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Are you one of many Fort Wayne residents that remembers celebrating a childhood birthday at Don Hall's Takaoka of Japan or Don Hall's Old Gas House? Do you remember your first experience "driving through" for your food in the 1950s on the south side of town?
Don Hall, Sr., now deceased, was an entrepreneur, an inventor, a visionary and a family man. As owner of a meat market on the south side of Fort Wayne during the 1930s, Hall could see how the onset of "modern" conventions - such as more families owning multiple cars and the entry of supermarkets, like Kroger and A&P - could hurt the mom-and-pop businesses. So in 1946, he bought 40 acres of swampland on Bluffton Road and entered the restaurant business by opening Hall's Drive-In Restaurant. Looks like his seemingly risky enterprise paid off - in spades!
Hall's three sons, Don Jr. (Bud), Sam and Jeff continued in their father's footsteps, building the business from a single drive-in to more than 13 locations, each with its own flair and personality (a restaurant for any mood!), and continuing Hall's reputation for quality, service and value.
"We don't cut corners," says Bud. "We take pride in everything we do."
This tradition of quality and customer service has continued to the next generation, with six of Don's grandchildren currently serving the company in management positions.
Jeff says one distinctly unique feature of the restaurant chain is...