Elsa’s On the Border’s last day was May 1, Hemmert said.
“They had been in the business their entire working lives and just wanted a change,” Hemmert told this news outlet. “All five of the other Elsa’s locations are open as usual.”
The other Elsa’s restaurants are in Centerville, east Dayton, Kettering, Springboro and Sugarcreek Twp.
Elsa’s has been around since the 1940s. Its current ownership started 47 years ago, Hemmert said.
The Elsa’s On the Border location, just south of Patterson Road and just north of the Dayton-Kettering border, opened in 2010 and the franchisee took over in 2015.
Founded as Elsa’s Place by Elsa (Caraway) Bonner in the 1940s, Elsa’s Mexican Restaurants have become a staple in the Dayton area. Though many sources cite 1945 as the eatery’s opening year, a 1940 Dayton Daily News advertisement shows it began earlier. Bonner ran the restaurant well into her 80s before she died in 1980 at 91 years old.
Known for its chili and Mexican-style cuisine, Elsa’s Place faced staffing challenges in the 1970s, leading to intermittent closures. Attorneys bought and rebranded it in 1979, renaming it Elsa’s Mexican Restaurant. By 1997, it had three locations under sole owner Bill Hemmert.
Previous reporting by Greg Lynch was included in this report.
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