There is a great website in town called GR Retro, and boy is it fun. It's really a blast from the past, and if you're a long-time Grand Rapidian, or, just new to the area, it's a fun trip back to the future.

And, back we go with Mr. Fables. Don't you remember those Oliver Burgers, the onion rings, to die for, the Mr. Fabulous, shakes and so much more. A little bit of heaven, Mr. Fables was, but, alas, the chain closed up over 15 years ago. What happened?

John Boyles and Dick Faber were the owners, thus Fa - bles. Actually, it began when Faber and his cousin John Boyles, took over the Kewpee hamburger stand from Boyles' dad, and his recipes. With incredible attention to detail, and, oh, those recipes, Mr. Fables grew with locations all over West Michigan.

By 1988, Dick Faber, at 58, wanted to retire and try something else.He's been doing this for 25 years. However, he couldn't keep it in the family. None of their children wanted to be in the business, so Faber and Boyles sold the chain including the secret recipes to a Grand Rapids company.

The new owners decided cost cutting changes needed to be made, what a surprise and, bad idea. For starters, they replaced their handmade patties with frozen patties. It didn't take long for the decline to begin, and it was totally closed by 2000. So sad.

What about bringing it back?

GR Retro
GR Retro
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Well, Bill Lewis, Yesterdog restaurant owner and former Mr. Fables employee, apparently owns the Mr. Fables trademark and would be allowed access to the Mr. Fables secret recipes by Boyles and Faber if he wished to restart the Mr. Fables restaurant. 

A recent question posted on the Yesterdog Facebook page posed the question of why should Mr. Fables come back, leading some to believe the restaurant may be making a return.

What do you think?

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