The Clarmont was founded in 1947 by Frank Kondos. He was the first restaurateur to open a fine dining facility on the south side of the city.
Mr. Kondos was a great restaurant person. He had extremely high standards and purchased only top quality food products. Mr. Kondos set the mark to make the following owners attempt to match his quality food and service.
In 1972 Mr. Kondos sold the Clarmont to Mr. Barry Zacks, who continued to bring new ideas and look to the restaurant. He was also the founder of Max & Erma's, which is a successful chain restaurant operation. Zacks owned the Clarmont for 14 years. He sold it to Mr. Bill Bigelow in 1986.
Mr. Bigelow enhanced the restaurant by offering more fresh fish and seafood to the menu, and by starting the Showgoers Club, combining dinner and theatre packages.
Bigelow sold the restaurant to its current owner Thom Coffman in 1996. Mr. Coffman's goal is to keep the ambiance of the restaurant comfortable and warm, and raise the standards of the food by adding new items. The restaurant is in its 56th year, far exceeding any other "white-tablecloth" restaurant in Columbus.
