Campus Restaurant gets new owner

Old favorites to be combined with new flavors

Legend has it that Campus Restaurant made a name for itself by drenching a bowl of vanilla ice cream in hot fudge.

Although Campus will continue to serve up their signature hot fudge sundaes, the restaurant's newest owner is concentrating his efforts on rolling catfish in cornmeal.

"We plan to amend the menu," said owner John Sherod. "We'll add black-eyed peas, collard greens, corn-on-the-cob."

Although restaurant patrons are still met with the familiar xeroxed yellow menus, the specials board now boasts of a catfish dish. The food is prepared by the restaurant's new cook, Sherod's brother-in-law.

"Everybody says they like it," Sherod said. "Everybody said they want it."

Sherod said he will continue serving breakfast, a popular Campus staple. Sherod has no plans to take the quilts off the wall or rename the establishment. According to Sherod, the restaurant's regulars are still coming in.

Sherod, who previously owned a bar in Elyria, bought the restaurant from Helen and Les Lewis. The Lewises owned Campus for nearly twenty years. The couple decided to retire this year.

The transition has not been entirely smooth. Food still arrives slowly. Sherod's cash register is adorned with photocopies of counterfeit bills he has already received. Some waitresses have quit, including a few who walked off the job Sunday.

"Sunday was my first day," Sherod said. "Now things seem to be leveling off. Everything is getting along fine."