They’re Back!!! Mr. T’s and G.D. Ritzy’s Reviews

In recent years we’ve seen the reemergence of Denny’s, IHOP and Hardee’s back in the city. I did a post a while back showing restaurants and fast food spots that have come and gone in central Ohio. You can check it out here: Columbus History: Restaurants. I know for sure that one of those restaurants in that post was G.D. Ritzy’s. For those who don’t know, G.D. Ritzy’s was a popular fast food restaurant that closed about 20 years ago. G.D. Ritzy’s speciality was their food and ice cream; including milkshakes was made the old-fashioned way. At one point they had multiple locations around the city. I remember loving their peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and hot dogs. When we were kids, getting to eat a fast food meal was a special treat. It wasn’t something that we had multiple times a week. I heard about a couple of years ago that G.D. Ritzy’s was re-opening in Clintonville. We didn’t hear anything for a while, then around June I saw on 614 Columbus’ website that they were finishing up the building and hiring employees. They were now scheduled to open by late June. Another spot that re-opened just last week is one of my favorite places ever and huge staple for all of us northsiders. That place is Mr. T’s Pizza which I had absolutely no idea they were coming back. I didn’t know until a friend posted on Facebook last week that they had re-opened Mr. T’s and it’s just around the corner from where they used to be. I about lost my mind. I honestly don’t remember what their pizza and wings taste like, but I remember those damn Italian subs that no other sub place could ever duplicate. I tried to compare Terita’s, Frankie’s and Susie’s Italian subs to a Mr. T’s Italian sub and even thought they were close…nothing ever compared to a Mr. T’s sub. I remember being away at college and coming back in town one weekend and all I wanted was a Mr T’s sub…that was it. As soon as I drove back in town I headed towards Agler Rd before I even went to my mom’s house. I pull up ready to go in and order and it was gone!!! I was not impressed. Last I heard was that someone who worked at the original Mr. T’s took it over and just couldn’t keep the business going. That was in the early 2000’s. So of course…I had to hit up both G.D. Ritzy’s and Mr. T’s for old times sake.

I was off last Monday for a holiday named after a murderer and thief (which was the same day that I heard about Mr. T’s opening) so I decided that day to treat myself to something a little outside of my current diet. As soon as I heard Mr. T’s was opened, I immediately wanted to go there, but I figured that they would be packed. And yes they were. My step-dad went to get some subs for him and my mom and they ran out of sausage and a couple other things. They wouldn’t restock until 2pm. After hearing that I decided to go get met haircut and then head over to G.D. Ritzy’s, now just known simply as Ritzy’s. I could hit up Mr. T’s anytime because it isn’t far from where I live. Ritzy’s which is now located on North High Street in Clintonville; between Morse and Henderson Roads, still has that old 1950’s diner feel to it. Very vintage and old-fashioned. You can either sit down inside or order inside and take it to go. There’s a walk-up window, but I heard someone say that’s just to order ice cream and milkshakes. Not 100% sure about that detail quite yet. I went with a good friend of mine who remembered Ritzy’s too. She bought a cheeseburger, an order of fries and a milkshake. I ordered a hotdog and a chili. I don’t remember ever having their chili before, so since I can’t eat just anything anymore, I decided to go with that. I wanted to order a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to go, but decided against it. That will just give me an excuse to come back…very soon. Of course we had to share some of our food with each other. I took a piece of her cheeseburger and some fries; and she had some of the chili and hot dog. I mean…how else were we able to taste test everything? 😉 People have said that we have Steak & Shake so why do we need Ritzy’s back? Yes…they’re very similar restaurants with the same concept, but they’re the same. Of course in recent times, I can remember exactly what a Steak & Shake cheeseburger taste like, even though I haven’t had one in over a year. Yes…they’re good, but they would always end up making my stomach hurt. I don’t know what it is, but they did. Yet…I would still go back. From what I had tasted at Ritzy’s it was just something different about it. Maybe it wasn’t as greasy or something. Maybe their beef is fresh. I can’t pin-point exactly what the difference was. I’ll have to go a couple more times to probably be able to tell. 😉 This difference that I speak of isn’t a bad thing at all. Truthfully…it’s not much of a difference, but I will say that it’s good to have two very similar places (Ritzy’s and Steak & Shake) but there’s a slight difference that can be detected. That’s just my opinion. With Ritzy’s back will I still go to Steak & Shake? Of course I will. I don’t eat fast food that much anyway, but when I do want a burger…I’d rather go somewhere like Ritzy’s or Steak & Shake to get that fix. The chili was delicious. It reminded me more on the order of Wendy’s Chili, just thicker. And I don’t care what anyone says…I love Wendy’s Chili. Anyway…the fries weren’t anything spectacular…just normal shoestring fries. They were definitely served hot and fresh, so yes that’s definitely a plus. The hot dog was honestly just as I remember. It’s something about the casing on it that always stuck out in my mind. It’s like the hot dogs that you get at the meat market or butcher shop. I just had ketchup and mustard on it, but you can get pretty much anything on it, including the chili.

Now onto Mr. T’s. It’s still located in Gahanna, but now it’s on Johnstown Rd in front of the Gahanna Bowling Alley. When I first walked in there I was like…this place has way too much light to be Mr. T’s. Remember how dark the old Mr. T’s was LOL. However, it smelled like Mr. T’s though. I went right after worked and since I get off pretty early it wasn’t that crowded, but the people were still there hunny. The wait wasn’t long at all…I guess about average time, but I was satisfied with the wait time for ordering there. Of course I got an Italian sub (minus the onions) and yes it was everything that I remembered it was. As soon as I got home…I cut one half of the sub in half (I know…that’s all I can eat at once…judge yourself) and that first bite seriously took me back. It was the same exact taste. I was more than pleasantly pleased. I was also pleased about THOSE BURNED EDGES THO!!! Can we talk about that for just one second? They burn those edges on those subs just perfectly. It’s always been like that. That has to be a trademark of theirs. Won’t he do it? Even other subs that I’ve had that have burned edges…the edges are either burned too much or not enough. Listen…yes…I can tell. Even though I was only able to eat half of one-half at first (I ate the other half…of the half later on that evening); I still got the full effect of it and it was amazing. I don’t know what it is about a Mr. T’s sub, but it makes no sense for it to be that perfect. I want another one and may have to order one this week. I’ve never been this excited about a restaurant coming back. Not only is the food great, but it definitely takes me right back to my childhood. Going in that hot ass Mr. T’s building on Stelzer and Agler Rd, grabbing that brown bag full of subs. Once we got home I would go into my room, watch music videos and eat off of that sub all night! I mentioned earlier that I don’t remember what the pizza taste like, so of course I will have to get one of those pretty soon.

So…what’s next to come back? Sister’s Chicken & Biscuits? Rax? Zantego’s? Probably not, but the way things are going with these reboots of TV Shows, movies, clothes and now restaurants, I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m all about history and nostalgia so this is right up my alley. To be honest…my opinion is that we really don’t need any more fast food restaurants. I will say that I’m very content with Ritzy’s and Mr. T’s being back in business. If you haven’t checked them out…I highly recommend both restaurants. If you’re in the mood for burgers and fries…you know where to go. If you’re in the mood for pizza and subs…you know where to go.