Since it opened in 1974, Kozy Corners has won the hearts of hundreds of customers who regularly occupy the tables, even throughout the winter.

True to its name, the restaurant is cozy and welcoming, with a menu offering hamburgers, roast beef sandwiches, perch dinners and a variety of pies. Part of what makes Kozy’s stand out from other restaurants is the hospitable smiles, which greet customers both on the way in and the way out.

“I’ve been a waitress here for 25 years,” Jill Case said. “I’ve watched younger customers grow up and have kids of their own.”

In July 2012, President Barack Obama stopped in for a surprise visit. Workers at the restaurant had less than an hour notice to prepare for the visit. All roads surrounding the restaurant were blocked off, and the president’s 100-man team of Secret Service operatives divided themselves between securing the outside and leading a team of specially-trained dogs through the inside as they checked every inch of the restaurant. The building was surrounded in tape, and all windows and blinds were pulled shut.

When President Obama entered the building, he greeted everyone he passed and stopped by each table to high-five children before sitting with Sen. Ted Strickland in the center of the restaurant. Back in the kitchen, his guards watched from over the cook’s shoulders as he prepared the food.

After finishing an All-American cheeseburger, the president ordered a slice of strawberry pie. Upon noticing an older woman who kept staring at him, he walked to her table with a smile and slid half of the pie onto her plate. The woman laughed as they shared the dessert.

To commemorate the president’s visit, Sandy Konieczny, who has co-owned the restaurant for nearly 40 years, created a wall of photographs. Among these is a picture of her recently-deceased husband, Carl Konieczny, smiling as he greeted President Obama.

“I’m so glad he was around for the visit,” Konieczny said. “He was sick for a long time. He had open-heart surgery, was diabetic, going blind and had dementia. He’s in a better place now.”

The restaurant was originally opened by Carl Konieczny and his two brothers. Together, they turned a dilapidated building into a thriving restaurant which stayed open year-round with the exception of Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. Carl took full ownership in 1990, when he gave up farming and brought his wife into the restaurant business. He was known for working 16-hour days and taking up any job which needed done.

Konieczny enjoys sharing her husband’s famous, good-natured quotes. A gem among these is the response he gave to a reporter when asked if any other famous people came into the restaurant.

“He smiled and said ‘only me,’” Konieczny said. “Something else he always said was ‘I’m no better than any man, but I’m just as good as every man.’”

A special marker signifies the table where the president sat. According to waitresses, customers still come in all the time and ask to sit in “the presidential seat” and order an All-American cheeseburger arranged exactly as it was served to him.

“It was definitely the most exciting thing to happen since I started here,” Case said.

Kozy Corners is at 501 W. Oak Street in Oak Harbor. For information, call 419-898-2593.

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