Lorenzo's 1971

Before Lorenzo's built a dining room in 1972, sit-down dining at the West Grove Street Italian restaurant meant a snappily-uniformed car-hop who brought your meal to you in your car. Although car-hop service is a thing of the past, Lorenzo's remains a Middleborough landmark. Here the staff and owners Lorenzo and Geraldine Grosso have assembled for a picture in 1971.

Bob's Diner

 

 

 

The diner that stood at the Four Corners between 1939 and 1973 was built upon the site of a wood-frame building that had stood there since before 1800. That building was demolished by Alphonse D. Fish who installed a new diner on the site in December 1939. Kenneth Keedwell initially leased the diner which was later operated as Bob’s Diner and Emery’s.

 In July 1973 the diner was demolished, the Middleboro Gazette reporting at the time: “The first major change in the ...appearance of the Four Corners for some years was in progress this week as demolition of the former ‘Bob’s Diner,’ more lately known as ‘Emery’s,’ got under way. An auction, held at the corner lot Monday to clear the contents of the diner, added to the activity as workers broke up the diner and an addition built on some time ago. Razing of the diner provided employment for several of the youths who have frequented the corner”.

Don Ayotte and Gary Correia constructed the replacement building that now occupies the location.

The Zombie

The successor restaurant to Finn’s Grill located at East Grove Street on the site now occupied by the Boston Tavern was the Zombie, established in 1941 and likely named for the cocktail invented in 1934 by Donn Beach.

Following 1939, “tiki culture” became popularized through the Golden Gate International Exposition and the New York World’s Fair, and exotic drinks such as zombies, mai tais and scorpions became the rage. The zombie which originally included various rums, fruit juice, cinnamon syrup and other ingredients featured in popular culture, most notably Fats Waller’s “Abercrombie Had a Zombie” (1941) which recounted the effects of the potent drink on a normally law-abiding man.

Abercrombie was so meek and quiet
Abercrombie was the tea room type
Oh you’d never think he’d start a riot
Then Abercrombie had a zombie.

Abercrombie never stole a hansom
Abercrombie never did a bum
Never thought of crawling through a transom
Then Abercrombie had a zombie, yes, yes.

He never passed a stop
He never sassed a cop
He never drove a car into the Astor Bar
He didn’t try to wade in the Aquacade …

But like that other famous sinner
Abercrombie met his Waterloo
He’s the man who never came to dinner
Cause Abercrombie had a zombie

Or was it two or was it three or four or five or six?

In a 1943 film Frances Dee mentioned the drink noting “I tried one once, but there was nothing dead about it.”

The Zombie operated for nearly a decade until fall 1950 when it remade itself into a new restaurant known as the Half-Way House. With the increase of post-war traffic bound for the Cape, the restaurant sought to capitalize on its location mid-way between Boston and the Cape resorts. Following a May 1954 fire, the Half-Way House was sold to Eugene Starvish who established Eugene’s restaurant.

[To prevent competitors from recreating his signature drink, Beach kept the zombie recipe a closely guarded secret with his bartenders mixing from pre-made coded bottles. Because of this, numerous recipes for the drink have since developed. The generally accepted version of the 1934 classic calls for ¾ ounces fresh lime juice, ½ ounce falernum, 1 ½ ounces each of Puerto Rican rum and gold or dark Jamaican rum, 1 ounce 151-proof Lemon Hart Demerara rum, 1 teaspoon of grenadine, 6 drops of Pernod or Herbsaint, a dash of Angostura bitters, ½ ounce of Don’s mix (being 2 parts grapefruit juice and 1 part cinnamon-infused sugar syrup) and 6 ounces of crushed ice.]

The Rotary Mill, 1935

The Rotary Mill, Middleborough Rotary, Middleborough, MA, advertising

card, 1935.

Built about 1932 and named for the newly-constructed rotary upon which it was situated, the Rotary Mill with its distinctive windmill quickly became a landmark for passing motorists, as well as a convenient stopping place for lunch.  This card produced in early 1935 clearly sought to appeal to motorists, advertising the restaurant's convenient location on routes 28, 18 and 101 (the predecessor of present-day route 44).  Later that same year, the establishment was acquired by Howard Johnson's who continued to operate it under the Rotary Mill name.

The All-Wright Diner, 1955-72

The All-Wright Diner, Station Street at Everett Square,

Middleborough, MA, photographic halftones,

February, 1958; October, 1969; and August 1971.

During the 20th century, Middleborough had a number of diners including most notably Sisson’s Diner in South Middleborough and the “Wind Tunnel” on Wareham Street. Perhaps less well remembered was the All Wright Diner which was located on Station Street at Everett Square.

Established in 1952 by Charles B. Goodwin, the Everett Square Diner was known as Charlie’s Diner and was operated by Goodwin for three years until February 1955 when he sold it to enter the sign business. The purchasers were Helene E. (1910-2011) and N(athan) Ernest Wright (1903-1959). Mrs. Wright had come to America in 1926 and was employed for 26 years by the George E. Keith Shoe Company before entering the restaurant business.



The diner they acquired was a narrow wood-frame structure with a barrel vaulted roof.  A service counter behind which was located the preparation area ran the length of the rear side of the diner while the Station Street side was occupied by a range of booths with glass jalousie windows overlooking the street.  The shape of the roof on the exterior was disguised by signs with the "All Wright" name, while the base of the diner remained painted with the alternative "Everett Square Diner" for a period in the 1950s.  Later, now nostalgic advertising signs for NEHI would be added.  Entrance to the diner was through doorways at the center of the diner on Station Street as well as the northeast end closest to Everett Square.  In time, this latter entrance would become the principal one.



The All Wright was noted for its long hours, opening at 5.30 a. m. and closing at 1 a. m. the following morning. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the diner remained open until 2 a. m. It was remarked at the time that “Mrs. Helene Wright and her husband … realize the necessity of providing people of this area with a place where they can obtain quality meals no matter what the hour.”

Among the early employees of the All Wright were Don Mello who worked as the cook during the daytime hours, Mrs. Frances Denson, Mrs. Hazel Ballard, Mrs. Thelma Goodwin and Mrs. Frances Poirier. The Wrights advertised the establishment as “a place where the prices meet our pocketbooks, where the food is the way we like it and where we can dine in comfort with quick and efficient waitresses to answer our needs.”



In 1972, Mrs. Wright retired and the diner was closed.

Interior, The All-Wright Diner, Station Street at Everett Square,

Middleborough, MA, photographic halftone, January, 1956.

Middleboro Gazette, "Start Your Day Right at All-Wright

Diner", September 27, 1956.

Central Cafe Christmas, 1927

Originally located on Center Street near the Four Corners and operated by James Kanakis, the Central Cafe was later run by the Dascoulias family, relocating to its present home near Oak Street in 1940.  While the Central Cafe has long been known for its pizza, it has also featured (and continues to do so) a variety of menu offerings.  Among the most festive was certainly its 1927 Christmas day dinner which included a traditional plum pudding as advertised in the pages of the Middleboro Gazette.

Source:
Middleboro Gazette, December 23, 1927, page 6.

Howard Johnson's Rotary Mill, 1935-44

One of the great challenges for travelers during the Depression era was locating a clean, family style restaurant, with ample parking, quality food and low prices. Into this void stepped Howard Deering Johnson of Quincy who ultimately operated a nation-wide chain of restaurants geared towards the family traveler, one of which was located between 1935 and 1944 on Route 28 near the Middleborough Rotary location of the present Dunkin’ Donuts.

Johnson received his start as the proprietor of an ice cream stand in Quincy, eventually expanding into the restaurant business. By the time that it had opened a restaurant in Middleborough, in September, 1935, the Howard Johnson chain operated over 25 restaurants in New England. Eventually, it would grow to be the world’s largest restaurant chain, built upon a standardized menu, reliable offerings, clean facilities, friendly service and generous servings of rich ice cream. Of the often volatile Johnson it would later be said, “There’s many a king on a gilded throne, but there’s only one king on an ice cream cone.”

In 1935, Howard Johnson’s acquired the Rotary Mill restaurant in Middleborough previously operated by George Manning of Mattapoisett. The Rotary Mill, which had been built shortly after the 1932 construction of the Middleborough Rotary and operated for just a few years, was noted for the distinctiveness of its Colonial Revival architecture, particularly the mock three-story windmill which served as the restaurant’s entrance and stood as a landmark on the route to the Cape for summer travelers.

Following its acquisition by Howard Johnson’s, little change was made to the exterior appearance of the Rotary Mill, whose architectural style was very much compatible with that of the other early Colonial Revival style Howard Johnson restaurants designed by Joseph G. Morgan. One notable change, however, was the addition of the distinctive orange baked-enamel roof, an easily recognized beacon for travelers in search of convenient dining. Howard Johnson’s early slogan was a “Landmark for Hungry Americans”, and the ubiquitous orange roof helped them in their search.

The opening of Howard Johnson’s new Middleborough location on September 22, 1935, was advertised with discounted ice cream and “our delicious frankforts roasted in pure creamery butter.” These two favorites, along with others such as clam strips and macaroni and cheese would become Howard Johnson staples, so much so that they were later marketed in supermarkets.

Like the other restaurants in the Howard Johnson chain, the Rotary Mill served Johnson’s exceedingly rich ice cream (19 per cent butter fat content), with generous servings from distinctively-shaped scoops. Ice cream was made in 28 flavors, and woe to those who opted for lowly vanilla. "We spend our lives developing 28 flavors, and they still come in and say 'Make mine vanilla!'” Johnson once fulminated.

Like ice cream, the simple hot dog was yet another roadside staple which Howard Johnson early elevated to a specialty. In Howard Johnson restaurants, hot dogs were called “frankforts” and were grilled in butter, diagonal scores being cut along the hot dog in order for them to soak in more of the butter in which they were grilled, and served in grilled rectangular buns. Clam strips became another recognizably Howard Johnson’s meal, and were harvested from beds owned by the company off Ipswich.

While undoubtedly many Middleborough residents dined at the Rotary Mill, Howard Johnson’s restaurants were geared to the traveler. Diners stopping at a Howard Johnson’s clearly knew what to expect in contrast to local restaurants and roadside stands, the quality and cleanliness of which could vary greatly.

Eventually, World War II with its gasoline, tire, rubber and food rationing crippled the roadside restaurant business. In 1944, Howard Johnson’s converted its Rotary Mill restaurant to a Red Coach Grill, then a new dining concept embraced by the company.

Illustrations:
Howard Johnson's Rotary Mill, Middleborough, MA, hand-colored photograph, c. 1935
The view depicts the Rotary Mill as seen from across Route 28 shortly after its acquisition by Howard Johnson's. The most noticeable alteration undertaken at the time was the application of the chain's distinctive orange enamel roof, an easily recognizable feature for travellers in search of clean, inexpensive and reliable family-friendly dining options.

Howard Johnson's, Middleborough Rotary, Middleborough, MA, photograph, 1940s
This view was utilized to advertise the local Howard Johnson's which was replaced in 1944 by the Red Coach Grill, a new dining concept promoted by Howard Johnson's in an effort to attract a more local clientele.

Thanksgiving at Finn's, 1930s

Finn's Sea Grill operated on East Grove Street, opening in May, 1931 on what previously had been the site of the town dump, a fact which gave the establishment its less formal name of "Finn's on the Dump." Operated by William Finn, the Grill also featured an oyster bar and seafood market and advertisements touted the restaurant as the "finest in New England". A drastic change came to the business with the repeal of Prohibition in December, 1933, and the acquisition of a liquor license in March, 1934. That spring, extensive changes were made to the restaurant, including the creation of a cocktail lounge, certainly one of the first in Middleborough. The lounge was noted for a large mural, "The Face on the Bar-room Floor" painted by Helen Martin of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, an admittedly eyebrow-raising title.

Finn's was operated until the late 1930s, and the site has since been occupied by a succession of restaurants including the Zombie, Eugene's and the Riverside.

Illustration:
Finn's Sea Grill, Thanksgiving menu, H. L. Thatcher & Company, printers, Middleborough, MA, 1930s
This small appropriately pumpkin-colored card detailed the Thanksgiving Dinner special at Finn's Sea Grill. Finn's specialty - oysters - were featured as both an appetizer and a main ingredient in the turkey stuffing. The full course meal cost $1.50.

Source:
Middleboro Gazette

Union Oyster and Eating House

Illustration:
Union Oyster and Eating House, trade card, late 19th century.
Little is known of Middleborough's Union Oyster and Eating House. Undoubtedly named for the popular Boston restaurant which had operated since 1826, Middleborough's version looked to capitalize upon the 19th century infatuation with oysters. Demand for the shellfish prompted the establishment of oyster houses, oyster saloons and oyster bars throughout the region, including the one advertised here.

China Villa

One of Middleborough's most fondly recalled restaurants was the China Villa, owned and operated throughout the 1950s by Mr. and Mrs. Frederick S. N. Wong, Chinese restaurateurs with over forty years experience in the business.

The China Villa opened in April, 1949, in what had formerly been Dunn's Dinner Cottage at the junction of Anderson Avenue and West Grove Street, then Routes 44 and 28, respectively, the site now occupied by a Mobil gasoline station. While most of the traffic along these routes was destined for Cape Cod and most establishments along them catered to a largely out-of-town clientele, the China Villa opened with the intention of attracting local customers. "Wong's goal was to give Middleboro a real Chinese restaurant which would cater to local people. Although located along Route 28, the China Villa, unlike many roadside eateries ... developed a steady trade of local patrons."

The immediate attraction was the Cantonese-style Chinese cooking of Wong, a style considered a delicacy in China. The authenticity of the China Villa's Cantonese specialties was a point of pride for Wong and one frequently mentioned in the restaurant's publicity. "Real Chinese Food" proclaimed the restaurant's advertisements, as well as the prominent neon sign on the ridge of the restaurant's roof.

The quality of the China Villa's Chinese specialties was well-noted, as indicated by customer testimonials from the mid-1950s: "There are some persons who have wide experience in eating at Chinese restaurants. They've stopped at them all, but they have the highest praise for Fred Wong's China Villa. 'It was our first visit to the China Villa,' one such couple remarked recently, 'and we found the dishes better prepared and more delicious than those famed Boston restaurants in Chinatown. And the China Villa prices were amazingly low.' "

One feature for which the restaurant was particularly noted was "its family style meal which appeals to all." Wong emphasized in 1956 that "the family dinner is the best way to enjoy Chinese food, because then you receive a well-rounded meal."

The China Villa, which boasted of fountain service with ice cream (a rather unusual amenity for a Chinese restaurant), was also noted for another non-Chinese specialty: its $1.95 boneless sirloin steak dinner of soup or juice, french fries, toasted rolls, beverage and dessert, "not to forget a juicy boneless sirloin steak." "The steak is something to talk about," noted Wong in one of his advertisements.

The restaurant also served businessman's luncheons on weekdays from 11.30 through 4, in an effort to promote patronage during the day. The menu was varied daily and no luncheon cost more than ninety-five cents. Such typically American fare as minute rib eye steak, roast pork, southern fried chicken, breaded veal cutlet, fillet of haddock, fried sea scallops, broiled swordfish, shrimp and french fries, and other luncheon entrees were featured.

Inside, the China Villa's "Oriental Dining Room" seated up to sixty people, and was decorated in a Far Eastern motif which was described as being "conducive to relaxation ... there is no compulsion to hurry your meal." The "intimate" Reserve Room, meanwhile, was available for small private groups. Service was described a "quiet, though efficient."

For customers who did not wish to dine at the China Villa, the restaurant provided "Chop Suey & Chow Mein Orders Put Up to Take Out." "Take out" food was, in fact, a relative novelty and the China Villa advertised this convenient aspect of its business frequently.

"Fred Wong ... prepares dinners to be taken out. Simply telephone 1393, place your order, and start for the restaurant. When you get there, it will be waiting for you. And you can be sure that it will be piping hot and tempting when you get back to your home."

The China Villa's extensive advertising ultimately succeeded in developing the large local clientele that Wong had hoped to secure in 1949 when he opened the China Villa. "Inexpensive and tasty Chinese meals hit the spot when the family is out for a summer drive, when Dad has his eye on his pocketbook and when Mom is thinking of the hot kitchen at home," was one of the restaurant's typically wholesome and successful appeals to Eisenhower-era Middleborough.
The China Villa operated for several years until it closed before being sold in 1962 when it was replaced by Hughes' Ford showroom and garage which had relocated from Wareham Street in 1963.

Illustrations:
Fred Wong's China Villa, postcard, mid-20th century

Photograph by Scott Waldron, January 8, 2007, republished through a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.

Lobster is Trouble Cause

From the summer of 1948 comes this tale of a particularly obtuse customer at a local lobster market. Though the establishment in question is not named, it is likely that it was Ripley's which was located just north of the Middleborough Rotary on the site now occupied by Persy's Place restaurant. The market was operated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a purveyor of fresh seafood including lobsters, clams and scallops.

Summer time and "elbow bending" can bring on strange situations. This was revealed recently when Middleboro police were summoned to a lobster sales place on route 28. Outside was an irate customer, who was noisy about being taken advantage of. The boss of the place didn't agree with him, and he was not so quiet either. According to the boss, the outside man was advising folks who stopped for the lobsters to keep on going or they might be imposed on. That did not help business so the boss called the police.

Then an effort was made to get at the bottom of the trouble. It seems the "elbow-bender" had bought a live lobster. It weighed one and a quarter pounds, and its selling price was determined. No money was passed. Then the "elbow-bender" asked to have it cooked for him. This was done, and as the purchase was wrapped, he asked that it be weighed again. It was.

This time the scales showed an even pound. The seller wanted to collect for the pound and a quarter. The buyer insisted he was paying for only a pound. The seller explained the shrinkage came from cooking. The buyer would not accept such a story, and there the trouble started.

Learning the details, the policeman quickly adjusted the matter, by telling the prospective buyer he didn't have to take it, if it didn't please him, so following advice, the buyer hastened away, evidently satisfied he had made his point, while the seller was well pleased to have the room rather than his company.

Illustrations:

Ripley's Lobster Market, Bedford Street, photograph, late 1940s.

"Lobster Claw", Simon Goldenberg, photographer. 2008. Republished under a Creative Commons license. Some rights reserved.

Source:

Brockton Enterprise, "Lobster is Trouble Cause", July 30, 1948.

WWII Rationing and Ketchup Thievery

During World War II, a host of consumer goods and foods were rationed. Among the latter category were sugar, coffee, meat, butter, cooking oils, vegetables and baby food. Consumables were assigned a point value by the Office of Price Administration (O. P. A.) and individuals and businesses were issued with ration books containing various values of point coupons which could be redeemed for rationed items. Because of rationing and the high point value placed on particular items, local restaurant owners at the time of the war were hard-pressed to maintain their pre-war level of quality and service, having to either limit portions on certain items or remove them from the menu altogether when they became unavailable. The rationing of ketchup appears to have caused some serious problems for at least one Middleborough restauranteur as documented in this brief news item carried in the Brockton Daily Enterprise on May 4, 1943:

There is another reason why the restaurant man wears a cold towel on his fevered brow ... in addition to getting the [ration] points with which to buy food for the customers.

Just to be nice to the customers a particular restaurant, which does a lot of business, is still supplying - or was - ketchup for the customers to douse over meats, etc., in spite of the high point value and the shortage of supply.

And this little stunt of being nice to the customers has proven to be an abused virtue, because the restaurant reports that as of Saturday night's customers, there were four to whose hands the ketchup stuck so securely that the bottles went out with the customers.

The big thought now is whether to put a chain on the bottle to secure it or to stop supplying ketchup free.

Illustration:
Heinz Ketchup advertisement, Woman's Day, October 1, 1946.

Source:
Brockton Daily Enterprise, "Ketchup Bottles May Be Chained", May 4, 1943.

Lorinda's Cupboard

Illustration:
Lorinda's Cupboard, advertising card, cardstock, c. 1928
Lorinda's Cupboard operated for a short period of time in the late 1920s in Middleborough. At the time, such combined tea rooms and gift shops were popular and sought to draw customers from the increasing number of motorists then taking to the roads.