I remember this restaurant
opening in Chauncey Hill Mall and found this information on the internet about
its demise! Beverly Shaw October 12, 2011
October, 1983
The Indiana Secretary of State's
office stepped in to stop what appeared to be a rabbit-ranching scam. The
situation surfaced early in the year when Richard Stewart opened the first
Hop-Scotch Restaurant, a fast-food eatery specializing in fried rabbit, in West
Lafayette's Chauncey Hill Mall.
Stewart and his wife, Barbara, hoped to sell
rabbit ranches under Rex Rabbit Development Company, then buy the rabbits
produced, sell pelts to furriers and meat to retailers and restaurants.
More
than 150 ranchers bought two bucks and 20 does for about $6,000 to get started,
having been guaranteed a market for rabbits that did not exist.
The Hop-Scotch
closed in October and the Stewarts filed for bankruptcy.
WEST LAFAYETTE'S HISTORY began in the early 19th Century yet much of the town - now city's - history remains untold. Residents current and former are both welcome to contribute to this blog and to the Library's collection of West Lafayette Memories.
Whilst living at Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity, while attending Purdue University (1979 - 1983) our cook decided to serve us some of Hop Scotch's fried rabbit for lunch. I and another fellow drove over and picked up something like 20 orders "to go." (If I recall, they actually had a drive through window.)
ReplyDeleteWe only had fried rabbit once b/c it really was outside the typical menu of the American college kid and most of the guys did not eat it. (However, we ate more of the fried rabbit for lunch than we ate of the fried frog legs for a later dinner.)
Anyhow, our undrstandinf for the closre of the restaurant was due to a "lack of verifiaible integrity" in the food chain i.e., the restaurant could not document the source of the rabbits they were serving.
Best rabbit I ever ate. Prepared similar to KFC chicken. Sure do miss it!!!
ReplyDeleteHey Charlie! My mom, Sandy was the cook at Phi Kappa Tau during that time. Not sure if it was her that did the frog legs but she was quite adventurous in her cooking. My boyfriend and I went to eat there and thought it was pretty tasty! I remember hearing later on local news that they were serving what may have been cat since the feet were not attached and was the same body size and shape.
ReplyDeleteIt would have been harder for them to get cat than to get rabbit. What you "heard" was just another stupid urban legend.
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