The Welcome Return of Restaurants From matchbooks to memories, restaurants have always given us much more than food By Malinda Meadows
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n the not-too-distant past, restaurant matchbooks were very much a part of the norm. Originally designed with a two-fold purpose in mind, these matchbooks served as a clever marketing ploy as well as a convenient method for lighting up a post-dinner cigarette. But soon, a third purpose arose that extended far beyond its intended uses—and to nonsmokers, too. These little cardboard books housing a colorful collection of pent-up hotheads served as something much more nostalgic: an old-school memento. Restaurant matchbooks became a reminder of a joyous night, a special celebration, a travel souvenir. Early matchbook designs even left intentional white space on the inner fold—just the right amount of space for jotting down the phone number of a new interest one might have just met.
As it happens, many of these matches were created right here in Ohio, in the northeastern city of Wadsworth. As the second-oldest match manufacturer in the United States, the Ohio Match Co. played a significant role in the creation of restaurant matchbooks until its demise in 1987. While the company did produce some innovative and recognizable trademarks (such as “Ohio Blue Tip” and “Rosebud”), Ohio was, perhaps
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appropriately, known for its slow but steady approach. While smoking rates have since plummeted and healthier habits now prevail, the desire for a restaurant memento didn’t quite burn out with smoking sections. It simply evolved.
Restaurant mementos today As restaurants suffered through pandemic restrictions this past year, the residents of Columbus and other cities across the nation have rallied in support of their favorite restaurants in hopes of returning once again. While restaurant matchbooks are less common now, restaurant-goers have always found unique ways to remember special places or mark the passing of time. For the nostalgic among us, this might mean saving paper receipts from this past year as a snapshot of this pandemic time. Others have purchased keepsakes like branded mugs, T-shirts and hats alongside their takeout orders to help support their favorite places. Some even collected menus from restaurants that didn’t survive the pandemic, preserving a slice of history. As we now inch into summer—some 400 days after the pandemic began—more and more Americans are able to access the coronavirus vaccine, and more and more restaurants are
