Bennett Enterprises is the largest privately-owned hospitality company in NW Ohio.  Its roots are traced to two long gone Pak-A-Snak restaurants operated by Milt and Dave Bennett’s father, Milton W. Bennett Sr. in the early ’50s.  Milt Sr. passed at an early age and Milt Jr. and Dave were left to run the restaurants at ages 25 and 21 respectively.

In 1954, Milt Jr. attended a social gathering of restaurant operators in Toledo.  The featured speaker was Alex Schoenbaum who had opened his first Big Boy® restaurant in Charleston, West Virginia two years prior.  Following the dinner, Milt expressed to Alex his desire to consider the Big Boy concept for the Toledo area.

Subsequently, Dave and Milt met with Jack Maier and David Frisch who held the exclusive rights to open and sub-franchise “Big Boy” restaurants in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Florida, with one major ingredient change to the original Big Boy Sandwich.  A specially formulated Tartar Sauce would be served on the Frisch’s® Big Boy® sandwich replacing Thousand-Island Dressing.  The recipe was (and still is) unique to the Frisch’s franchise.

June 6, 1955, David and Milton Bennett, Jr. were granted their Frisch’s Big Boy franchise agreement allowing them to build, own, and operate Frisch’s Big Boy Restaurants in Northwest Ohio.  Dave and Milt quickly converted one of their family-owned Pac-A-Snak restaurants into their first Big Boy location. Prior to this time, Jim Pilcher along with Oliver and Richard Lones opened a Frisch’s Big Boy restaurant in Perrysburg, Ohio.  Dave and Milt merged operations with these three gentlemen, forming BPL Corporation.  In the mid-1980s, Dave and Milt acquired their ownership interest.

The novel concept of selling double-decker hamburgers at drive-in restaurants caught on quickly. Frisch’s Big Boy restaurants became the gathering place for carloads of hungry families: and for teens – who cruised the parking lot in their cars, circling the canopied curb service, as the place to be seen. Generations have grown up recognizing the statue of the chubby “Big Boy” in striped or checkered overalls with a slingshot in his hip pocket.

Sandwiches, the “Big Boy” in particular comprise a large percentage of daily sales followed by French Fries and hand-breaded Onion Rings.  Breakfast selections are available at any time of the day.

The Frisch’s Commissary in Cincinnati, Ohio manufactures the majority of the food served in our restaurants, including hamburger patties, soups, salad dressings, and sauces including our famous tartar sauce, and homemade desserts.  The popularity of these items is due to timeless recipes, which represent the philosophy of Frisch’s: serve quality food by efficient personnel, in clean pleasant surroundings, at a price value to the customer.  We consider all of our employees to be our partners in the hospitality business. 

In 1967 we became a Holiday Inn® franchisee with our first location being the Holiday Inn French Quarter Perrysburg, followed by Holiday Inn Monroe, MI.  In 1981 we purchased the former Ramada Inn® Perrysburg, converted it to a Holiday Inn Express®, and recently a Quality Inn®.  1987 introduced us to another hotel venture acquiring franchise rights to build a Hampton Inn®, the first of its kind in the Toledo metropolitan area.  Due to some structural changes in 1991 a handful of company-owned restaurants sat idle, each possessing a fistful of potential.  That is when and how Ralphie’s® Sports Eatery evolved.

Following four basic concepts: (1) be a good company to work for, (2) be a good company to sell to, (3) be a good company to buy from, and (4) be a good neighbor to the community, allowed Bennett their success in the hospitality industry.

At this time holdings include the Frisch's® Big Boy® restaurants in Bowling Green, Defiance, Fremont, Maumee, Northwood, Port Clinton, Tiffin, and Toledo.  Ralphie’s® restaurants in Findlay, Galion, Kenton, Marion, Oregon, Spring Meadows, and Sylvania.  

Through the years Bennett Enterprises has pursued a strategy of owning the underlying real estate for its restaurant and hotel operations.  As a result, real estate ownership, development, sales, and leasing are part of what Bennett does.