GALION – The Wendy’s gang is back.
The faithful group of mostly retirees who gather at the Galion fast-food chain every day. Same time. Same tables in the corner. And pretty much the same lunch as they dine, discuss politics, and shoot the breeze about “whatever comes up.”
They’re often called the “Do Nothing Club.”
“Everybody’s a regular,” said Robert Dretzka, 77, as he got up to order a chocolate Frosty dessert for his buddy and fellow club member, Nick Farina, 78, who just joined the rest of the group for the noontime gathering.
Dretzka, a Peabody Galion retiree and longtime electrician in town, said he always orders a “4-4-4” meal deal – a sandwich, fries, chicken nuggets, and a drink – “and that’s all for four dollars so you can’t beat that.”
Robert Bishop, who retired from Edison Power Co., strolled in around 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, his 84th birthday, to celebrate with the gang. They call him “Bobby” and he calls them “spring chickens,” but he always gets his usual BLT and a small Frosty.
Bishop was a familiar face at McDonald’s in Galion over the years too, then switched to Wendy’s when their dining room finally reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic. “We talk politics. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it ain’t so good,” he snickered.
John and Jackie Wingert, who still run a farm just west of Galion, weren’t busy baling hay so they drove into town too. “The farmers” are also daily fixtures at the restaurant and are known for ordering a double-stack burger and senior decaf coffee.
“We just like to get together with the people we’ve come to know over the last 10 years,” Jackie Wingert said.
Even in the mornings, the mainstays show up at the 200 Harding Way West restaurant for coffee and conversation. A group of guys known as the “Breakfast Club,” according to Wendy’s crew member Logan Sloan, who is there to greet them.
“Coffee is their primary reason for coming. This is definitely their coffee spot,” said Sloan, who usually works the breakfast and lunch shifts. “They always sit in the corner round table in the back.”
Sloan said that when the Breakfast Club couldn’t eat inside during the pandemic last year, they still went through the drive-thru every morning, then set up lawn chairs and a Sunbrella in the parking lot out back for their breakfast get-together.
Because for many, the day wouldn’t be complete without the food – and the camaraderie – whether at Wendy’s or countless other eateries that attract loyal customers.
“We stay until they kick us out,” joked Dretzka, “and depending on what else we have to do.”