Beehive

226 1st Street became 108 G Street in 1960/1961

1951 - 1952 - Quickie Stop N Go,

1953 - 1954 - Quick Drive In and Elbow Inn

1954 - 1988 - Beehive

Ben Meyers sold to C.L. McBride in 1957.

The Honeymoon room lounge opened in 1957.

C.L. McBride sold to Evelyn & Jack Ferguson June 1959

Ferguson sold to Chris & Art Colyar January 1960 (still owners 1962)

1962-12-14: Art Colyar, owner-manager of the Beehive restaurant and Lounge received permission from the city council to have public dancing at his place of business on New Year's eve, as well as permission to stay open until 3 am.

Other owners Lee Lucky, Bill Kidd, Catherine Compodone, Joe Simms, Kay Newberry McRoberts (1979) and Pete Know 1983. The restaurant closed for good in 1988.

The building was burned down by the Cheney Fire Department 1989/1990.

Ben Meyers opened in (1951 or 1953) as Quick Drive In

One vivid memory Susan Meyers has of the pre-Beehive days came from her mother. Customers would walk up to the window and get a hamburger and an ice cream cone. "That's why they called it the Quickie, but quickie had the same connotations then as it does now," Susan Meyer said. "Mother told the story of a man stumbling up to the window and saying, 'He would have one,'" Meyer said. Eleanor Meyer replied innocently, "Oooonnnnneeeee what? And he said one quickie."

Later in 1953 renamed The Elbow Inn

Back then the eatery had no indoor seating, just a picnic table or two outside.

1954 Renamed Beehive

Beehive Restaurant

1957-06-21 - C.L. McBride Buys Café

Mr. and Mrs. C.L. McBride, operators of Jimmie's Café, took over operation of the Beehive restaurant Monday morning from Mr. and Mrs. Bennie Meyer, who built the business from the ground up.

The McBrides, who took over Jimmie's November 15, 1956, said that they would continue to operate that establishment as well as the Beehive. The final arrangements in the transfer of management of the Beehive was the approval of McBride's application for a Class H license.

McBride, who came to Cheney as a military science instructor at EWC, operated the Cheney Motel before taking the management of Jimmie's Café.

The Beehive was the first restaurant in Cheney to open a lounge. "Oh my, what a controversy that was," Joan Mamanakis of the Cheney Historical Museum

The Beehive was also the first restaurant in Cheney to petition the City Council to authorize dancing in the lounge - another shocking departure from the norm.

Lounge was called the Honeymoon Room 1957

There was a neon sign outside of a bee tipping his top hat.

"My dad took us there for a "fancy" dinner now and again and I remember the bee paintings" - Jenny Johnson Brownlee.

Susan Meyer. However, she does think that Chuck and Luke Williams, later of worldwide time and temperature fame as founder of American Sign and Indicator, constructed the sign that featured an illuminated neon bee.

Soon after the Cheney Rodeo was restarted in the 1967, the Beehive became a site for dancing on Friday and Saturday nights.

1959-06-12: C.L. McBride (Mac) this week announced the sale of the Beehive restaurant to John (Jack) Ferguson of Rosalia. Ferguson took over operation of the restaurant Monday, June 8, 1959.

The Fergusons have rented the Stuart Kirk house. The family includes Jacks’ wife, Evelyn and children Gloria, 17; Stuart, 16, and Ronald, 12. Ferguson was a Cheney resident before World War II. After six years in the air corps during the war, settle at Rosalia, where he was employed for the past 18 years at Rosalia hardware.

“we hope to continue the good will established by McBride.” said Ferguson this week. “We are looking forward to being able to continue that service to the community.”

Ferguson retired Monday night as chief of the Rosalia fire department after having served in that position for five years.

The McBrides have no immediate plans for the future. They had operated the restaurant since June 1957, and are now planning a short vacation. They plan to continue to live in Cheney.

Ferguson sold to Art Colyar January 1960

Other owners Lee Lucky, Bill Kidd, Catherine Compodone, Joe Simms, Kay Newberry McRoberts (1979),

1979-06-28

Beehive license remains in effect

The Washington State Liquor Control Board announced recently that the Class H Restaurant liquor license issued to Teresa Kay Newby McRoberts of The Beehive, 103 G Street, Cheney, will remain in effect.

The license had been charged with daily food sales being less than 40% of the total food/liquor sales for the periods ending Jone 30 1978 and December 31 1978, whereas testimony proved that incorrect food figures for the final quarterly period of 1978 were inadvertently reported in error and food sales were actually over 40 percent.

20 May 1982

John, Mike & Marguerite in 1980, and Pete Know 1983. The restaurant closed for good in 1988.

1988-09-22ca: The Beehive, a former restaurant, is used for firefighter training and burned to the ground after several years of standing empty.

Gina Morrill Olson recalled that breakfast at the Beehive was one of her favorite indulgences.

I was working downtown Cheney the day the fire department burned the Beehive down. A bunch of men wore black armbands that day. The last time I remember eating there, Mrs. Mullinix cooked my breakfast, and Grandma Mullenix lived across the street. - Jenney Johnson Brownlee

Richard Streeter: I was on the Fire Department when we burned the Beehive for practice. We went in to the kitchen and MY GOD what a mess! It was GROSS!

Rick Prentice: I can remember the side window at the Beehive on main street, were you could pick up orders to go, that was in the early sixties.

Carol Woody Evans: We came from Germany and my mother could not speak English. The first job she got while my dad was going to school at EWC was at the Beehive. She was so hot, the owner told her if she could memorize the menu by the next morning, she had a job. She memorized the breakfast menu- all was well unless you wanted a special order! (She continued on to run the place!)

Carol Woody Evans: Rick - you may remember her - 1967 - Monica Richard Streeter I remember her! Very dark hair.

Carol Woody Evans: My mom was a waitress there in the 70's- white go-go boots and all!

Diane Saggau: I do. My mom used to take me there to listen to music when I was underage because I could sit in the restaurant area.

Brock Shepard: My uncle would hang out there and I would talk to him through the fence and he would hand me drinks over the fence. good times.

Dick Harris: I was a Dishwasher at the Beehive 1968.

Rich Cunningham: Her name was Barbara Cunningham and she passed on in Oct. was one of the owners.

Liz K Williams: Lee, Gary and Steve Ableman played country music there.

Claudia Geschke Jameson Before the beehive it was The Quickie. Best ice cream in town. My late hubby tore it down. A lot of folks were standing around reminiscing.

Sandi O'Neill: My mom was the cook for years, and my dad was the bar tender from time to time.

Eileen Loniero: One of my first jobs was waitressing at the Beehive. I would ride my bike in from Clear Lake. I remember the fish was delicious