Serving up some Fort Lauderdale cafeteria history: From Mrs. Rogers' place to Morrison's

 

M and M Cafeterias 1968 - Miami and Sarasota
State Archives of Florida

By Jane Feehan

Cafeterias have offered a successful business model to serve hungry patrons in Fort Lauderdale since the early 1900s.

According to Louise Stone Wilzig, a city pioneer, some of the first such eateries in town were set up by housewives looking for extra income (not unlike medieval women, the first brewers of beer for profit). They would rent a room, bring pots and pans and set up tables with trays of food to sell to as many as 100 customers a day.

Wilzig arrived in Fort Lauderdale in 1919 and worked as cashier at one of the first well-established cafeterias, Mrs. C.B. Rogers’ Cafeteria at Las Olas and Andrews Avenue (some say there was an earlier one, but its name unknown). Mrs. Roger’s place was celebrated by locals for its remarkable biscuits and gravy, English scones and home cooked food.

Her success encouraged others who opened cafeterias in the decades that followed, culminating with the popular Morrison’s Cafeterias. More on Morrison’s later, but first a sampling of downtown cafeterias that paved the way.

Lauderdale Cafeteria at Osceola and opened late March 1926 after several delays. Owner E.W. Rupprecht and wife ran the restaurant. They installed an eight-foot electric sign over their location to attract customers and claimed they would be able to feed as many as 500 people an hour (where, I ask, would that many come from?). They closed for the summer that April but reappeared after the September 1926 hurricane to help relief efforts. Follow-up stories unavailable.

Colonial Kitchen opened in 1926 and served cafeteria style at Cunningham Avenue between Third and Fourth streets. Its décor included “… accurate reproductions of old Colonial Indian head prints.” The restaurant displayed an “old Priscilla-type spinning wheel from Virginia.” The Colonial Kitchen specialty was homemade pastries.

Dixie Cafeteria on North River Drive, Fort Lauderdale was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Whiteside. They opened a few years after they arrived in 1916. “[Dixie] was very popular for many years,” they told a reporter. They later opened Whiteside’s.

Whiteside’s Cafeteria opened in December 1930 at 218 S.E. First Ave and advertised “Home cooking is our specialty.” They were “prepared to take orders from five cents up to the most elaborate meals” from 7 am to 8 pm most days. Whiteside’s soon relocated to Lyons Arcade on Brickell Avenue where they served 80-100 people at a time. They were popular with downtown Christmas shoppers who stopped by for a quick meal between store visits.

Sunset Cafeteria opened at the Sweet Building at 305 South Andrews Avenue in 1930. Located at Fort Lauderdale’s first skyscraper*, it was owned by F.E. Trapp from Miami and John Wallace of Pittsburgh.  Walls were glazed with an Indian tan paint. Chairs, all made on the cafeteria site, were upholstered in pea green and tan. Its counter was decorated in orange and black tile and the floor with multi-colored tiles.

Sweet Building circa 2000,
site of the
Sunset Cafeteria

DeLoach Cafeteria opened in 1935 at 236 Las Olas Boulevard and occupied 10,000 square feet. It was touted as one of the largest in the South and included a banquet room and dance floor. An orchestra led by “Capt. Stacer” played on opening day in January 1935.

The Morrison’s Cafeteria story

After opening his first cafeteria in Mobile, Alabama in 1920, John Arthur Morrison, Sr. sold his part of the growing company and moved to Miami Florida in 1938. He and son John launched the M and M brand with several cafeterias in Miami before opening M and M Cafeteria in Fort Lauderdale in February 1949.

Its opening at 124 S.E. First Ave. made a sizeable splash in the Fort Lauderdale News. Noted for its modern amenities including air conditioning and fluorescent lighting, M and M also offered mahogany paneled partitions, tiger-striped leatherette chairs, wine-colored upholstered benches and crisp, white tablecloths. Live music played from a Hammond organ during dinner hours. The “South’s pioneer cafeteria owner” claimed he hired only locals to work at his Fort Lauderdale location and promised “absolute cleanliness.” I’m not sure when that store closed but one was located (or re-located) at the Sunrise Shopping Center (now the Galleria) by 1966. Morrison Sr. died in 1973 at age 83. The company moved onward and upward without its founder. M and M Cafeterias rolled into the Morrison brand, which soon dominated the cafeteria niche.

By 1967, Morrison’s had expanded into a large corporation that built a cafeteria at the 1600 block of North Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale where it could seat 650 patrons at once. By 1968, there were four locations in Miami, one in Sarasota and one in Fort Lauderdale. Morrison’s expanded into other Florida cities and across the southern states.

By 1985 it was the largest cafeteria chain in the United States and employed 17,000. Though Morrison’s celebrated its 65^th anniversary in 1985, it closed 13 units that year. Some sources reported it had 174 stores in the South and one in the Midwest. The chain closed in 1998 and was sold to its competitor, Piccadilly Cafeterias. The original Morrison’s still operates in Mobile but as a Piccadilly unit.

Some blame Morrison's closing on a lack of interest in cafeterias over the years. Others might blame its broad expansion into institutional facilities such as schools and hospitals.

I say bring the cafeterias back; it may be time to re-ignite the concept.

Your favs? Britts, Polly Davis, Boulevard, Sweden House or ...?

For more on the Sweet Building, see:

https://janeshistorynook.blogspot.com/2013/04/fort-lauderdales-first-skyscraper-nine.html

Sources:

Miami Herald, Nov. 3, 1920

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 24, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 24, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, April 19, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, Sept. 25, 1926

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 4, 1930

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 30, 1930

Fort Lauderdale News, Nov. 1, 1930

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 16, 1930

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 8, 1935

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 1, 1949

Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 19, 1967

Fort Lauderdale News, March 9, 1969

Sun-Sentinel, Nov. 18, 1990

https://mobilebaymag.com/ask-mcgehee-77/

Tags: Fort Lauderdale cafeterias, Fort Lauderdale history, Morrison's cafeteria, 

Yesterday’s Restaurant looms large in memories of Fort Lauderdale dining and nightlife

Florida State Archives

 

Yesterday’s Restaurant and One Up Lounge
Oakland Park and the Intracoastal
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

By Jane Feehan

On Oct. 25, 1975, the sign for Yesterday’s Restaurant was installed to replace the one for the Moonraker, its predecessor. It was the last of preparations before opening Oct. 29.  The stately exterior of the large building, where some had hoped gambling to flourish once it was legalized by the state, remained the same. The interior, however, was redone featuring a first-level restaurant and bar and an upper- level nightclub, the One Up Lounge, overlooking the Intracoastal and east Fort Lauderdale. 

Plush, ornate and classy, it seemed no expense was spared in the makeover. Enclosed terrace dining, added soon after, would be the coveted place for holiday dining in the years to follow. For intimate gourmet dining, the Plum Room opened, welcoming a stream of the Hollywood famous and Washington politicos.

The entertainment media, invited for opening night, were greeted with an impressive-and thematic- collection of Model-T Fords and other vintage cars lining its sloping driveway to the entrance. 

The band Everyone (see below).
Photo courtesy of
Spencer Mallinson

Fort Lauderdale News Entertainment Editor Jack Zink was there that night and reported that the four-piece band, Everyone, and singer Trish Long, kept the room at the One Up and its dance floor "full to capacity."  They continued to fill it for a year. For me, the opening set the stage for a terrific night of food, entertainment and repeat visits over the years for fine dining, holiday celebrations and dancing.

Who could forget the oversized white, nearly sparkling wigs bartenders wore along with those disco-era body suits (pale blue as I recall) at the One Up? If out-of-town (or country) visitors forgot the name of the place, all they had to do was mention those wigs ... and Yesterday’s was their answer. 

Early evening live music during “Jam Session Mondays,” included Fort Lauderdale legend Andy Bartha and the Dixieland Jazz Band. But later, pulsating disco music prevailed along with era-requisite strobe lighting. The entire restaurant was a hit, the food ... first class. Yesterday’s was so busy at night it often took more than 30 minutes for a valet to retrieve a car. The popular spot attracted people of all ages for special occasions, including wedding receptions and Sunday brunches. Many reserved months ahead for a waterside view of the December Winterfest Boat Parade. A long list of civic groups chose Yesterday's for meetings and events that were covered by local newspapers. It was the place to be seen.

Things slowed down in the 1990s. Culture and lifestyles changed. No more disco music. Residents and travelers sought simpler, and perhaps less expensive dining and entertainment. To add to slow down woes, the landmark restaurant attracted a large, less lucrative early bird dinner crowd. 

In August 1999, the owners, who included celebrated Judge Arnie Grevior* (with wife Barbara) and at one time, Peter Goldhahn (Aruba Beach Cafe), announced Yesterday’s would close Aug. 31 that year. The once- popular nightspot would revert to a more casual atmosphere in October under the revived name, Moonraker, but closed not long after. It was sad to see lights out and a fence go up around this once-popular queen of Fort Lauderdale nightlife. The building was demolished in the early 2000s to make way for an expensive retirement home…with a great view.    

The building may have been demolished but not all the memories of an era and all its fun.  

NOTES

PHOTO: The band, Everyone - featured left to right as Spencer Mallinson recalled: "Richie the drummer (last name forgotten); Bill Davis, keyboard; Bob Bobbin, bass and Spencer, guitarist." Not featured here was Trish Long, vocalist. This group also played at Big Daddy's on Conmmercial, Art Stock's Playpen, the Flying Machine and the 4 O'Clock Club. "Those were great years for music," reminisced Mallinson. Indeed they were.

*Arnold Grevior died at age 92 March 3, 2020. He was a “lawyer, judge, a philanthropist, patron of the arts and a respected member of the community for over 50 years.” See more at: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sunsentinel/obituary.aspx?n=arnold-grevior&pid=195608585&fhid=8774

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 25, 1975
Fort Lauderdale News, Aug. 10, 1999
Fort Lauderdale News, March 4, 2020

Tags: Fort Lauderdale restaurants, Fort Lauderdale in the 1970s, Fort Lauderdale in the 1980s, Fort Lauderdale in the 1990s, One Up Lounge, Fort Lauderdale history, History Fort Lauderdale 

Heilman's in Fort Lauderdale ... and the stuntman

By Jane Feehan

Those who were lucky to live in Fort Lauderdale when restaurants were top notch, exceptional establishments—the 1960s and 70s—with celebrities among their patrons will remember Heilman’s.

Opened by Hubert (Hubie) Heilman in 1958 after relocating to Florida from Lorain, OH, Heilman’s at 1701 U.S. 1, was lauded for its food, drinks and occasional entertainment. Signage for the restaurant, reflecting the owner’s celebrated sense of humor, claimed the eatery “is recommended by Hubert Heilman.” The beverage menu boasted the “world’s second best martini.” Customers—and Heilman—raved about its Back to the Farm fried chicken. Wife Dorothy helped manage the 285-seat restaurant where entertainer Milton Berle once stirred up some laughs waiting on tables and greeting a shocked customer by name.

In 1975, at age 60, Heilman sold the restaurant (but remained president of the Broward County Restaurant Association) to George and Nick Telemachos, owners of a steak restaurant in Melbourne, FL. Heilman’s was renamed at Hubert’s request and became Helman’s. A poetry enthusiast, Heilman went on to attend writer’s workshops in the U.S. and England; he earned a second bachelor’s degree (the first from Cornell University)  at Florida Atlantic University. Dorothy, who he met at Cornell, died in 1990. Hubert Heilman died in Fort Pierce in 2005 when he was 90.

The Heilman’s Fort Lauderdale story includes the colorful—and short life—of Hubie’s son, Ross. After graduating from Fort Lauderdale High School, Ross joined the marines. Following his service, Ross visited South America where it was reported he became a “big game hunter.” He then opened a crocodile farm—home to more than 1,200 of the reptiles—in Jamaica on the north coast between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, where it became a noted tourist attraction. 

The farm was also the site for scenes from the movies Papillon and the James Bond flick, Live and Let Die, both released in 1973. Ross was tapped as a double for Roger Moore in Live and Let Die and scenes included running atop the backs of hundreds of crocs in water. He sustained an injury requiring nearly 200 stitches according to one news account. Heilman or Kananga, his desired professional name, was paid $60,000 for that gig.

Wanderlust seemingly behind him, Ross returned to Florida where he wrestled alligators at Flamingo Gardens. He bought some land in the Everglades for another enterprise and drained it by himself. In January 1978, while spearfishing in the Everglades in a canoe, Ross and a friend fell into the water. His friend swam to shore but Ross was not found until the following day. It was reported he died from cardiac arrest due to the very cold water; Ross William Heilman was 32.  In addition to his parents he was survived by siblings Robert, Lynne and Becky.

The Heilman restaurant tradition, which began in 1907 in Ohio, continues. Robert, Hubie’s brother, opened Heilman’s Beachcomber in 1948 in Clearwater. Today, son, Robert Heilman, Jr., operates Bob Heilman’s Beachcomber Restaurant (heilmansbeachcomber.com) in there.

Sources:

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 17, 1963

Fort Lauderdale News, May 28, 1969

Fort Lauderdale News, May 14, 1970

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 14, 1970

Fort Lauderdale News, June 14, 1972

Fort Lauderdale News, Dec. 7, 1975

Fort Lauderdale News, Jan. 29, 1978

Fort Lauderdale News, Feb. 1, 1978

Sun-Sentinel, March 7, 1990

Sun-Sentinel, Sept. 1, 2005

Tags: Fort Lauderdale in the 1960s, Fort Lauderdale restaurants in the 1960s, Fort Lauderdale restaurants in the 1970s, Fort Lauderdale history, Jane Feehan, film researcher