the ordering counter for a free "In-N-Out Burger" bumper sticker that looked like photo #1... but then alter it to look like photo #2. ;-)
fjord's Smorg-ette
A smorgasbord restaurant, located @ 1351 N. State St., Ukiah, CA, near the on/of The buildings were unique because of their style of roof.
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fjord's Smorg-ette was a chain of buffet style restaurants located throuout Northern & Central California, Portland Oregon & Guam from the mid 1960's to the mid 1980's. Good food & prices! One of my fondest memories is of fjord's Smorg-ette's carrot raisen salad. This was made up at each location and served daily as were their other mouth watering foods! The fjord's Smorg-ette location in Ukiah at
1351 N. State Street was built and opened in 1964 but went out of business in 1988. It later became Bagels Zen Blues in the early 1990's but didn't last long. Wyvern Restaurants d.b.a. Round Table Pizza signed a 30 year lease on the building in 1999 but never did anything with it. They are advertising to sub-lease it today in 2012. So far no takers. However the former fjord's Smorg-ette building @ 1549 41st Ave., Capitola, CA (near Santa Cruz, CA) is an exact replica of the Ukiah fjord's building as most fjord's locations were. In 2008 the former Capitola, CA fjord's Smorg-ette location became an I-Hop after remodeling the inside. They cleaned the exterior of the building making it look desirable again but left the outside intact which is great for historical buffs such as myself. Someone should get ahold of the parent company of I-Hop and tell them we have another fjord's Smorg-ette building for them to fix up! The fjord's Smorg-ette chain founder Ron Daniel originally owned a Sno-White Drive In franchise restaurant in Oakdale, California. His son Daryl Daniel owns it today in 2012. There were approximately 200 Sno-White Drive Ins throughout Northern California in the 1950's & 1960's. Sno-White Drive In also had a location in Ukiah @ 1200 N. State Street (corner of Bricarelli St.). The former Sno-White Drive In location in Ukiah, California later became J.A.W.S. and later Lalo's Mexican Restaurant in 2010. So far as of May 2012 the former Ukiah fjord's Smorg-ette location is the only one I've ever found that had a large two story freeway sign. The Ukiah fjord's sign still stand today as of 2012. Raley's has approached the County of Mendocino twice about refurbishing the fjord's freeway sign to say "Raley's" but the powers that be has turned down Raley's both times. Once in the early 1990's and again in 2010. I guess the local Mendocino County government would rather have an eyesore that say's fjord's rather than a newly painted and lighted, well kept sign that said Raley's. Doesn't make since to me.
In the 1980's and earlier it was customary in Southern California to ask at the ordering counter for a free "In-N-Out Burger" bumper sticker that looked like photo #1... but then alter it to look like photo #2. ;-)
The Ultimate Guide to In-N-Out Burger Menu Hacks | Foodbeast
COMING SOON... In-N-Out Burger @ 1351 N. State St., Ukiah, CA 95482. Blueprint for future Ukiah location, site of the former "fjord's Smorg-ette." Finally, a long-term business for this long vacant (since 1996 = 20 years) business property. The In-N-Out Burger Company pays their employees some of the highest wages with benefits also has some of the highest food standards in the industry.
Thank you for the photographs and memories, Bob Dorsey.
I kept trying to tell people how nice and clean this building was inside, but few people believed me. Even the roof didn't leak. It was a sound, sturdy and useful building that was originally built to resemble an ice burg inside a fjord.
Hence the name; fjord's Smorg-ette.
There were originally 13 of these buildings built. After the Ukiah fjord's Smorg-ette building is torn down, only the former fjord's Smorg-ette building in the city of Capitola, CA near Santa Cruz will remain.
August 2016 photos contributed by local resident Bob Dorsey
The former fjord's Smorg-ette building at 1549 41st Avenue, Capitola, CA (near Santa Cruz), is now a beautifully remodeled I-Hop Restaurant.
This could have been done with Ukiah's fjord's building too.
Soon, the city of Capitola (near Santa Cruz, CA) will have the only fjord's Smorg-ette building left out of 14 fjord's Smorg-ette locations in Northern California, Simi Valley (in Southern California), Portland, Oregon & the country of Guam.
First two photos by Scott E. Hunter on 06/29/2016.
Second two photos by GSV on 02/2014.
We were hoping with all our hearts that this iconic "fjord's Smorg-ette building" that was designed to resemble an ice burg in a fjord could be preserved and remodeled like I-Hop did to the former fjord's Smorg-ette building in Santa Cruz, California.
But if this building has to be torn down, we're happy it's for In-N-Out Burger. They ARE NOT Like Other Burger joints. In-N-Out Burger is very unique in their higher pay scale and employee benefits, plus they have agreed to completely revamp needed upgrades to that intersection that Mendocino County has requested. They aren't required to make those upgrades. This will make for a better shopping experience in that area.
To all of you negative haters out there, this building is NOT full of rats, rat p**s and/or droppings. The roof does not leak and this building is very clean inside. This former fjord's Smorg-ette building is a clean shell. The fence was put up to keep the homeless people out or this building would have been trashed long ago.
This building was even repainted a while back to help preserve it and to get rid of that aweful pink and turquoise color the Bagels Zen Blues restaurant and live music venue people put upon it. This building was cleaned up from all of the Bagels Zen Blues trash and broken equipment that was left behind. When this building was Bagels Zen Blues there were people living in their cars and even an old bus parked all around the building.
This created all sorts of problems for the merchants of that time in the Ukiah Crossroads Shopping Center. That was one of the reasons that when the bus company tried to take over the fjord's building by eminent domain, there was a lawsuit filed to stop that and won!
It's amazing how many people who know absolutely nothing about what their talking about in regards to this building's history and the current state of this building, will open their mouth and sound so ignorant.
Also, for everyone who says this former fjord's Smorg-ette building could not be saved, I invite you to go look at what I-Hop did to remodel the former fjord's Smorg-ette building in Santa Cruz, CA.
In-N-Out Burger pays their employees higher than minimum wage and uses higher quality ingredients than most other restaurants of this type. They keep their properties extremely clean. And they have agreed to pay for upgrades to the N. State Street & KUKI Road intersection. In-N-Out Burger is definitely a BIG PLUS for Ukiah and we welcome them.
In-N-Out Burger is buying the former Fjords building, a Mendocino County official confirmed Tuesday, describing the chain as a "really good developer" that will make some much-needed improvements to the area.
Story: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/general-news/20160412/in-n-out-burger-to-take-over-fjords-building-in-ukiah
Former Restaurant Franchise from the 1960's, 1970's & 1980's with a Total of 14 Locations
I Want To Live Again! ~ Ukiah's fjord's Smorg-ette property & Building now officially on the market as "FOR SALE".
Realtor says it's probably a tear-down' Ukiah Daily Journal The old Fjord's building and land just north of Ukiah was listed for sale this week, according to Todd Schapmire of Remax, who is handling the sale.
This former fjord's Smorg-ette location is now an I-Hop Restaurant located in the Kings Plaza Center @ 1549 41st. Street, Capitola, CA.
California, Oregon & the country of Guam. Almost in the state of Washington!
California, Oregon & almost Washington! (plus the country of Guam)
All You Can Eat! ~ Lunch $1.00 / Dinner $1.50
All You Can Eat! Lunch $1.00 / Dinner $1.50
1351 N State St
Ukiah, CA
95482
Monday | 11am - 2:30pm |
5pm - 9pm | |
Tuesday | 11am - 2:30pm |
5pm - 9pm | |
Wednesday | 11am - 2:30pm |
5pm - 9pm | |
Thursday | 11am - 2:30pm |
5pm - 9pm | |
Friday | 11am - 2:30pm |
5pm - 10pm | |
Saturday | 11am - 2:30pm |
5pm - 10pm | |
Sunday | 12pm - 9pm |
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