History of The Village Inn

It all started in 1923 when Anton (Tony) Hershey and his wife, Wilhelmina (Mina) came to the USA from Germany , sponsored by a Santa Ana businessman. the man who sponsored this German couple, getting them out of harm's way before WWII began. They worked for their sponsor in his Santa Ana factory for two years to pay him back and save up some money.

Tony and Mina lived in Orange at that time. In 1928 Tony and Mina took a job in the Little Market at Park and Marine on Balboa Island , which was owned by the sponsor’s son, Wally. Wally was known for the diamond that was mounted in his front tooth. They liked Balboa Island so much that in 1930 they had sold their little house in Orange and moved onto the island so that they could be close to work. In those days, the Little Market was about half the size it is now, and it had a gas pump in front. An old photo from 1936 shows the Hershey family with daughter Ruthy running what was then called Market Spot.

Shown in the photo above, an image that can be seen along with other images and memorabilia at the island's historical society museum, is Hershey's Market as it appeared in 1936. The picture shows the Hershey family operating the store shortly after they purchased it. Names of the Hershey family members are written in the photo above showing daughter Ruthy Hershey, looking very contemporary in her casual slacks and jacket, Tony Hershey, who has his head turned, and Mina Hershey. Tony & Mina were the mom and dad, and Ruthy was their daughter.

The store signage include "Spartan Grocers", quality meats, a bakery and prices such as 4 pounds of green beach for 25 cents, can only make us marvel at how things have gone up. Also on the storefront is an announcement that "We Deliver" with a phone number, 1000.

The family successfully ran the market and watched many regular folks and celebrities pass through. According to Jim Jennings' book, Old Balboa Stories, daughter Ruth Hershey played with Shirley Temple, a Balboa Island regular. The store used to have a gas pump in front of it, selling fuel to tourists and locals. In the 1960's the family was fortunate to get some help from their son-in-law who made improvements to the property and tied the liquor and grocery business into one shop by removing a wall.

Departments such as the meat and vegetable sections of the store were subleased. Today the business is rented by several individuals who run a similar style market to the original. The store is clean, contains a meat market, wine and liquor section, and fresh vegetables and fruits in open bins that look somewhat like the original market may have offered.

There were two vacant lots across the street from the Little Market, where the Village Inn is now. In Germany , Tony had been a nursery man; he loved plants. He envisioned an “old country” nursery on the vacant lots. Three locals lent Tony the eight hundred dollars to buy the lots. They became the nursery that Tony had envisioned.

Tony’s wife Mina, liked to cook, and she wanted a small room to serve hamburgers from, Tony built it and they called it Hershey’s Café. All the locals loved Mina’s secret hamburger recipe, and she would never tell anyone what it was.

In 1933, with the repeal of prohibition, they got a liquor license for the little restaurant. After a while, they were so busy that Tony turned the nursery into a “ German Beer Garden ” with little round tables and chairs between the plants and trees. Regulars at the restaurant included James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart and Bing Crosby according to the newspaper article written by Richard Buffum, who still lives on the island. Bing Crosby owned the only house on Collins Island at that time. Mina knew beer and wine, but found mixing drinks complicated. She would let the regulars go behind the bar, mix their own, and keep track of how many they had and the money they owed. This arrangement proved to be a profitable one; at the end of the month each of them would send and estimated tab of about one hundred dollars with a little extra covering any margin of error.

Tony and Mina rant the Little Market until they purchased it from Wally in 1937. They decided to devote all of their time to the Market so they leased Hershey’s Café and Beer Garden to the White brothers. One of the brothers, Vaux White, later owned Vaux’s Bar & Dancing on the peninsula. The Whites named the restaurant Park Avenue Café, later after a remodel, “Whites Café.” The lease lasted until 1957.

In 1957, the Hershey’s leased the café and bar to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Usedom. The Usedom’s renamed it The Village Inn and held the lease until 1975. Frank Usedom had a chef named Henry Jones. Henry made excellent, inexpensive dishes which packed the restaurant every day with customers. How wore a sparkling white chef’s uniform and always wandered through the dining room to talk to the patrons. Hi liked to make sure the food was enjoyed, and he loved the special attention the customers gave him.

Bob Yardley leased the business from 1975 to 195. During his tenure, the property’s ownership changed hands. Ruth Hershey Finley, daughter of Tony and Mina, sold the property in 1991. A man known as the father-in-law of Peter Chang was the buyer. In 1996, Peter Chang bought the property from his father-in-law and changed the name of the restaurant to VIP. It operated with this name until 1998 when Lance Wagner purchased the property from Peter.

Lance completely remodeled the interior; all new kitchen and bar, dining room and décor. He changed the name back to The Village Inn. The Toll family bought the business from Lance. Agric Toll, the son, is a chef, so his culinary expertise was well positioned to keep the tradition of great food at the The Village Inn.

Village Inn Restaurant & Lounge

The Village Inn Restaurant has been providing dining and conviviality for over 30 years.  Offering a superb cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  This unique landmark restaurant has a comfortable classic ambience.

The Lounge is located around the corner from the Village Inn Dining Room.  The new look and feel of the Lounge is a great option for lunch or cocktails.

We boast an enticing restaurant and lounge that are popular to choices for Orange County residents seeking great food and good times!

Set in a historic building dating back to the Roaring Twenties, Village Inn is a gorgeous dining lounge with designer cocktails created by the local celebrated mixologists. The style is a tribute to the glory years, with sleek banquettes, much dark wood and much solid stone hearth - classic old Nantucket . The bar meanwhile is a 30ft-long warm wood counter that used to be in the legendary VIP lounge. Drinks meanwhile continue to evoke the classic age: a vast selection of perfectly poured favorites with twists listed under generic titles. The Village Inn is a master of the classic cocktail art and her bar is one for purists with a sense of history.

Yearly Hosted Events

Every year the Village Inn Restaurant and Banquets offers an unlimited champagne brunch every Sunday.  We accept small and large party reservations.  The brunch menus are designed to satisfy any palate starting with a small buffet for the children to all the way to the crab legs and shrimp for the seafood lover.

We also host an annual New Year’s Eve Gala hosted in our bar.  The decorations, entertainment, superb cuisine and premium bar, and champagne toast with party favors at midnight offers an unforgettable evening.

The Village Inn Restaurant and Banquets is exclusively on Balboa Island. Guests of the Village Inn are treated to the world class amenities of our in-house Live entertainment.