Old Department Store Restaurants

Moderator: Groceteria

J-Man
Veteran
Posts: 136
Joined: 07 Jul 2006 00:14
Location: Duarte, CA

The Bon Marché Crystal Tea Room Menu

Post by J-Man »

Loved that menu! I wonder what would happen if you walked into a restaurant today and asked for "The Shopper's Quickie"?
Mr. Shopper

" Dept Store Restaurants "

Post by Mr. Shopper »

After trouble logging in. I'm finally here! No one I believe has mentioned the NE. Here in NY we had B Altman's their restaurant was the Charleston Garden! We went to the store in White Plains, NY. The area has changed dramatically. That store was classy baby. I'm talking about 1970. Then Bloomingdale's in Hackensack, NJ their eatery was the Pavillion. Bamberger's had a restaurant of which I can't remember the name. When I worked in the Nanuet, NY store in 1978. It had an employee cafeteria which I never ate in. Because I was a shy nerd. So I ate at the fountain in the store restaurant. The tunasalad sandwich with chips and cole slaw was great! At the Nanuet Mall Sears had a small cafeteria my grandparents frequented. Which I don't remember visiting. Their was also a great cafeteria in mall lower level. Which became a Herman's Sporting goods. Since no one seems to be from the Rockland County NY area. I guess I'll have to wait for verification or memories. One more thing Lord and Taylor's restaurant was the birdcage!! Ah memories!!![color=violet][/color][color=red][/color][color=violet][/color][size=24][/size]
ajsanjua
Contributor
Posts: 39
Joined: 11 Sep 2008 09:40
Location: Elizabeth City, NC

Re: Old Department Store Restaurants

Post by ajsanjua »

I know that this topic is mostly about restaurants in real department stores, not discount stores, but we once had an actual sit-down restaurant (not a cafeteria like K-marts once had) at the Roses store in Elizabeth City, NC. I think that this was probably the first and only one that they operated, as that entire mall block was earlier occupied by WT Grant.

Can anyone confirm that WT Grant ever operated on-site restaurants?
dooneyt63
Contributor
Posts: 93
Joined: 07 Nov 2005 20:16

Re: Old Department Store Restaurants

Post by dooneyt63 »

W.T. Grant had the Bradford House Restaurants and Skillet Coffee Shops. Both had sit-down operations at many locations. Some of the Bradford Houses were cafeterias but not all. These were pretty good place to eat at the time.
rich
Veteran
Posts: 673
Joined: 15 Nov 2005 20:51
Location: Washington, DC

Re: Old Department Store Restaurants

Post by rich »

The Grant stores with food service that I recall were all large urban downtown stores, like the ones in Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The suburban stores I recall lacked this. perhaps, they had these departments in Grant City locations.
User avatar
enginecapt
Contributor
Posts: 53
Joined: 03 Apr 2008 20:21
Location: Fontana, CA

Re: Old Department Store Restaurants

Post by enginecapt »

The W.T. Grant built in 1972 in the distinctly isolated (at the time) San Clemente, CA had a Bradford House restaurant. I enjoyed the food there, and it was an inexpensive place for a perennially near-broke high school kid to eat.

Now it's a Little Caesar's (blech) inside a K-Mart.
Help with Everyday Low Prices
dooneyt63
Contributor
Posts: 93
Joined: 07 Nov 2005 20:16

Re: Old Department Store Restaurants

Post by dooneyt63 »

I should have been a little more clear. The Bradford Houses were in later generation Grant City stores; however, they did often appear in regular Grant stores in regional shopping centers in both urban and suburban areas. Many of these, built right before the Grant City rollout, were identical to the Grant City stores in everything but nameplate. The Grant downtown stores generally had luncheonettes with some booth seating. Most did not have the Bradford House nameplate, or it was added at a later date. McCrory bought several downtown Grant locations in cities such as Miami at the time of the Grant bankruptcy in 1976. Several were adjacent to existing McCrory stores and were simply opened up and grafted on, yielding stores with multiple eating facilities. This arrangement remained at the Miami Flagler Street store until it closed around 1997 during one of McCrory's periodic desperate downsizings/bankruptcies before the final one in 2001.
TenPoundHammer
Veteran
Posts: 225
Joined: 17 Jan 2007 21:05

Re: Old Department Store Restaurants

Post by TenPoundHammer »

According to the store locator, several Macy's (of course, former Hudson's->Field's locations) in Michigan have full fledged restaurants in them. I know I've had something at the Saginaw one. All of these stores opened between 1970-1977 if I'm not mistaken. They also have a couple other eateries; Flint has a Starbucks and a yogurt shop if I'm not mistaken.
Post Reply