The Sidney Rotary Club hosted Michael Jannides, owner of The Spot Restaurant in downtown Sidney, during their March 12 meeting.

According to Jannides, the Spot was founded in 1907 by Ed “Spot” Miller and his wife, Ida. Miller would roll his chuck wagon into Sidney and sell food at the corner of Ohio Avenue and Court Street. City of Sidney regulations at that time prohibited food establishments on wheels, so Miller removed the wheels from his cart and created a permanent structure for the restaurant.

Miller’s ownership continued until 1913, when he sold the business to Homer Spence and Joe Cook for $5,000. At that time, the Spot and only one other restaurant were operational in Sidney. The Spot was open 24 hours a day.

In 1917, Spence sold his share of the restaurant to Ray Anderson, who, along with Cook, operated it for 33 years. During their partnership, six additional Spot restaurants were opened in other cities.

1950 saw new ownership of the restaurant when Bob and Barb Eilert acquired the business. The Eilerts introduced catering in 1958 and established drive-in service in 1959. They sold the business to Barry and Dawn Eilert and Michael Jannides in 1999. Three years later, the Eilerts sold their interest in the restaurant to Jannides, giving him sole possession.

Jannides recalled two momentous occasions during the course of his history with the Spot. The first was a visit by President George W. Bush in 2004. The second was the restaurant’s 100-year anniversary celebration in 2007.

He said that over the course of history, there have been 25 interior remodeling projects. The current building was constructed in 1941.