If you traveled the state during the Keener generation, it’s a good bet you ate a meal at Bill Knapp’s. The fare included steak, fish and fried chicken, au gratin potatoes, ham croquettes, cole slaw, a childrens’ menu where you could order a Giraffe, Bear, Seal, Elephant, Zebra or Lion, and those glorious, golden Bill Knapp’s biscuits. Remember meals in a basket, “Glorified Steakburgers” that weighed in at a third of a pound and cost $1.95, and that amazing bean soup, available seven days a week for just 45 cents a bowl? We can still see the catchup bottles lined up in the kitchen, top to top, ensuring that every one was completely full when it was put on the table.

And birthdays were a Bill Knapp specialty. The percentage you saved on your meal was equal to your age, complete with a crooned “Happy Birthday” sung by Bing Crosby over the PA system, and chocolate cake that is still available today, 14 years after the last restaurant closed its doors.

Bill Knapp’s fans exchange recipes on Pinterest and share memories on a Facebook Page. Surviving restaurant chains like Denny’s and IHOP owe a bit of their success to the consistency of service and menu that was a Bill Knapp’s hallmark.

It the height of its popularity, Bill Knapp’s operated 69 restaurants in Michigan, Ohio and Florida. Fear of a declining, aging customer base motivated senior management to modify the simple business plan that had been so successful for 44 years, leading to the closure of the last locations in 2002.

But for those of us who came of age in the Keener era, a trip to Bill Knapp’s is a family tradition we’ll never forget.