GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ohio — Retirement just isn't in Eddie Sezon's plans.
See Eddie hard at work below:
He was 17 years old when he started "Eddie's Grill," the the Geneva-on-the-Lake staple that he founded in 1950. At 94 years old, he can still be found at the seasonal shop every day.
"Not doing anything [and] sitting at home would be worse than working," Sezon said.
"We tried to get him to stop but he will not slow down," daughter Jennifer Sezon Brugger said. "You can't keep him away from this place."
When the restaurant first opened, a hot dog cost you 15 cents, with a coffee or root beer for another 10 cents. A Slovenian sausage set you back a whopping 40 cents.
Three generations of the Sezon family take part in the business, including grandson Grady Brugger, who is set to ultimately take over.
"He just gives me an example of how I'm supposed to work really hard," Brugger said. "He’s been here so long he knows everything."
The only interruption to his decades at the grill came when he served during the Korean War for the Army, based in Missouri and Germany.
Sezon can be found at the shop in the afternoon, and sticking around through closing time and then some.
"We close at 10 p.m. — but we get out of here about 11 p.m.," Sezon said.
The loyalty Sezon has built over the years is on full display at the grill.
"I have been coming here since 1960," Lori Mervar said.
"I used to come here when I was in high school. That was a year or two ago," Judy Kampf chuckled.
For Sezon, the grill is not work — but a labor of love.
"Everything we did was try to make it the best possible," Sezon said. "I'd rather be here than any other place."
Eddie's Grill is open one more weekend for the Thunder on the Strip bike rally Sept. 12-13 before it closes for the season.
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
