RIPON - It’s a restaurant filled with 30 years of memories including the “Barney Burger” where Ripon chef John Mangelos is hosting a bang-up celebration Saturday with beer sold at 1980 prices.
Mangelos promises to sing with the French Cassettes band he has hired for the daylong event much the same as he did with band members he had hired when he first opened his facility. He will be singing ‘80s tunes such as selections from Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Mangelos had been working at the Holiday Inn when he and his brother Joe and dad Paul were sawing lumber and hammering nails building the restaurant along with contractor Mearl Moret.
He remembers asking a band at the Modesto hotel to come to his grand opening in Ripon and play for him. They promised they would if he would only sing with them at the Holiday Inn.
The French Cassettes will be playing in the Barnwood’s parking lot from 12:30 to 4 p.m. with Mangelos stepping up to the mike in song with the award-winning band members from Ripon.
The restaurant is set to open for the celebration at 7 a.m. Saturday where coffee will be only 30 cents with breakfast. Soda with any order of the day is also 30 cents.
The restaurant location was an empty lot that truckers used as a parking lot. While Mangelos worked at the Modesto hotel he was also getting his degree at Stanislaus State College. Brother Joe has also served as a police officer with the City of Ripon.
“Our success has come from local people in Ripon who have been very loyal for 30 years,” Mangelos said. “Scary now, that I’m catering weddings for the kids of people I catered weddings for years ago.”
And a lot of the students he employs are from the Christian schools in Ripon. Their parents worked at the restaurant in years past as well.
Some 20 years ago a second building and a second floor were added. The addition served as the original gun shop before it was moved onto Main Street downtown.
Sister Ella wrote all the jingles for the restaurant including “Barney Burger.”
She and John authored two cookbooks, the latest being the “Culinary Adventures of a Greek Gourmet”. Ella will be at the restaurant to sign autographs on her books from noon until 4 p.m.
Mangelos promises to sing with the French Cassettes band he has hired for the daylong event much the same as he did with band members he had hired when he first opened his facility. He will be singing ‘80s tunes such as selections from Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Mangelos had been working at the Holiday Inn when he and his brother Joe and dad Paul were sawing lumber and hammering nails building the restaurant along with contractor Mearl Moret.
He remembers asking a band at the Modesto hotel to come to his grand opening in Ripon and play for him. They promised they would if he would only sing with them at the Holiday Inn.
The French Cassettes will be playing in the Barnwood’s parking lot from 12:30 to 4 p.m. with Mangelos stepping up to the mike in song with the award-winning band members from Ripon.
The restaurant is set to open for the celebration at 7 a.m. Saturday where coffee will be only 30 cents with breakfast. Soda with any order of the day is also 30 cents.
The restaurant location was an empty lot that truckers used as a parking lot. While Mangelos worked at the Modesto hotel he was also getting his degree at Stanislaus State College. Brother Joe has also served as a police officer with the City of Ripon.
“Our success has come from local people in Ripon who have been very loyal for 30 years,” Mangelos said. “Scary now, that I’m catering weddings for the kids of people I catered weddings for years ago.”
And a lot of the students he employs are from the Christian schools in Ripon. Their parents worked at the restaurant in years past as well.
Some 20 years ago a second building and a second floor were added. The addition served as the original gun shop before it was moved onto Main Street downtown.
Sister Ella wrote all the jingles for the restaurant including “Barney Burger.”
She and John authored two cookbooks, the latest being the “Culinary Adventures of a Greek Gourmet”. Ella will be at the restaurant to sign autographs on her books from noon until 4 p.m.
