Photo by: Anthony Ross and is available as a poster on Zazzle.com
In 1922 a tiny 6-stool diner was opened in downtown Salina, Kansas. Within three months, the hole-in-the-wall was purchased by a young man, Robert Kinkel. Kinkel had just ended a short career playing semi-pro baseball on a Kansas farm team and had relocated to Salina looking for a business opportunity.
The Cozy Inn was established at the beginning of a new craze for hamburger stands which were popping up all over America. The first such business, White Castle, had just opened in Wichita, Kansas in 1921, and Kinkel jumped on the band wagon and followed the fad.
Two Salina businessmen stepped forward to purchase this bit of local history. Brothers-in-law, Max Holthaus and Gregg Boyle, acquired The Cozy in 1997, during its 75th year of business. Holthaus has food service expertise as general manager of the Salina Country Club and Boyle, a civil engineer, has gained financial acumen through business ownership. The two, along with their families, are committed to keeping the legacy of The Cozy Inn alive.
Click here to go to the Cozy Inn website.
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