I vividly recall the old Clock Restaurant. When Denny’s was too full, or had a line waiting at 2am, where to go? The Clock, natch. The food was typical…but it was the novelty of being open 24 hours (“around The Clock”) that appealed to the masses.

The chain of Clock Restaurants had their headquarters in Southfield, Michigan and opened a flurry of Mid-Michigan locations throughout the 1970s. The one I used to go to every weekend (when I couldn’t get into Denny’s) was on Ann Arbor Road on the east side outskirts of Jackson.

The Clock logo was printed on a washtub-shaped sign, with “Fine Food” proudly displayed beneath, and two smaller, thinner tub signs underneath:
1) “Char Broiled Steaks”
2) “Pancakes – Breakfast Served All Day”
And it was all topped with an actual working clock (some were, anyway).

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The Ann Arbor Road/Jackson Clock location had some tuff competition – the Williams Truck Stop was just across the street and had been a Jackson favorite for years. The Clock has been long gone these many years, and the truck stop is now a convenience store/gas station.

The Clock catered to all ages: the late-night bar crowd, teens in the evenings, families with kids, commuters, travelers, and noon-hour lunchers. Plenty of room for truckers to park, too (if they could get away from the truck stop, that is).

Some Clock Restaurants had small jukeboxes on the tables where, for a quarter, you could play classic oldies plus the hit tunes of the day.

I know many people remember The Clock, but I never hear anyone say they miss it.
Do you?

Clock Restaurant

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