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Gino’s and Ameche’s memories from Bill Unger of Shrewsbury

I received a letter from Bill Unger of Shrewsbury earlier this year with even more memories of the famous Gino’s and its Baltimore-area compatriot, Ameche’s.

More on Ameche’s, Gino’s, and a BUNCH of other Baltimore-area restaurants is available at the Kilduffs website; just click on the Ameche’s poster above.
Bill writes, “Didn’t know Gino’s was still alive. I seem to remember one on E. Market St. across from York County Shopping Center.” You have that right, Bill, and there were a handful more as well! One was at Route 30 and the Susquehanna Trail in Manchester Township, where Taco Bell is now; another was near the former Mailman’s Shopping Center (now Queensgate) off South Queen Street in York Township, where Wonderful Garden is now; and there was one in Hanover as well.

He adds, “Back in the mid ’50s, when I was young, dumb and happy, I spent several weekends a month visiting friends in Baltimore. I paid a stop every time at Ameche’s on Loch Raven Blvd. A real drive-in with order boxes and car hops. They were famous for their onion rings, Powerhouse sandwich and the slogan ‘I’ll meet you at Ameche’s.’ This may have predated Gino’s, which was famous for its Gino Giant.”

In fact, the Ameche of Ameche’s is actually a Gino’s co-founder! In fact, Alan Ameche, who played with Gino Marchetti on the Baltimore Colts, actually got into the food business with other partners in 1957, starting the restaurants that would later become Gino’s, and Marchetti didn’t come on board until a couple of years later! (The Ameche’s chain kind of ran parallel, to the best of my understanding, with five locations in the Baltimore area; at most, Gino’s had more than 375 locations!)

Previous Gino’s posts

1 comment on “Gino’s and Ameche’s memories from Bill Unger of Shrewsbury

  1. We went to Ameche’s on Loch Raven Boulevard on the day it opened. Going out to a restaurant was a really big deal back then. We also enjoyed Gino’s and Roy Rogers.
    Does anyone remember “The Golden Arm Restaurant” on York Road? The Golden Arm of course belonged to Johnny Unitas.

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