Fjord's Smorg-ette

fjord's Smorg-ette was a chain of buffet style restaurants located throuout Northern & Central California, Portland Oregon & Guam from the mid 1960's to the mid 1980's. The buildings were unique because of their style of roof. Good food & prices! One of my fondest memories is of fjord's Smorg-ette's carrot raisen salad. This was made up at each location and served daily as were their other mouth watering foods!

The fjord's Smorg-ette location in Ukiah at 1351 N. State Street was built and opened in 1964 but went out of business in 1988. It later became Bagels Zen Blues in the early 1990's but didn't last long. Wyvern Restaurants d.b.a. Round Table Pizza signed a 30 year lease on the building in 1999 but never did anything with it. They are advertising to sub-lease it today in 2012. So far no takers.

However the former fjord's Smorg-ette building @ 1549 41st Ave., Capitola, CA (near Santa Cruz, CA) is an exact replica of the Ukiah fjord's building as most fjord's locations were. In 2008 the former Capitola, CA fjord's Smorg-ette location became an I-Hop after remodeling the inside. They cleaned the exterior of the building making it look desirable again but left the outside intact which is great for historical buffs such as myself. Someone should get ahold of the parent company of I-Hop and tell them we have another fjord's Smorg-ette building for them to fix up!

The fjord's Smorg-ette chain founder Ron Daniel originally owned a Sno-White Drive In franchise restaurant in Oakdale, California. His son Daryl Daniel owns it today in 2012. There were approximately 200 Sno-White Drive Ins throughout Northern California in the 1950's & 1960's. Sno-White Drive In also had a location in Ukiah @ 1200 N. State Street (corner of Bricarelli St.). The former Sno-White Drive In location in Ukiah, California later became J.A.W.S. and later Lalo's Mexican Restaurant in 2010.

So far as of May 2012 the former Ukiah fjord's Smorg-ette location is the only one I've ever found that had a large two story freeway sign. The Ukiah fjord's sign still stand today as of 2012. Raley's has approached the County of Mendocino twice about refurbishing the fjord's freeway sign to say "Raley's" but the powers that be has turned down Raley's both times. Once in the early 1990's and again in 2010. I guess the local Mendocino County government would rather have an eyesore that say's fjord's rather than a newly painted and lighted, well kept sign that said Raley's. Doesn't make since to me.