Some of my memories hit home with most Boomers. Some of them are only related to by a few. Today's recollection could go either way.
Growing up in the 60's we ate at cafeterias all over the country. When we traveled, dad would keep his eye out for a cafeteria in strange towns. When we went to Tulsa, it meant eating at a local cafeteria there called Borden's. I have countless memories of standing in a line very similar to the one in school and telling the lady on the other side what I wanted.
And the fact that I see cafeterias today loaded with folks in the same generation as that of our parents, I suspect that the orderly eateries were a big hit with many WWII veterans besides my father.
Though I ate at many, many cafeterias growing up, they never cast the spell of intrigue over me that they did to my dad. There's something about picking out items of food with prices attached to them that is unappealing to me. Now all-you-can-eat buffets, that's another matter.
But the classic pay-as-you-go cafeteria was the ultimate eating spot for my father, surprising to me seeing how he was so thrifty. I mean having your bill get larger with every selected item must have HURT!
Cafeterias arose in California, being a popular dining facility in Mexico. Immigrants founded and frequented the serverless restaurants in their new country, and they caught on with everyone else.
They became a big hit in the South in the 50's and 60's. Once upon a time many chains existed, including Morrison's, Blue Bear, and Britling. I was surprised in researching this piece that the Borden's Cafeteria in Tulsa was apparently a stand-alone eatery. It sure seemed like a chain to me. I grew up assuming that they were affiliated with Borden's dairy products. I learn something new every day!
Indeed, my father's passion for cafeterias may well have been planted by his parents, because they were a growing phenomenon from the 20's onward.
Nowadays, the classic cafeteria I remember is becoming less and less common. They still have their ardent supporters, though, although it seems they are getting older and thinner in numbers.
Oh well. It's happening to us, too.
Some day, my son may be writing in his "I Remember the Exxon Valdez" blog about how his old man always had a passion for Olive Garden, the dwindling chain known for its elderly customers ;-).
Comments (3)
There were a couple of great locally owned ones here in the Charleston, WV, area years ago called Rose City Cafeteria. One was a block from the old YMCA where I lived for about a year back in the 70s.
This also brings back memories of the Horn & Hardart Automats. Instead of all the food sitting out on the shelves and paying at a cashier at the end of the counter, you put coins in a slot and open the individual door for the sandwich, pie, or other selection. Then the people hidden in the back room would restock the compartment.
Posted by David S Paleg | September 12, 2007 1:43 AM
Posted on September 12, 2007 01:43
Actually, there are several similar phenonena
affiliated with cafeterias that I should mention.
Diners were an east coast phenom, most of them
in converted railroad diner cars, with a bit extra formica and stainless steel added for good measure(there was prob more stainless steel on
an old diner per sq. in. than anything imaginable. The entire thing glowed silver like
a Harley-Davidson in the sun). Diners were also
popular in the midwest and mid-south, especially
Tennessee. The similarities with the cafeteria
were cheap food and a very casual atmosphere.
You could read the paper for hours, with a full
ashtray, and no one would notice. The famous
picture "Nighthawks", with folks in NYC glumly
eating alone in the wee hours, is a good example.
The differences were several. One, you got served
at dinners, almost invariably by a harried,
sharp-talking local gal under 25 in the better places, up to 60's in real hgwy dives, who always
had a heart of gold, called everyone "Hon", "Baby" or some other affectionate
epithet, and kept the strong coffee flowing like
Niagara Falls. Diners specialized in greasy comfort foods, typically meat orientated, like
Hamburgers, Meatloaf, Hot dogs, and the like, with a heavy orientation on breakfast for those opened 24/7(As popular as that phrase 24/7 is now, the 24 hour cafeterias and diners were the original 24/7). Diners were hangouts for kids,
where cafeterias were for adults, and usually
either in drugstores or main streets of local
downtowns. Diners were usually located on cheap land on the outskirts of town, which lent it street cred as a cool place for teens to hang.
Diners had jukeboxes, some on every table ala
Happy Days Arnold's(the diner that inspired Al's is still open in California). Waitresses were very crabby and snappy at Diners, as teen-age kids, who made up the majority of business on week-ends, tipped little or not at all. That
is why they were so snappy and direct...."Alright, Guy, what do you want. Huhh? I didn't hear that....We got 3 soups....no, we
ain't got shakes today....come on guy, I ain't got all day!".....We have a chain called Ed Debevic's in Chicago, where the waitresses are actresses trained in the best gum-snapping techniques. The Cafeteria, on the other hand, was an old folk affair, and always was. Let's face it, the appeal was geared towards cheapasses that counted every penny, and would spend 10 minutes in consternation as to whether
the Hot Fudge Sunday by the fried chicken was worth the extra $1.23. Lets just call it A La
carte for PO FOLKS. It was very similar to the french "A la Carte"(each seperately), but instead
of Pheasant under Glass, Oysters, and Fois Gras
for 2, you had nuclear green carbonated punch,
Chicken Surprise, Sloppy Joe, Jello, tuna casserole, and ex-lax at the counter to wash it all down and out.
Cafeterias seem to have morphed into Buffets in most places, most famously Las Vegas. Buffets are an experience in Vegas for young and old alike. Animal spirits are unleashed, particularly bu people from the midwest and Wisconsin, to devour all that is in sight and is NOT the plate. What remains from cafeteria days
is that all the food is ready prepared and placed
out in the public areas to be grabbed, almost always down a long counter where the glass functions as a screen guard for all the tidbits.
Its sorta like a little food factory, with bunches of food pumping out the kitchen with regularity. I won't get into the horror stories
of how much food dropped or not eaten gets put back in bins, but lets say that cafeterias essentially were the first to recycle. Take from that what you will...LOL....
Posted by Scott | September 12, 2007 6:56 AM
Posted on September 12, 2007 06:56
My mother loved cafeterias and took me to Loop's in Ventura (CA) every time we donned our hats and white gloves to "go downtown" for shopping. Once a year we rode the Greyhound bus (a respectable way to travel in the 50s) to Los Angeles, where lunch was always at the famous Clifton's.
How well I remember it. As much as I know I shouldn't, I still get excited when I encounter a cafeteria.
Posted by Incurable Insomniac | September 12, 2007 12:40 PM
Posted on September 12, 2007 12:40