Eight things to know about German village fixture Lindey’s

Lindey’s is one of the longest-serving fine-dining restaurants in Columbus.

Opened by Sue Doody more than 40 years ago, the restaurant is located in a historic structure, built in 1884, at the southwest corner of Beck and Mohawk streets in historic German Village.

Lindey’s iconic status was cemented in a book published in 2006, “As the Tables Turn: Biography of a Bistro,” by Doody and Michael Rosen.

Since Doody’s death in 2018, her family has taken control of the restaurant and helped guide it through some rough waters, including the COVID outbreak.

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Todd Cumbow, managing partner of Lindey’s, said the restaurant started doing carryout only, then opened up dine-in services on the patio for about a year before reestablishing full service.

“We’re fortunate,” Cumbow said. “Columbus is good to us and we have good guests.”

Tales, either real or hearsay, have piled up after four decades, he said.

“So many anecdotes and crazy things (have happened) over the last 41 years,” Cumbow said. “If you have ever worked in the restaurant industry, you know what I mean – stolen dumpsters full of trash, driving a guest’s Ferrari at the guest’s request, hanging out with Joe Montana and John Glenn, cheetahs, witnessing a guest get attacked by a man wielding a chef’s knife, valets taking all the keys to valeted cars and hiding them in a trunk of a car and parking it in the village somewhere and quitting.”

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Still, the restaurant has evolved and strengthened its operations, he said.

“We have invested heavily in our kitchen over the last 10 years in terms of the physical (design): New line equipment, coolers, freezer, flooring, lighting, prep kitchen, etc.,” Cumbow said.

“We have also invested in our salaried and hourly culinary team,” he said. “All our salaried chefs – we run with four – are executive-chef-experienced and could run their own kitchens. We pay a very competitive hourly rate to attract the best hourly talent in Columbus.”