Mel-O-Dee Restaurant (Gone) Sarasota, FL Photo courtesy Georg Balandran
The colorful sign at Mel-O-Dee Restaurant gave motorists on U.S. 41 in Sarasota a memorable roadside welcome. Its playful lettering suited the name, while the building’s projecting roofline supplied another reason to look twice. This was a restaurant whose appearance could stay with you long after dinner.
Daniel and Betty Pischer opened the Mel-O-Dee in 1955 after operating restaurants in Chicago. Their new Florida dining room initially seated about 100 guests and eventually expanded to accommodate roughly 300. Its mid-century design included Polynesian influences, particularly the roof beam projecting above the entrance.
Mel-O-Dee Restaurant Sarasota, FL Photo courtesy Georg Balandran
Inside, lazy Susans brought an unusual assortment of accompaniments to the table, including relishes, spiced apple rings, and candied watermelon rind. Family dinners shared the calendar with club meetings, holiday gatherings, and pageants. The Pischers retired in 1973, but the restaurant continued serving customers for another thirty years.
UPDATE: The Mel-O-Dee closed in 2003, and its interior was later gutted. The neon sign survived much longer before being destroyed by a vehicle in 2021. Preservation documentation published in 2025 still described the building as vacant, leaving its distinctive architecture as the principal reminder of this longtime Sarasota dining landmark. 07-26
Aunt Fannie's Restaurant (Closed)
Ocala, FL Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The diamond-shaped sign outside Aunt Fannie’s Restaurant in Ocala hints at an earlier fast-food life. Roadside enthusiasts may recognize the framework as a former Burger Chef design, reused after the original chain’s lettering disappeared. It’s a good example of restaurant history hiding behind a newer name.
The building reportedly began as a Burger Chef in 1968 before becoming Aunt Fannie’s around 1980. Breakfasts and home-style meals replaced the earlier hamburger menu, but the distinctive sign structure stayed on the job. For customers, it marked a familiar diner; for sign fans, it preserved a little of the property’s previous identity.
UPDATE: Aunt Fannie’s closed in 2019, and Darrell’s Dog Gone Good Diner subsequently took over. The location continues to be listed as a diner, while the old Burger Chef framework is reported to remain in use. Good to see the property continuing its long association with feeding hungry motorists. 07-26
Howley's Restaurant
West Palm Beach, FL Photo courtesy Kevin O'Sullivan
Howley's Restaurant was built either in the late 40's or early
50's. It has been serving customers for over 50 years at this same location
here at 4700 South Dixie Hwy ( US 1) in West Palm Beach. Many thanks to Kevin O'Sullivan for info.
Patrick Howley opened the restaurant in 1950, establishing the familiar “Cooked in Sight, Must Be Right” identity. In 2004, the Subculture group restored the diner while retaining features including its terrazzo floors and tin ceiling. The work gave Howley’s a new chapter without discarding the details that made the old place memorable.
UPDATE: Howley's was opened in 1950. "Cooked in sight must be right" is its motto. Many thanks to Jessica Hill for update. 02-08
UPDATE: Howley’s remains open, serving diner favorites and newer dishes in its restored mid-century setting. The familiar neon continues to be part of its roadside appeal. More than seventy-five years after opening, this South Dixie Highway landmark is still giving customers a reason to pull over for a meal. 07-26
Alonzo & Berlin's (A & B) Lobster House Restaurant
Key West, FL Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
The giant red arrow at A & B Lobster House Restaurant gives seafood fans a colorful direction to follow along Key West’s waterfront. Its neon glow fits a neighborhood where restaurants, boats, and evening strollers share the scene. Even if dinner isn’t in your plans, the sign is worth a look. 01-09
Founded in 1947, A&B takes its initials from fishermen Alonzo Cothron and Berlin Felton. The restaurant’s long association with the harbor gives it a history rooted in Key West’s working waterfront. Seafood and views of the boats remain central to the experience, even as the surrounding seaport has changed over the decades.
UPDATE: A&B Lobster House remains open as a waterfront seafood restaurant in Key West’s Historic Seaport. The familiar arrow continues to be associated with the property, although its current illumination could not be independently confirmed. Good to see this longtime waterfront dining landmark carrying on its tradition. 07-26
Licata's Steakhouse (Demolished)
Tampa, FL Photo courtesy John V Cinchett
Downtown Tampa is, or at least was, home to Licata's Steakhouse. This photo taken in 1965 shows the unique sign out front. Many thanks to Kevin O'Sullivan for info. 11-08
Joe Licata Jr. opened his steakhouse in the early 1950s and introduced the flaming-sword specialty in 1953. Success led to a larger restaurant in the basement of the old Knight and Wall hardware building in 1965. Renamed Licata’s Flaming Sword Restaurant, it turned an attention-getting presentation into the centerpiece of its identity.
UPDATE: Licata’s served its final dinner on March 13, 1982. Redevelopment replaced the old building with the tower now known as the Bank of America building, ending the restaurant’s downtown run. The neon is gone, but photographs preserve a business that brought showmanship to both its sign and its supper service. 07-26
Mel-O-Dee Restaurant (Gone)
Mel-O-Dee Restaurant
Aunt Fannie's Restaurant (Closed)
Howley's Restaurant
Licata's Steakhouse (Demolished)
