Why did cafeterias fall out of favor with the American dining public?

I still love Luby's every now and then. It's a shame that it probably won't last much longer.

I go to Piccadilly and S & S occasionally. Not as good as they used to be but they fill a need.

Loved Lubys and Picadilly. Loved Furrs too. Its a form of comfort food.

It is quite fun to head downtown LA and go to Clifton’s. Its like a gourmet cafeteria.

They can't compete with fast food chains' economies of scale. And fast food is chemically engineered to make you crave it.

So much better than fast food or chain garbage like Applebee’s.

I miss Morrison’s. We used to eat there often when I was growing up.

Hot Shoppes here in the DC area.

I used to love the jalapeno cornbread at Picadilly.

Remember "all-you-can-eat" buffets? People are so fat now they'd bankrupt those restaurants.

How about automats?

I still Use Wyatt Cafeteria's Eggplant Casserole recipe.

Wyatt's was in Dallas.

It's called diner in my city, and there are still some, if not hundred, around the city.

[quote]And fast food is chemically engineered to make you crave it.

Sure, Jan. "Chemically engineered"...

2Billion lawsuit against Monsanto! But to 1 couple!

Those crappy buffet restaurants are sort of like "cafeterias".

You could always go to one in a hospital though the atmosphere is bizarre.

Another vote for Luby’s.

For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like.

what makes a cafeteria unique from a diner or even a buffet?

It's all the same slop, by the end of it. It's how you prefer it to be presented to you.

A diner is a restaurant and you do not pass by pre-pared food. There is no tray. A diner is a restaurant with cook, waitstaff, etc. A cafeteria and a buffet restaurant are quite similar in my opinion.

Anyone been to Clifton's in LA?

R16, in a diner, a waiter/waitress takes your order and brings you your food. You pay the cashier on the way out.

IMO, a buffet cooks large quantities of food to be consumed for one low price, i.e. the all you can eat buffet, like The Golden Corral. All of the food is displayed out in the open, and the one price entitles you to anything and everything on the line. Where these places screw you is to charge $2.75 for a glass of iced tea, coffee or soda. You pay for the entire meal before you select your food.

A cafeteria is where you take a tray and select your food, much like a buffet. Once you've selected your food/drink, you pay the cashier at the end of the line. Everything is a la carte, including pats of butter. Unlike a buffet, cafeterias are not all you can eat. If you go back for seconds, you pay again for whatever you choose. Cafeterias are not the food troughs that buffets tend to be.

K&W rocks

Morrisons chicken and dumplings. Mmmmmm

Whole Amazon Foods calls theirs a 'hot bar'.

I love to eat at Luby’s when I’m craving real food.

I loved the cafeteria we had in Eaton's Department store in Toronto. It was called The Marine Room and it had a nautical theme. The tables were set up so that you weren't sitting close to other diners and you had some privacy while you ate.

You'd take your tray and they'd have a large variety of food stations to choose from- a carving station, where you could get a carved roast beef or turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, vegetables, gravy and a roll, hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, sandwiches, salads, breads, desserts like pies, cakes and jellos. Then a drink station for soft drinks, tea and coffee.

Very reasonable priced and the food was nicely prepared.

Sadly, Eaton's went out of business and was replaced by Nordstrom.

Still got ‘em in Alabama

R23- I don't like food out in the open like that. I'd prefer to see it behind glass with someone on the other side serving it so the public isn't in contact with it.

When it's in the open, even with a sneeze guard- you never know who has coughed in it or if a toddler has run his grimy hands through anything.

I love Cliftons R19. Unfortunately a developer bought it and made changes. The interior is even more fantastic now, but they shit down the cafeteria and made it a nightclub. No word if and when the cafeteria is coming back.

When I was younger it was called Morrison’s. And then Piccadilly bought it out and then closed about 12 years later.

Clifton's in LA was a big deal in its day. Actually in my mother's day and she has long since passed away. According to her, it was very popular, and there were several including one with a waterfall on the facade. Disney was just another kid on the block back then. Kind of a gathering place as well.

Swiss department stores have cafeterias. They are very popular at lunch time. They are often on the top floor and have terraces. There are salad bars but also traditional cafeteria food line with prepared dishes and grill to order. Of course, Swiss style, you pay for every single little item except a shake of salt.

They didnt really fall out of favor as much as they dropped from middle to lower class. Let's face it, none of you uppity bitches would be proud to say you met your future husband at Hometown Buffet.

Even at Zermatt, there are cafeteria restaurants on the slopes. Every mountain will have a cafeteria restaurant.

Morrisons was bought out by Piccadilly in the late 90's. I remember as a kid when you went to Morrisons you never took your own tray to your table. They had porters to do that, for tips. I knew when they got rid of the tray porters it was the beginning of the end for Morrisons.

The only difference between a cafeteria and a buffet is the pricing structure really.

But yes, the person who compared it to a diner doesn't understand what a cafeteria is.

We still have ikea.

R34 Not only carried your tray, but dinner with everything cost about $5.50.

"Fried Rice Syndrome"

So back to the reasons. To me they just seem unhygienic. People sneezing, spitting, putting their dirty hands in the food when no one is looking. The food often sits there for hours at the wrong temps which we know now is a breeding ground for bacteria. 50 years ago, no one really thought about that. E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks were a lot more rare.

How I miss Garavelli's! The employees were such sweethearts and the food always great. Went there every Friday night. I've moved away, I think there's a bank or a Starbucks there now.

Cafeterias are probably much more sanitary than buffets if they are built correctly. Food handlers wear gloves and no customers are touching your utensils and food. Also they often have limited hours for the prepared dishes. The employees might even be trained in food safety.

r23 That's neither a cafeteria nor a buffet.

r36 is right - IKEAs have cafeterias.

R19 I grew up in LA and my parents would take us to downtown Clifton's - this was over 30 years ago, long before Clifton's rebirth as a hipster hangout. It was a magical place and back then they had a "treasure chest" full of little tchotchkes. Each child was allowed to chose one to keep.

We also would sometimes stop at the West Covina Clifton's on the way back from skiing in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Cafeterias are not buffets. Why has more than one person been confused by this?

I always thought a Luby’s would make a killing in Times Square.

I just think they got too expensive and people moved on to other comparably priced options. The last time I ate at Luby’s I thought it was pricey for what I got.

They’ve changed a lot of their recipes over the last few years. I grew up in TX and always insisted on going back when I would visit just so I could have the mac & cheese. They published the recipe so now I can make it whenever I want.

I feel the same way about Piccadilly.

R42 The Whole Foods hot bar is 1. a meal consisting of several dishes from which guests serve themselves. "a cold buffet lunch" synonyms: cold table, cold meal, self-service, smorgasbord "a sumptuous buffet was spread out at the restaurant" 2. a room or counter in a station, hotel, or other public building selling light meals or snacks. synonyms: cafe, cafeteria, snack bar, canteen, salad bar, refreshment stall/counter, restaurant "a station buffet"

The formatting got screwed up. Sorry.

[R42] The Whole Foods hot bar is considered to be a buffet.

Definition of buffet:

1. a meal consisting of several dishes from which guests serve themselves. "a cold buffet lunch" synonyms: cold table, cold meal, self-service, smorgasbord "a sumptuous buffet was spread out at the restaurant"

2. a room or counter in a station, hotel, or other public building selling light meals or snacks. synonyms: cafe, cafeteria, snack bar, canteen, salad bar, refreshment stall/counter, restaurant "a station buffet"

R42 is correct. The words listed in R49/R50 have different meanings.

You are nuts. The Whole Foods hot bar is EXACTLY #1. It is a self-service where some one makes a meal out of the different dishes.

A dish doesn't only mean a plate or bowl.

In American slang a buffet refers to a restaurant in which you pay a set price and eat as much food as you like.

If it's not all you can eat, it's not a buffet.

There shouldn't be any need to argue this.

Now we have a Whole Foods hot bar troll. How delightful.

typo: Someone.

Whole Foods is also #2:

synonyms: cafe, cafeteria, snack bar, canteen, salad bar, refreshment stall/counter, restaurant "a station buffet

R53 A buffet does NOT have to be all-you-can-eat. Some restaurants only allow one trip through the line.

You could argue that the Whole Foods (and similar) hot bars/cold bars are like cafeterias except that you (1) serve yourself, and (2) pay by weight, neither of which is the case in a traditional cafeteria.

Whole Foods charges by weight, It's hard to get out of there lower than $19.95!

On the one hand it just means that you pick food from a wide selection of small dishes, on the other hand, the phenomenon of "all you can eat buffet" has started to come here from the US. ... "A buffet is simply a meal where guests serve themselves....there is no obligation to supply endless amounts of food."Jul 6, 2016

Does "buffet" mean all you can eat to you? - Escapist Magazine

Can we get back to discussing Piccadilly?

corrected link

Manning's was a cafeteria chain in the San Francisco area, but eventually they just did institutional food service. I worked at one of their sites at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (now called Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) when I was going to Cal. Since they were closed on the weekends, we got to take home the leftover perishables on Fridays. Good times.

Hearing the name Luby's always reminds me of the mass shooting at a Luby's.

I went to Clifton’s with my mom in the 80’s. I loved it. I love cafeteria food. I can see why the owners turned it into a club, there’s a much higher profit margin. But local workers could go there and get a decent meal inexpensively, and they lost that. I’m really sorry to hear they did that, it was a local institution for decades.

And speaking of cafeteria chains in San Francisco -- the Gene Compton's cafeteria riot was a pivotal event in LGBTQ history. It even pre-dates Stonewall.

(I remember eating at one of their suburban locations attached to the Capwell's department store in Walnut Creek when my mother took us shopping there.)

Is a cafeteria really defined by someone else serving your food? Hmm, not sure I'd agree with that.

I do agree that the Whole Foods system of paying based in weight rather than x cost for a protein and a number of sides makes it different from a cafeteria though.

Wasn't there one of last of the Clifton's Cafeterias at the Century City Shopping Center? I don't remember it as being very good.

Gene Comptons! As a child, I remember ordering a small dish of mashed potatoes and gravy. Our mother would order the "Diet Plate" that had a mound of cottage cheese, a pineapple slice, and half a tomato stuffed with tuna salad.

They also had a self-serve station were you could fill a glass with ice cubes and water by pushing the glass against a silver post. We thought that was heaven.

I remember 3-bean salad and red or green Jello cubes.

I didn't know about a riot in Walnut Creek. Our Comptons shut down long before 2006.

We have a few places like that in Chicago. The first city I've seen similar concepts as an adult. I vaguely remember smaller local things as a kid in the 70s but all were gone before the 80s hit us.

Most of the ones I see now are not much different than Whole Foods hot bar. They vary in quality.

Houston still has Cleburne Cafeteria, a classic. The food is delicious and served in huge portions, though it's really pricey compared to Luby's (which, here anyway, is ghastly). The thing is, the clientele isn't getting any younger. Plus, I've lost count of how many fires the place has had, always coming back bigger and flashier than ever.

[quote] Whole Foods charges by weight, It's hard to get out of there lower than $19.95!

MARY!

Childs was another NYC Cafeteria chain.

R53 then, what’s a smorgasbord to go?

In Europe they have buffets but it is definitely not all you can eat They would be appalled. Though with all the fat American tourists today they would understand the concept.

As someone pointed out in the US it is all you can eat. As if you went to somebody's house for dinner and it were served buffet style.

I remember Scholl's Cafeteria in DC. The AA gays would meet there on Friday nights with their sponsors before going to the speaker meeting near GW. The food was awful. The prayer cards were worse.

I remember a Hot Shoppes in the Barlow Building in Chevy Chase that was a true cafeteria. The food was much better than at Scholls.

r74, then you must remember the S&W chain in DC and throughout the South. It was absorbed by Morrison's, I believe. The S&W in downtown DC was quite good.

Where and when would that have been, r75? I moved to DC in 1981 and have never heard of it.

La Madeline is an attempt at making this a little classier, but basically cafeterias are for the blue rinse set.

The S&W was downtown around the corner from RKO Keith's theater by the Treasury Department on G Street. There was also one at Seven Corners in Va. I agree Scholl's was horrible, the worst cherry pie I've ever tasted.

It was probably doable when cost cutting wasn't rampant and Americans weren't fat entitled whores.

It was possible to make a pleasant meal for people who didn't eat like field hands in public.

I was dragged to a Ponderosa years ago (before it blissfully closed) and gagged at some of the tastes and smells. I watched as one person shoved a ton of stuff into baggies, and pilfered the salt and pepper shakers, too.

[quote]In Europe they have buffets but it is definitely not all you can eat They would be appalled

There is nothing wrong with the concept not limiting what you can try and allowing you to eat til you are satisfied. The problem is people are trashy and shamleless and will abuse it. You'd think some people have zero access to any food outside of this one meal at the buffet.

Marche Movenpick is popular in Germany.

They're going away because they were cheaper. The demo skewed older and those folks are tight. I remember my grandmother and her ladies club met at one of our several cafeterias two or three times a week. Those old gals would spend next to nothing. My grandmother would get either the little Mac and cheese or the broccoli rice casserole and maybe some pie. All the old ladies barely ate even at home. Our "chain" cafeteria went to a big buffet about 20 years ago. Now it's $10.95 no matter what you eat. It sucks.

Valois on the South Side of Chicago is a time warp, with good food.

There was a cafeteria in NYC down around 23rd St, the Bellmore.

A real cafeteria, where you took a card and, at each dish you wanted, the guy behind the counter would clip the amount on your card. You could get one thing, many things, dessert, coffee, etc. And the food was good.

One Thanksgiving, for some reason that escapes me, my parents and I took our holiday meal there--unusual for my rather grand mother. An old-fashioned turkey dinner with the usual sides, gravy, whatnot.

It was a wonderful place, and I don't know why it closed. I had a friend who lived not far from it, and we were always there.

Damn that place is cheap r83.

There was a Piccadilly near my mother's house. It was VERY good - ham, chocolate cake, etc. Yum. I was truly bummed when they closed it.

r85 -- it is cheap. Specials come with two sides and cornbread.

The quality fell off. Too many Sysco semis idling at the entrance.

Morrisons was the best then Piccadilly bought them. Piccadilly was ok, but then they left my area, so all we have is S&S, which sucks. Piccadilly does maintain one Morrisons location, in Mobile, AL. I stopped there when traveling through, it was not as good as I remember Morrisons being but it is better than the average Piccadilly.

Also, there was a cafeteria in the Midwest that actually did allow you to have seconds without paying. We visited one time while on vacation, but I cannot remember the name.

The quality was never that great r87. The model of these businesses is food that can be prepared for cheap and sold at a cheap price point.

But the poster who mentioned they can't compete with fast food places is probably correct. Nowadays when people want a cheap meal they pick up it from fast food places.

We had both a Picadilly (two or three I think that were freestanding) and our Morrison's was inside of our local mall. That Morrison's became a Picadilly in the late 90's or early 2000's before it was closed down completely a few years later. Our freestanding Picadillys are still doing great business.

I still love going to Luby’s when I visit family in Texas. It’s nice to have such fresh made variety in one place. But it’s not cheap and there are so many places to eat out for the same or cheaper I can understand why it struggles, even if the quality is better than a lot of chain places. I’ll miss it when it’s gone.

Furr’s Was a staple when young, it seems so old fashioned and out of place now

In Birmingham the two main cafeteria chains used to be Britling and Pioneer. Britling, which closed in the late '70s, was down-home Southern cooking; Pioneer, which hung on until about 15 years ago, was "fancy," with tray porters in velour tuxedos, swanky gilt-and-velvet-trimmed decor, and dishes like trout almondine.

Britling also had locations in Memphis (Gladys Presley worked at one).

There are still a lot of cafeteria style restaurants around Birmingham - The Irondale Cafe (the model for Whistlestop Cafe), Niki's, Ted's, Sweet Tea, Bogue's. They're also known as meat and threes. (Meat and three veggies/sides for lunch or dinner). My favorite is Victoria's in Jasper. Good food, even if it's oddly stuck inside a no tell motel with a weird little woman's boutique in front.

King’s Table was the age when I was young

[quote]There are still a lot of cafeteria style restaurants around Birmingham

That's cheating, it's still the 80s in the Alabama.

Does anyone remember the Harvest House cafeterias that were attached to the larger Woolworth's stores in shopping malls? I worked at one through high school and college. Everything was made fresh and the food was actually better than any fast food. Their mac and cheese is still the best I've ever had. The demographic even in the 70's was older working class and the after church crowd on Sundays.

R65, whether the definition requires being served or not, old-style cafeterias, the kind I think most people are talking about here, always had someone serving the main and side hot courses. Sandwiches, salads and desserts might well have been self-serve in pre-prepared portions. Buffets were largely a home phenomenon.

A key point of difference is that, in a cafeteria, you got the portion served out to you. You couldn't pile your plate with a 3-inch-high mound of mac and cheese. You got a scoop. You could ask could ask for a little extra, and if the attendant was nice, she (they were almost always women) would give it to you, but if you wanted a double portion, you paid for it.

R7, yes, Hot Shoppes! I remember them well. Some of them also had car service, although the waitresses were not on roller skates, alas. Another popular cafeteria in downtown DC was Scholl's.

^^ Sorry, I see Scholl's has already been mentioned.

There was a Hot Shoppes cafeteria at Montgomery Mall in the '70s. I used to eat there on dinner break when I worked at Hecht's department store in college unless I wanted to splurge at the Magic Pan.

The Hot Shoppes with car service that I'm thinking of was in ... Langley Park, MD, I think.

I liked Hot Shoppes, the one time I got to eat there on a school trip, however by the next time I made it to DC they were gone. They were the foundation of the entire Marriott corporation of today.

I seriously miss York Steakhouse. Apparently there is only one left. The video below show them being served by a waitress, but the one that was in our local mall was more of a cafeteria style. You paid up front, and they gave you trays, and you walked down a line of side dishes and deserts and told them what you wanted, and by the time you got to the end, your steak or burger was done cooking. Their sirloin tips with buttered mushrooms were to die for.

My grandmother always took us to Heritage Cafeteria in Springfield,MO. A few years ago, right before it closed, my sister took my mom for old times sake. She said it was the worst meal she had ever eaten. Old people's food that was bland and cooked to mush.

Always and everywhere incredibly oversalted food, with no observable other spicing (peppers, lemon, garlic, onion, never mind basil, tarragon, parsley, rosemary or bay leaf). The result was food that was both oversalted AND bland.....not a good combination. I ate in many a cafeteria restaurant in my time - especially Morrisons, which was still a big deal when I was living in north Florida in the 1980s. People raved about it and would want to meet there for lunch. I was always disappointed and regretted going.

R99- Exactly. A cafeteria has hot meals served up behind a counter where the only one coming in contact with the food is the person serving you. Things like salads, sandwiches, rolls and desserts are served open so that you help yourself but anything like roast beef, fish and cooked vegetables are always behind the counter and served to you.

A buffet is just like what you serve at home. Open dishes all laid out and you serve yourself everything.

My grandparents liked eating at Furrs, everytime we'd come visit them that's what was always for lunch or dinner. They've closed restaurants, i'm not sure how many they have left.

Well, here in Dallas, there's this hoity-toity joint called Highland Park Cafeteria in a sort of nice area. They would have a pianist playing and the place is packed after church! Never tried the food though, so cannot attest to that.

I'd love to see cafeteria style dining come back. They could easily make the food itself more upscale and fresh, but stop gouging customers with overpriced drinks, having to tip grossly underpaid servers, etc... maybe something like self serve wine/beer too. I'd rather get more bang for my buck by getting good food, than paying a premium for the "experience" of dining at some overpriced restaurant. Plus it would deter neurotic picky diners who complain about everything the whole time, send stuff back constantly, and do everything they can to avoid tipping.

Plus you can avoid dealing with the "Karen's" who have to special order the shit out of everything, then nitpick about it. I'd love to see more places that are "this is what we serve, this is how it's cooked, no special orders, just don't dine here". I've seen restaurants like this at amusement parks that explicitly say, no special orders.

K&W still is huge in North Carolina

In NYC, many of the bodegas (small corner markets) have hot bars and salad bars during dinner time 4-7 or 8pm. You pay by weight, so the potatoes really kill you. The food seems to be supplied by the same company. It's a shame that many of the bodegas just dump all of the leftover food in a big garbage bag and throw it out, instead of donating it to a pantry or City Harvest.

r108 "Karen's"?

R108, "I'm Karen and I demand to speak to a manager"

Ohhhhhh...thanks, r112.

There’s a cafeteria inside the Clara Shortridge Foltz courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. I would say courthouses tend to have cafeterias, still. Hospitals still have them as well.

R108, a lot of the so-called fast casual places like Chipotle, Choolah, Mission BBQ and several others in my area (Philly/DC) are basically cafeterias, except specializing in one kind of food.

I find the ambience in these places much worse than the old cafeterias, though. The old places had proper tables, chairs and booths like a regular restaurant, allowing you to eat with some privacy and, if you were lucky, quiet. These places have tiny tables in tiny dining rooms packed with families making all the noise you would expect. They also only offer one kind of food, so if you're with someone who doesn't like Mexican, Indian or barbecue ... well, you need a new friend, because that's ridiculous. But, still, they don't offer anything like the variety of the old cafeterias.

Cafeterias were expensive, because you would pay for each item. A flat fee cafeteria is better-like Souplantation,or Sweet Tomatoes, which features salads, pastas, soups, breads and desserts for one price. You might try something and decide you don't like it: no problem! Or you may discover a new favorite!

People who say veggies deserve to be shot.

A lot of companies still have cafeterias inside their buildings. I was visiting Bass Pro Shops corporate headquarters in Springfield Missouri and they had a pretty impress cafeteria, with subsidized food. All in an effort to keep people from going out to lunch and spending more time in the building working.

Lands End corporate in Dodgeville Wisconsin is another one that has a cafeteria and gym on site to keep you trapped there, so many of the local people who work there are fat and ignorant, im happy to never have to go back up there again.

The "meat and three" cafeterias have gotten a hipster makeover in big cities.

They put 50s style everything around, serve craft beers and charge you $25-30 for what used to be $4-$8.

Monkey wrench: Horn and Hardart “Automat”

The last couple of times I was at a cafeteria the food was terrible.

I don’t know if the food changed or I did, but it was bad.

My first time in LA in the late 90s I was taken to Clifton’s.

I think it’s a cocktail bar now.

R98, I certainly remember Harvest House. There was one in the Southern Park Mall here in NE Ohio. Bizarre experience though, it was as big as the store itself.

We loved Clifton's in the 80s and 90s, how sad that now it is a drug den?

I loved cafeterias a kid because the courses came on separate plates and did not touch. Shudder.

I haven't been to Luby's in a few years and was disappointed the selections had been reduced. I heard the Pappas family bought it and changed things. The food still tasted good.

A local Mediterranean chain in Houston, Fadi's, serves cafeteria style. I go when I'm in the mood for lamb shanks.

I haven't been to Cleburne since the re-opening. I am so old I remember it at the original location. My grandfather's business was on Main St. When we stopped by to visit him, we'd eat at Cleburne's or Alfreda's. And Alfreda's is still around, though I gather the quality has declined.

[quote]I loved cafeterias a kid because the courses came on separate plates and did not touch. Shudder.

Why is that a thing for some people? I have a friend who absolutely, positively MUST eat one thing on his plate before going on to the next. I like a little taste of everything in each bite, and choose accordingly.

I love some lamb shanks

Buffalo China!

old lady galore!

The china, r128? People fell out of love with the china?

Yes, Hot Shoppes had cafeterias in the DC area, including one in Crystal City. Admiral Rickover would indulge his wife and take her to dinner o n Saturday night there.

Highland Park Cafeteria in Dallas has been around for decades and is delish. Known for their squash casserole I believe. In the original old Highland Park location, they had a little old lady who played the organ every day, named Miss Cleo or something like that.

I LOVED cafeterias growing up. We would go to them as a family every two weeks or so. I loved moving the tray along the rails and picking out food from a large selection.

I was recently in Disney World and ate at one of its all-you-can-eat cafeterias. What a fun experience!

There was a short-lived FABULOUS FEAST Cafeteria chain on the East Coast. I think in the early 80's.

Bishop's Buffet in Iowa (and probably elsewhere) was the best. It's one of my favorite memories of childhood in the '70's and early '80's - it seemed so fancy to my 8 year-old brain and I could get chocolate mousse pie with chocolate shavings on top for dessert. Truly the height of elegance for a midwest kid. The one my grandparents took us to when we'd stay with them over summer vacation permanently closed in 2010 or 2011. Shortly after, I went back to visit Iowa and went by, peeked in just to see if it was as I remembered, and it was exactly the same after 30-some years.

I recently saw something about the fact they tested the serving pieces in a buffet and they were all contaminated with fecal matter. I havent been to a buffet in years,but that news segment assured I never would again !

I'd say overall cafeterias would be cheaper. I bet if you did a per person ticket total it would be less than at a one price fits all buffet. That's was what made them thrifty, and like has been mentioned, great for old ladies on a fixed income. You weren't forced to pay the same price as the lumber jack, you could still go, get a salad or coffee and pie...it was up to you what you picked.

[quote] I recently saw something about the fact they tested the serving pieces in a buffet and they were all contaminated with fecal matter.

Erna would like verifcatia.

Erna probably provides the fecal matter

[quote]I didn't know about a riot in Walnut Creek. Our Comptons shut down long before 2006.

I think you have reading comprehension issues. The riot took place in 1966, in the Tenderloin, in San Francisco. Walnut Creek has probably never had a riot.

[quote] Gene Comptons! As a child, I remember ordering a small dish of mashed potatoes and gravy. Our mother would order the "Diet Plate" that had a mound of cottage cheese, a pineapple slice, and half a tomato stuffed with tuna salad. They also had a self-serve station were you could fill a glass with ice cubes and water by pushing the glass against a silver post. We thought that was heaven. I remember 3-bean salad and red or green Jello cubes.

My Compton's food memory is of the egg custard pudding dusted with nutmeg and served in dark green earthenware bowls. This would have been in the early '60s. Strange how long some memories stick with you.

Never

What really killed them was 'Factory Food' It's generally poor quality and the 'chefs' only reheat it.

Nobody in your local upscale restaurant is slaving over your lamb shanks or peeling vegetables.

Of course now we have "food halls" which are food courts with white subway tile and $15 entrees.

Nothing new under the sun that a hipster/millennial can't "refresh" - charging out the ass for the same thing we used to get for five bucks.

This

[quote] they were all contaminated with fecal matter

Yummy poo!

[quote] Of course now we have "food halls" which are food courts with white subway tile and $15 entrees. Nothing new under the sun that a hipster/millennial can't "refresh" - charging out the ass for the same thing we used to get for five bucks.

To be honest, the food halls usually have way better food than cafeterias of old

OP=entrepreneur in the making.

Just find a need and fill it. Would love a local commissary.

We used to have Foster's Cafeteria in downtown San Francisco. I remember having dinner there once with my father when I was about 10 (early 60s), It was near Christmas. Sometimes he'd take me shopping downtown and we'd get, as he'd say, "a bite to eat." We sat adjacent to a lone elderly gent and he started talking to us. He was from Boston and alone on in SF with no family. My father had a kind heart and we had our dinner with the old man. The kindness Dad showed to strangers always moved me. He was quick to help and lend a hand.

I am still a big fan of diners, too. We have a big one where I live now, Mac's Deli & Cafe, that has a fabulous selection of east coast style sandwiches.

[quote] My Compton's food memory is of the egg custard pudding dusted with nutmeg and served in dark green earthenware bowls. This would have been in the early '60s. Strange how long some memories stick with you.

I have the exact same memory. In fact, when I read the Compton's post upthread, my mind went right to their egg custard.

Unlike modern fast food places, cafeterias had a gentility about them that's gone today. Ladies could eat alone without fear of being disturbed. Perhaps the constant presence of dining room employees had something to do with that. There were always a few down and out types, but they would nurse a cup of tea and there never seemed to be a problem. If there was music, it was very muted and not the loud, blaring drumbeat you hear everywhere now. Lingering over pie and coffee while reading your newspaper was not discouraged.

In addition to Walnut Creek, Compton's also had a location in Capwell's Hayward (pictured). They had a very mid-century modern look to them.

'Our' Compton's was Westlake in Daly City, just south of San Francisco. After lunch, my mother thought nothing of parking the kids there with a comic book while she went to have 'a quick look' at H. Liebes. These days, she'd come back to find Child Protective Services waiting for her.

Very good that you were kind to strangers, r149,

Was the food ready made at cafeterias so you just took a plate or did you order your main course at the till, if you wanted hot food?

Hospitals, at least the ones I know in Boston have great cafeterias. But only one has easy parking, the New England Baptist, and it's gotta be the safest place to eat lunch in the city: there are at least 10 or 15 cops eating there every day. The coconut cake and the lemon meringue pie are still homemade, too.

Occasionally I'd have lunch at the Baptist with one of my Dad's doctors, a surgeon. You know someone is serious about their work when they dissect a sandwich with a knife and fork before eating it.

r152 You usually took a tray. Some of the food, like Jell-O or bread, was already plated and you put it on your tray yourself. Servers would put the hot food on a dinner plate and hand it to you.

It sounds similar to Ikea's restaurants r154. I like to see the food before I decide what I want so cafeterias sound like the perfect lunch place, if the food is good.

R150, I lived in that area in those days, too. We always loved Joe's of Westlake. Ever go there?

It recently changed owners, remodeled, then reopened. I went there a few years ago before it changed hands, it hadn't changed a bit. Wonderful place.

R8 - Yes! Horn and Hardart Automats!

My parents took me there in the late 50s/ 60s when we visited the city. 25 cents for a piece of decent pie.

^^^^^^^^^ New York City

r156 I remember Joe's of Westlake. I was born in San Mateo but we moved to Contra Costa when I was 4, but my parents were both San Franciscans so we'd go to places all over. There was also an Original Joe's in downtown San Jose that I went to when I lived there later on.

How about a more recent chain: Max's Opera Cafe? They used to have multiple locations outside of the City -- I remember going to ones in Walnut Creek and Sacramento.

I hate restaurants where you have to wait for your food, and the staff keeps asking you questions and begging for tips.

I only go to buffets and cafeteria-style joints with lots of seating so I can get far away from people.

I used to have lunch at Max's Opera Cafe when I worked downtown. We did the same as your family, parents from SF then lived on Peninsula until moved back to City in 73. We just went all over, from Nick's Rockaway in Pacifica to Blum's in SF. So many great restaurants and shops!

There's a Joe's in San Rafael that's still wonderfully old school. Had lunch there last year and asked if the Joes were owned by the same people. Waiter said no, each has a different owner. There used to be a Marina Joes in the SF Marina District. Was in Walnut Creek recently, it was always nice but so upscale now.

I'm stuck in mid century with all the wonderful memories of life in the Bay Area then. Fun to reminisce.

^ For R159

In NYC I miss The Automat and The Garden Cafeteria in Manhattan and in Brooklyn Garfield's Cafeteria and Dubrow's. Real home cooked foods, so delicious in each and fresh baked breads and rolls, desserts to die for wonderful salads, the works. You could go to each for over a month and never have to get the same thing twice.

For a child the Automat had the special treat of that mysterious hand coming into the little glass booths to put out fresh food when what had been in there was used up. Kind of like "Thing" on the Adam's Family. Also The Automat had coffee, hot water and hot chocolate coming out of a lion's mouth. What a thrill it was to go there.

Cleburnes in Houston

R150, right!😅

R163, you need a fundraiser & investors. Bring it back!

When I was a kid in the 70s my parents often told us about going to The Automat when they were growing up. My dad loved the silver dolphins head spout that milk came out of. We finally all went to one of the last remaining locations around ‘79 or ‘80 — it was a block or two east of Grand Central on 42nd. The atmosphere was “fake deco” and the food only so-so, but we got to experience opening the little glass doors and turning the crank to get the dolphin to spout milk into your glass.

[quote]I'm stuck in mid century with all the wonderful memories of life in the Bay Area then

You might enjoy this Facebook group.

The Getty Center in LA has a nice cafeteria with various ethnic offerings, baked goods, etc.

Thanks, R168. I'll bookmark it. This page is one of my favorites.

We miss The Tic Toc on Cahenga in Hollywood.

The food and everything was fabulous and we dined there whenever our 'business' required us to drive from our Venice residence into Hollywood!

They eat at Golden Corral

I ate at Clifton’s cafeteria in LA before the renovation. I really wanted to like it but I was not impressed with the food. The forest decor also seemed impossible to keep clean and made the place seem dark, not in a good way. My two cents.

I miss eating where the dining room was such you felt a sense of largeness and quiet - where you could slide your tray down the rails and pile all the stuff that looked good on your tray and the porter would bring your drink of choice to the table - and like one of the posters here mentioned a lady could eat safely and in peace. Every thing is so loud and open concept now. I had a nice throwback experience last weekend in Saint Augustine Florida, while not a cafeteria - I was surprised by both the good food and retro decor of the Village Inn. Even the ice tea was out of this world, you could taste the fresh brew - and I was able to get a piece of lemon meringue pie - something I haven't seen on a menu in a long long time.

r174 "The porter." Well!

They fell out of favor with me when their food became poorer in quality and greater in price. Luby's is expensive.

Valois in Hyde Park, Chicago keeps the cafeteria tradition alive.

[quote]Valois in Hyde Park

How do you pronounce "Valois"?

Val-wah.

You know half of Chicago probably call it Val-oyze before you even try the place.

One chain of cafeterias inspired PDQ Bach to compose this concerto:

Not sure if it is still there, but there used to be a entire wall of Automat windows in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. That's the closest I've ever gotten to one.

[R123] Small world, I worked at the Harvest House in the Eastwood Mall.

Those old chain and dives all have an attitude. That just reminded me of this clip on Conan, It's funny as fuck. Love Triumph!

Since some of you grew up on the SF Peninsula, does anybody else remember the Holland House cafeteria in Millbrae? It was attached to Britts department store. (JJ Newberry's attempt at a higher-end department store). The female employees wore these little Dutch girl outfits.

In response to R152 when you entered there was a huge array of pre-plated desserts (my father used to say 'That's how they get you!') but the entrees were handled by a worker behind the counter. Then they'd put a little plastic dome over the plate to keep it hot and hand it to you you under the glass partition. Then you'd put it on your tray and slide your tray along the rail, picking up other stuff along the way. At the end, the cashier would total up your order and you'd pay.

When you were done, you'd put your trays with the dirty dishes on a conveyor belt and they'd disappear into the kitchen, which to a little 10 year old, was about the coolest thing ever.

Back to DC. The Chamberlain on 15th Street had delicious soups. .I spilled mine once.

Luby's was a great place to drive your pickup through and pick up a bite to eat.

PS: Women are vipers!

I loved York Steak House at the mall as a kid.

Always got a steakburger on one of those giant buttery rolls and chocolate pudding or jello for dessert.

That’s right, R55. Once Around the Garden!

Cookies steak house was great too and they didn't just have a free salad bar but a real food bar along with it. I'd swear half the people took home the main dish they ordered because they were always so full by the time they ate at the bar.

My favorite steak place though was Tad's Steak House. The ones my family went to were the ones on 14the and 34th St. in NYC. OMG, 99 cents and you got the best steak I'd ever tasted with a huge baked potato swimming in butter, big piece of garlic bread, salad with the works a dessert, (our favorite was the Boston Cream Pie) and a drink, soda, coffee or real lemonade. 99 CENTS!!! Circa 1960s.

Griswold’s Smorgasbord was really good in its heyday. But kept cutting the quality of its food to cope with rising costs of operation until it drove itself out of business.

r190 I think Tad's is still around -- in both SF and Manhattan.

The onion pizza at Lutèce is divoon!

How did Tad's ever make money?

OP:

Ring the bell and the nice young man will bring you a hard candy

I bought a whole bunch of diner dishes when the downtown Denver Woolworth closed its cafeteria. All my friends got 6 settings for Christmas that year.

In the late 80s I would have Friday lunch there with a friend who worked nearby. On the last day of business we were sitting near a booth full of old ladies who probably lived in the single room occupancy hotels that used to be downtown. They were taking turns snapping photos of the "gang" in "their" booth so I went over and took a picture that would include all of them. When it was finally time to leave, the lady with the camera came back and took one last picture of "their" booth with all the dirty dishes on the table.

My friend and I both started sniffling. When we looked around we saw that we weren't the only ones.