Montvale’s iconic Octagon House, on West Grand Avenue, is a stately relic of a bygone age in the borough. Three mayors have called this wonderful eight-sided structure, built in the mid-19th century, home. It is one of the most recognizable buildings in Montvale and is featured on the borough seal.
At one time, it boasted a giant chicken on the roof.
On Sept. 14, 1935—90 years ago this week—a new eatery opened its doors in Montvale. Operated by Eddie Bisner and George Merton, Ye Olde Octagon House was a fried chicken restaurant. From the outside, there really was no mistaking it for anything else. A large wooden cutout of a hen, followed by a chick, stood in front of the restaurant along West Grand Avenue. Another chicken was perched atop the belvedere on the roof.
“Look for the rooster on top of the tower” the restaurant’ s advertisements proclaimed.
Heavy-handed advertising tactics aside, it is remarkable the amount of food a person could get for 75 cents in those days. In 1940, a dinner included four pieces of homemade fried chicken, hot biscuits with butter and honey, French fried potatoes, a vegetable, salad, a slice of homemade pie, and coffee, tea, or milk.
Now some people are probably thinking that 75 cents was worth a lot more in 1940, and that’ s certainly true. Still, calculated for inflation, an equivalent sum in 2025 would be about $17—and if any restaurant in the Pascack Valley were offering all that food for $17 today, there would be a line around the block.
Fried chicken received top billing at Ye Olde Octagon House, but they did serve other types of food. The prime roast beef dinner was 65 cents and the porterhouse steak dinner was 75 cents. The most expensive menu item was filet mignon on toast at 90 cents.
The dining room at Ye Olde Octagon House presented a homey atmosphere typical of a country inn, with its wide wooden floorboards, crisp white tablecloths, and bold floral prints. The basement was a cozy tap room where the walls and bar were paneled in cypress, the floors were flagstone, and the ceiling had antique beams. Across from the bar was a large open fireplace—a popular place to have a drink on a cold night.
