5370 Mayfield Rd., Lyndhurst
The Girves Brown Derby, which launched in Akron in 1941 and grew to some 50 locations across Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Florida and Arizona, is down to four restaurants after the Lyndhurst location closed in May. Gus Girves' approach — offering fine dining-level food at modest prices in attractive dining rooms — clearly made a splash. Not to be confused with the Texas-themed Brown Derby Roadhouse version, nor the L.A.-based chain of Brown Derbys that existed from the late-1920s through the 1980s, the Hudson-based Girves Brown Derby had long been a local success story. The Lyndhurst location was upgraded and converted from a Roadhouse to a Girves Brown Derby about 13 years ago. Following the closure of the Lyndhurst restaurant, the remaining locations can be found in Bagley, Medina, Streetsboro and Canton.