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 | drive-ins
In the "car culture" of the 1950s, any restaurant that allowed us to stay in our cars was bound to be popular! Thus was born the drive-in restaurant, complete with curb service and carhops. |
Didn't the food somehow taste better from a car window tray?
While most drive-ins were privately owned, there were a number of popular drive-in chains. These included A&W, Dog n' Suds (1953) and McDonalds (1955).
McDonalds History
Hamburger Hall Of Fame
The Drive-In Restaurant Page
A&W
Dog n' Suds
Save The Crossroads Drive-In
Vintage Eateries
The Spot, 1955
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The famous Snow Cap on Route 66
Bud's Drive-In
Many drive-ins had a round "aerodrome" design. An abundance of neon transformed them into wonderlands after dark.
cafes
hamburger joints
ice cream
White Castle
Burger King (1954)
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Tastee Freez (1950)
Dairy Queen
Tony Packo's
During the 1930s and 1940s,
Colonel Harland Sanders served his famous fried chicken at the
Sanders Court & Cafe, a restaurant/motel complex in Corbin,
Kentucky. In the early 1950s, a new interstate highway was
built nearby which completely bypassed Corbin, taking away much
of Sanders' business. In 1952 he auctioned off his complex
and began to assemble a network of restaurants that would sell
his Kentucky Fried Chicken on a franchise basis. He
allowed them to prepare and sell his chicken, but the actual
recipe for those "11 herbs and spices" remained a closely
guarded secret, and is still a secret to this day.
Kentucky Fried Chicken History
White Castle
The First Burger King
Tastee Freez
Tony Packo's
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Howard Johnson's
coffeeshops
family restaurants
cafeterias
casual restaurants
Howard Johnson's
Ships
Googie's
Big Boy
Horn & Hardart Automat
Brown Derby
Dutch Pantry
Dutch Cupboard
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Bob's Big Boy opened in 1936.
The Big Boy chain was born in 1952 when the first franchise was sold to the Elias brothers in Michigan.
Very retro...
stone
facade, pastel colors, sweeping lines and check out that
sign!
Howard Johnson's
Bob's Big Boy
HoJoLand
Automat History
Meet Me At The Automat
Good Eats: Restaurant Postcards
Howard Johnson's History
Bob's Big Boy Official Site
The Brown Derby
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| | diners
Along with soda fountains and lunch counters, these factory-built eateries had their last hurrah in the 1950s.
Ohio Diners
Diner City
New Jersey Diners
Silver Diners Of Upstate New York
The American Diner
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Tips On Tables: Restaurants & Nightclubs
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 fine dining
supper clubs
In the city, an evening of dining and dancing was considered
the height of glamour. Many of the best restaurants were located in
hotels.
More than a restaurant, but not quite a nightclub,
the supper club was born in the 1930s. Supper clubs
were open during the evenings only, and provided smaller towns
with a touch of dining elegance. They were all-inclusive
nightspots, with dinner, dancing and perhaps some live
entertainment all in one place. Many supper clubs were located
in vacation areas, where they operated in conjunction with resorts.
In New York, Sardi's was popular with the theater crowd and featured hundreds of colorful celebrity caricatures on the walls.
In Chicago, the Walnut Room at Marshall Field's was a popular
luncheon spot for stylish shoppers. The Blackhawk Restaurant
introduced their famous Roast Beef Cart and Spinning Salad
Bowl.
In the 1950s many restaurants and supper clubs were adopting the popular new Polynesian tiki decor. Nowhere was this style more prevalent than in the Trader Vic's chain of restaurants.
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