The fond memories at Frank's Restaurant started 99 years ago.

In the late 1930s, Randall Dekker got his first taste of a sundae. He wrote: “When I was in high school, [Frank’s] was a popular place to go and it was always filled with students. I don’t know where we got the 10 cents … but we certainly devoured a lot of sundaes.

More:Frank's East offers the same tasty menu with later hours, alcoholic beverages in downtown Zeeland

"I especially recall the first sundae I had and that was when Wade Derks, who was a friend of mine, was given 10 cents by his grandmother. Apparently, he had been around more than I had because he knew exactly where to go and what to do with it.

"We went in to see Mr. Dionese and the sundaes were 10 cents, but he agreed to give us each half a sundae… and we had chocolate marshmallow. I don’t think I had ever tasted anything that good before in my life.”

In 1958, Arnold Van Hoven let himself into Frank’s Restaurant to make himself coffee, then awakened Frank Jr. by banging on the radiator.

In the early 1960s, Bernice Berens, then in high school, would visit Frank’s during lunch hour and on weekends, even though her father didn't approve because the boys there wore leather jackets.

It was also during the early 1960s that I got my first taste of paddle pops. On Saturday evenings, after my brother and I had bathed and put on our pajamas, our parents would drive us to Frank’s for the treat.

In 2005, I got my first taste of Frank’s coffee. I would visit Frank’s in the morning and sit at the round table with the regulars and hear stories about Zeeland’s business history. In 2012, I'd enjoy a Frank’s burger and grade papers after dropping my son at Zeeland Bowling Lanes for Friday Night Rollers.

Then, I learned the history.

Frank Dionise was born in 1895 in southern Italy. When he was 18 years old, like many Italians seeking to escape hardship and poverty, he immigrated to America. Frank landed in Zeeland.

During World War I, he served his new country by fighting in France. In 1924, back in Zeeland, Frank and wife, Maria Fabiano Dionise, opened a grocery store called Dionese Confectionary at 134 E. Main Ave. — formerly home to a restaurant and a bakery.

There, he sold what was then considered exotic fare — bananas, grapefruit, grapes and oranges. Later, he introduced homemade chocolates, cigars, roasted peanuts and ice cream. He and his wife and their three children — Virginia, Jim and Alfonso — lived upstairs.

Then came the Great Depression and the twins: Dorothy and Frank Jr.

Times were tough. One day, Frank’s receipts were only $3.65 — but the family survived. As we know from Randall Dekker’s account, Frank’s ice cream sundaes were popular, as were his sodas, malt milk and chocolate-covered peanuts. For Valentine’s Day, Frank Jr. would encourage young men to purchase heart-shaped boxes of chocolates to give to their girlfriends, or eat themselves.

During World War II, Frank added a grill and a fryer so he could sell burgers and fries. With that innovation, and with Zeeland High School nearby, Frank’s became Zeeland’s version of Al’s Diner on the television sitcom "Happy Days," with the exception of dancing, in the 1950s.

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In 1960, Frank and Maria sold the business to Frank Jr. and his wife, Pat. Like his father, Frank Jr. had an engaging personality; unlike his father, his customers nicknamed him “Froggy” because he would lose his voice from exchanging so many friendly gibes with them.

In the 1980s, due to Frank Jr.’s health issues, Pat and their son, Dan, took over. To the menu, they added sandwiches, along with Grandmother Maria’s chili. In 2008, Dan passed away and Pat’s grandson, Shane, took over, with Shane’s mother, Lynn, assisting.

Shane opened a banquet room in the building immediately east of Frank’s. During the pandemic, he partnered with Teresa VanderZwaag of The Farmhouse and, in 2022, they formalized their business relationship — expanding the restaurant fully into the space as Frank's East.

In 2024, I hope to be in downtown Zeeland for Frank’s 100^th birthday.

Information for this story comes from Randall Dekker’s Main Street Memoirs, Frank's Restaurant, WMTA and MLive.

— Community Columnist Steve VanderVeen is a resident of Holland. Contact him through start-upacademeinc.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Steve VanderVeen: The tale of century-old Frank's Restaurant