Diners, Dives, and the Woolworth's Lunch Counter

[Kathleen]

I've said before that I'm nostalgic for things that are no longer around. Today, I was thinking of the old diners that are long gone, a few drive-in places, and the Woolworth Lunch Counter.

In doing a search for recipes from a few places from my younger years, I happened across a lot of history that had not been on my radar when I was very small: They ranged from food trends to social-injustice. For me, I have very fond memories of several drive-ins, a couple of diners, and lunch with my grandmother at Woolworths!

In my search, I found the recipe for Woolworth's ham salad and had to make it. I remember the ham salad having small diced mini-cubes of ham, so I made sure that mine did as well. (Mother said the cubes were larger, so I suppose she will be recreating her own memory, but my cubes were small. ) It came out nostalgia-worthy. I will say that I added less salt than memory recalls, but Frank does not like a lot of salt.

What was missing was potato chips on the side and a banana split that I popped a balloon to determine what I would pay. The site has other Woolworth recipes, so I may have to re-live the Frito pie.

What recipes have you found or recreated from your memory?

~Kathleen

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I've said before that I'm nostalgic for things that are no longer around. Today, I was thinking of the old diners that are long gone, a few drive-in places, and the Woolworth Lunch Counter.

In doing a search for recipes from a few places from my younger years, I happened across a lot of history that had not been on my radar when I was very small: They ranged from food trends to social-injustice. For me, I have very fond memories of several drive-ins, a couple of diners, and lunch with my grandmother at Woolworths!

In my search, I found the recipe for Woolworth's ham salad and had to make it. I remember the ham salad having small diced mini-cubes of ham, so I made sure that mine did as well. (Mother said the cubes were larger, so I suppose she will be recreating her own memory, but my cubes were small. ) It came out nostalgia-worthy. I will say that I added less salt than memory recalls, but Frank does not like a lot of salt.

What was missing was potato chips on the side and a banana split that I popped a balloon to determine what I would pay. The site has other Woolworth recipes, so I may have to re-live the Frito pie.

What recipes have you found or recreated from your memory?

~Kathleen

Mine is the Woolworth's Patty Melt on Caraway Rye. I've tried recreating and I've ordered from other places, but it's just not the same.

Tuna Salad in a tomato half...need the right tuna salad.

And the old A&W root beer in the frosty mug, with onion rings.

 

[AnnieDrews]

I wish I had some of those little silver metal bowls they served sundaes in...that really made it!!

 

[Kathleen]

Pop's Root Beer Stand's Spanish Sauce

Mine is the Woolworth's Patty Melt on Caraway Rye. I've tried recreating and I've ordered from other places, but it's just not the same.

Tuna Salad in a tomato half...need the right tuna salad.

And the old A&W root beer in the frosty mug, with onion rings.

Those are all good! I like Waffle House's Patty Melt. I do not think I ever had a patty melt at Woolworths.

My favorite root beer stand was a place called Pops. You could get the frosty mug there and they had terrific onion rings. Breaded onion rings, not battered. They used a similar breading on their fried mushrooms. The BEST thing at Pops was something called a Spanish dog.

In the last year, I happened across a recipe from a guy who said he worked at Pops. It was pretty much as I remembered it and brought back good memories. Pops has been gone for more than 30 years...including Pop himself, so I will pass on the recipe exactly as it was shared with me.

Spanish Sauce from Pop's Root Beer Stand

2 pounds of lean ground beef
3/4 cup of water
2 cups of Hunt's ketchup
4.5 teaspoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
1/4 cup of onion that has been diced finely
1 teaspoon of salt

Do not cook hamburger meat first. Mix the raw hamburger and everything else in a pot and stir well. Simmer for 1 hour. Spoon over steamed hot dogs or just eat it on a bun by itself.

Kathleen's Note: Root beer required as paired drink.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Those are all good! I like Waffle House's Patty Melt. I do not think I ever had a patty melt at Woolworths.

My favorite root beer stand was a place called Pops. You could get the frosty mug there and they had terrific onion rings. Breaded onion rings, not battered. They used a similar breading on their fried mushrooms. The BEST thing at Pops was something called a Spanish dog.

In the last year, I happened across a recipe from a guy who said he worked at Pops. It was pretty much as I remembered it and brought back good memories. Pops has been gone for more than 30 years...including Pop himself, so I will pass on the recipe exactly as it was shared with me.

Spanish Sauce from Pop's Root Beer Stand

2 pounds of lean ground beef
3/4 cup of water
2 cups of Hunt's ketchup
4.5 teaspoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
1/4 cup of onion that has been diced finely
1 teaspoon of salt

Do not cook hamburger meat first. Mix the raw hamburger and everything else in a pot and stir well. Simmer for 1 hour. Spoon over steamed hot dogs or just eat it on a bun by itself.

Kathleen's Note: Root beer required as paired drink.

Wonder of wonders, I've been looking for this sauce. Had it in Illinios when I was in first grade at Harvey's. Harvey's was a soda fountain...it's in the bare edges of my memories, but I remember having hotdogs with this on it or something very like it. Thanks! I copied and pasted it.

 

[Rocklobster]

Sponge toffee.

 

[Kathleen]

Wonder of wonders, I've been looking for this sauce. Had it in Illinios when I was in first grade at Harvey's. Harvey's was a soda fountain...it's in the bare edges of my memories, but I remember having hotdogs with this on it or something very like it. Thanks! I copied and pasted it.

If not quite right, I have the Dogs and Suds recipe for their Coney sauce too!

Sponge toffee.

What is it? Where did you get it? And most importantly, how do we make it???

 

[PrincessFiona60]

My questions exactly!

 

[Rocklobster]

I used to get it at a local corner store. You could get it anywhere in the area. It cwould come in clear cellophane whith no label or writing on it at all. It would cost about a nickle for a fairly large square. Sponge toffee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/Dessert/recipe.html?dishid=7257

 

[LPBeier]

Oh, Kathleen, I worked at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Regina when I was in University. making the ham salad was one of my jobs and I was a vegetarian. But it smelled so good that I snuck a spoonful and was surprised that I liked it! Thanks for bringing that memory back.

I mostly worked the sandwich station, but sometimes filled in on grill making burgers, etc. It was a great job. The only down part was our uniforms were orange and brown and I lived in the dorm. I had to dress at "home" as there were no lockers. I had to cut through the TV room and the guys would wait for me and then follow me out swaggering and whistling the A&W Root Bear music!

As for food, the Kmart cafe had the best grilled cheese sandwiches and crinkle cut fries.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Grilled cheese, buttery and with dill pickles...yum!

 

[mollyanne]

...food trends to social-injustice. For me, I have very fond memories of several drive-ins, a couple of diners, and lunch with my grandmother at Woolworths!....and a banana split that I popped a balloon to determine what I would pay.

Yes! I lived in Perkasie just outside Doylestown Pennsylvania and remember looking forward to visiting the Woolworth's lunch counter just so I could pop a balloon and hope for a free Banana Split! Thanks for reminding me! Check out the prices we used to pay (scroll down to menu)...a Jumbo Banana Split was 39 cents and a sandwich was 30 cents!

 

[CraigC]

The Lum's, Ollie Burger and Pizza Huts, Priazzo Portofino. I wish I could get a hold of those 5 gallon jars of pickled onions my family used to get in Maryland. They tasted like those little cocktail onion but were the size of medium yellow onions.

Craig

 

[DaveSoMD]

I remember Woolworth's tuna sandwich on toast.

A&W Root Beer in the frosty mug, Oh yeah! We have an A&W here but you get the root beer in the normal drivethru soda cup. :-(

Growing up we had a lot of neighborhood "mom & pop" stores. One of them was H&H Dairy and in the summer they had an ice cream call Blue Hawaiian that was this intense blue color and had tiny pieces of pineapple in it.

 

[mollyanne]

When I was about 5 in Ft Lauderdale Fla., my grandmother would walk me to the Howard Johnson's lunch counter for a Frosty. It wasn't like the frosty's you get at fast-food chains now. It was the real deal. And the place was clean. Plus, we're talking the Sunshine State...you can't go wrong with ice-cream in the sunshine! It's gone now. Then, I remember one time we walked into the toy store and she told me to pick anything I wanted. I picked a 6" Ginny Doll and still have it. She only had small change but a big heart

I remember Lum's. They served Lumsburgers and Hot Dogs Steamed in Beer.
.

 

[CraigC]

I remember Lum's. They served Lumsburgers and Hot Dogs Steamed in Beer.

Weinerwald Chicken! The single most detriment to the pigeon populations of South Florida cities!



j/k
Craig

 

[Mimizkitchen]

Woolworths my God I haven't thought about that in years... We use to call it the "five and dime", I remember having their ham sandwiches (thanks for the link to the recipe Kathleen), and their burgers... I also remember a place called Jahns in Jackson Heights N.Y., it was known for the ice cream, but they had food also... My parents rented the apt. above them and every year on our birthdays my siblings and I would go down and get our free banana split... They were the best... I also remember A&W rootbeer floats in the frosty mugs, and there was a place in Manhatten that was like a cafeteria, where you would put your money in the slot and open the little glass door to retrieve your food... I can't for the life off me remember the name of the place, but as kids we thought that was great fun...

 

[LAJ]

Great post!
I re-created the Awrey's Bakery (Detroit) whipped cream cake. It is a delicious cake with whipped cream in the batter. Very light and a crowd-pleaser. I also make pita bread (my own recipe) that is very similar to the bread of a Lebanese bakery I frequented as a child. I make 50 loaves at Christmas. My son helped roll them out as a child. Now, he and his wife do it together. In the Midwest we had BigBoy restaurants. There are still a few around. (Not good.) But, the original sauce they used for the burgers and sandwiches was spectacular. I found a recipe a few years ago, and added a few of my own spices (from my memory). It tastes the same and is great on burgers or sandwiches.

 

[LindaZ]

I remember the banana splits at Woolworth's - I loved the balloon popping thing. For me it was coke and fries at Woolworth's, nothing like them! I bought my first tube of Peppermint Twist lipstick at Woolworths.

I also have a memory of Frosty Malts at the May Company in downtown Cleveland. My friend Jackie and I used to call our parents, say we had a school project to do, hop a bus downtown, have a FM, then hop a bus back home. No one was the wiser. Their Frosty Malts were served in a special glass at a little counter in the corner of the bargain basment, only cost 25 cents back then. What a treat, much like the Wendy's Frosty only maltier (is that word?).

Thanks for walking down Memory Lane - with my memory these days, this was quite an exercise - I think I need a nap.

 

[LAJ]

If you ever go back to south Florida, Jaxson's Ice Cream Parlor still stands. It is on Federal Highway south of lauderdale. Like walking into a time machine. Floats, shakes, burgers abd a room full of antiques and penny candy. It is in Dania.