Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The "Hob Nob" in North Hatley was such a place and then I remember one in Harrisville RI it had a couple of high back wooden booths and a couple of tables....and did mostly breakfast and simple lunches..
Places that served breakfast and lunch but often no dinner. They were run by guys named "Nick" and "Gus"!
We had "Pete's Corner", which was originally "Frank's" when I was a kid. They had candy by the register.
It was a small corner shop with formica-topped tables and a counter running along one side. It opened at 5 a.m. for breakfast for all the plumbers/electricians/carpenters, etc., that used to populate our once-blue-collar town, served lunch, and closed by 3. The old WWII and Korean War vets used to gather there in the morning for coffee and gossip.
Wah, most of the vets are gone, as is the little woodsy blue-collar town. It was too close to New York City (30 miles), and it got swallowed up by overdevelopment. The woods were mowed down to build new houses, and the existing houses were made bigger and fancier. Pete's finally closed last year. The old vets are mostly gone, and the blue-collar workers were replaced by commuters who only stopped there for 30 seconds to get coffee to go before boarding the bus.
End of an era. Now there's a Starbucks on the other side of town, of course.
Places that served breakfast and lunch but often no dinner. They were run by guys named "Nick" and "Gus"!
When I was a kid it was the local Woolworth lunch counter downtown, they had the absolute best chicken salad I had ever eaten up to that point in my life.
Very much a treat for us when we were able to go there and sit at the counter on the stools.
I never knew the waitress' first name though, we were only allowed to refer to her as Mrs. ___ whatever her last name was.
My Mother was and still is very picky about how we address others, especially those who are older, wiser and serving us a pop and a chicken salad sandwich.
My last town was in a fairly rural area, and had a few places like this. But they aren't called coffee shops. They're diners or lunch counters (even if they serve breakfast)
There were a couple back in Jackson Michigan when I lived there, one called Busy Bee Cafe, classic breakfast place, no frills, great service, everything on plain white heavy dishes, good food, it was a great place. Where I'm at now there's nothing at all even remotely like it. Sad.
My last town was in a fairly rural area, and had a few places like this. But they aren't called coffee shops. They're diners or lunch counters (even if they serve breakfast)
"Lunch counter" or more popularly "luncheonette" were the terms where I grew up (Southern CT). They'd usually open at 6am and close at 2pm.
I wouldn't consider a diner a coffee shop, although obviously you can get coffee there. But as diners generally have expansive menus and serve dinner, they're a different beast.
Places that served breakfast and lunch but often no dinner. They were run by guys named "Nick" and "Gus"!
...and the large man in the back, wearing a stained apron, cigar in corner of his mouth, stirring the large vats of tuna salad (to mix the mayo and onions in properly, y'know) using his whole hairy arm?
Yeah, indeed. Reminds me of a story.
My dad lived in Silver Springs, MD (outside of D.C.) for a couple years, c. 1953 when he was in his early 20s. He used to frequent a certain diner meeting the above.
How do I know this? c. 1978, my dad and I went to D.C. to see the Smithsonian and etc. I was a kid, but not a little kid and old enough to start learning about the world, our history, etc. (Must admit, I haven't been back since, something I'll remedy one of these days.) Regardless, he took me to the same diner in Silver Springs.
I remember him saying, "Now you watch: the forks will be a little dirty, the eggs too salty!"
The silverware was a bit dirty, cups a little chipped, and scrambled eggs too salty. Probably the same 300lb guy with hairy arms working the grill, 1978, as 1953. Or his son.
Now that I'm of a similar age, I'm nostalgic about all that, too. Couple years ago, on business, I went to a certain Greek gut-busting cafe in northern suburbs of Detroit I frequented growing up.
The hot dogs were still rather mysterious (not necessarily in a good way), the chili fiery, only change being the old Greek's equally-surly son running the joint. Still a gut-buster chili dog place, though.
And I loved every minute of it.
These days, I live for Saturday AM visits to cafes like OP mentions, actually. There are several on Eastside Seattle metro, and elsewhere (Ballard, Wallingford, certainly other neighborhoods that I haven't found yet) that are basically hidden gems, found through Yelp on a search query not unlike OP's words/comments.
.I'm nostalgic about all that, too. Couple years ago, on business, I went to a certain Greek gut-busting cafe in northern suburbs of Detroit I frequented growing up.
The hot dogs were still rather mysterious (not necessarily in a good way), the chili fiery, only change being the old Greek's equally-surly son running the joint. Still a gut-buster chili dog place, though.
And I loved every minute of it.
As you know, those are generally called "Coney Islands" in Metro Detroit and out state.
However, out state, you will have to order the hotdogs "Detroit style" or "Flint style".
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
