Kuster's Restaurant

Interior of Kuster's restaurant at North Park Place in 1904

Kuster's restaurant opened around 1860 under founder Joseph Kuster as a small establishment, but the success of his business would lead him to expand significantly over the next 30 years on the northern side of Newark's downtown square. Joseph Kuster was a German immigrant to Newark in the nineteenth century. Kuster lived an interesting life after he immigrated from Germany to Ohio in 1849; he worked in hotels in Newark, Chilicothe, and Columbus before returning to Newark to work as a baker. He would leave Newark yet again, gaining further experience as a baker and chef before setting permanent roots in Newark and opening his own bakery on South Second Street. The bakery would lead to a series of restaurants, the first being "Kuster's" on West Main.

Kuster may also have been responsible for one of Newark's curious neighborhood nicknames, "Gingerbread Row." Some claim that Kuster was the original purveyor of the gingerbread cakes on south Second Street, which would eventually lend their name to "Gingerbread Row," the area south of the square on Second Street.

Kuster's at 26-28-30 North Park Place was a popular eatery in downtown Newark. It had banquet halls, dining rooms for both men and women, and a lunch counter. The lunch counter extended more than sixty feet. Kuster and Company hosted events and groups at the facility, serving hundreds of customers each day. The business also conducted external catering, such as for the Licking County Fair in 1882 when it promised to provide "dainty meals" to the multitudes. The operation of Kuster's Restaurant would continue after Joseph's death. The name "Kuster's" became synonymous with dining in Newark by the 1920s, though the multiple restaurants had become a single endeavor located in the Arcade Annex. By 1936, the Kuster's in the Arcade Annex (10-12) had closed, bringing the long-running restaurant company to an end.

J.G.

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