Fjord's Smorg-ette

08/12/2024

The original 8 fjord's Smorg-ettes that were built in California in 1965 all had the same shape with their pointed roof up front. They were built to resemble how a building would be built near the Arctic Glaciers.

After 1965 some fjord's did, some fjord's did not have tat uniquelypointed roof. There were a total of 14-fjord's Smorg-ettes overall in the West Coast chain of family Style smörgåsbord / buffet restaurants.

The photos below are from the former fjord's Smorg-ette that was at 3004 Story Road, in San Jose.

These photos are from 1970 and even though they are close-up, you can tell the building is different than the uniquely pointed & slanted roof fjord's buildings from the 1965 era.
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The former fjord's Smorg-ette building in Ukiah, California was torn down to build a large, beautiful & clean In-N-Out Burger.

The former fjord's Smorg-ette building in Merced, California was torn down to widen a Highway 140 bridge on the south end of Merced.

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. ;-)

11/16/2016

09/09/2016

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.

08/07/2016

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

07/21/2016

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.

04/13/2016

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

05/02/2014

Former Restaurant Franchise from the 1960's, 1970's & 1980's with a Total of 14 Locations

03/03/2014

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.