This scene from 1952 of Myer's cafeteria in Melbourne shows just how popular the major shopping emporium's cafeterias were back in the 50s and 60s and even through to the 70s. This was long before we had Maccas, KFC and Pizza Hut, when the big department stores in the major cities and larger regional towns catered for their customers with a cafeteria style dining room offering the fast food of the day.
To a kid, on a rare shopping trip to town with mum and grandma, it was heaven on a stick to be able to choose mains, desert, a drink and to eat something not home-made for a change.
There was a plastic tray which you pushed along the shelf and in front of you, the bain marie full of steaming hot, plain (by today's standard) but nutritious food, served by the matronly ladies in their white coats, always offering a large dollop of gravy or sauce.
[Photo from News Ltd.]
Cheers - John
Big Gorilla said
10:50 AM Jun 29, 2015
Used to go regularly with my mother in Brisbane when I was a kid !!
Dougwe said
11:05 AM Jun 29, 2015
Yep, I enjoyed those visits too, Coles also had a similar set up and enjoyed that too. Nothing like the Coles we now know though. The now Coles Supermarket was called "Newworld" when first started.
jules47 said
03:43 PM Jun 29, 2015
Coles Cafeteria - Bourke Street Melbourne, was the place nana took the grandchildren to for a treat.
Happywanderer said
06:38 PM Jun 29, 2015
I remember that Myers Café in Melbourne in the early 70's. Does anyone remember that KMarts used to have cafes as well, not that long ago though.
Desert Dweller said
07:39 PM Jun 29, 2015
Went to Cranbourne today & had a pot of tea each in the cafe in Target.
Netco said
07:42 PM Jun 29, 2015
As a kid in the 50s it was a real treat to eat at a cafeteria .
Pie, mashed potatoes, gravy, and then......
Jelly and cream.
Magic.
wasn_me said
02:42 PM Jul 2, 2015
Defiantly bought back memories. School holidays we used to get a spider. A glass of lime soft drink with a scoop of ice cream in it.
Why it was called a spider, will never know.
Cheers Pete
rockylizard said
07:42 PM Jul 2, 2015
Gday...
Try this site Peter .... My 2nd best friend Mr Google tells me everything
We used to call them icecream sodas in my area (Canterbury, Sydney). They cost BIG money too. That was when all the milk bars were run by Greeks and the fruit shops run by Italians.
Nomes said
08:56 PM Jul 2, 2015
Having your own tray at age 6 did it for me, sliding it along slowly until you get to the meat pie and gravy, followed by an American Parfait.
My gran took us to the pictures and lunch at Coles Cafeteria every Christmas holiday. 4 of us and sometimes 5 cousins as well. Sometimes gramps would meet us after the first movie and send gran home and he would take us to a second movie. 3 luckys in one day.
Thanks for the reminder John.
03_Troopy said
11:45 AM Jul 3, 2015
Had enough of cafeteria style dining after 22 years in the RAAF. Although I must admit, some messes used to put on a good feed, and you could have 3 hot meals a day if you wanted and desert with lunch and dinner. No wonder they had to bring in the yearly fitness tests LOL.
Gday...
This scene from 1952 of Myer's cafeteria in Melbourne shows just how popular the major shopping emporium's cafeterias were back in the 50s and 60s and even through to the 70s. This was long before we had Maccas, KFC and Pizza Hut, when the big department stores in the major cities and larger regional towns catered for their customers with a cafeteria style dining room offering the fast food of the day.
To a kid, on a rare shopping trip to town with mum and grandma, it was heaven on a stick to be able to choose mains, desert, a drink and to eat something not home-made for a change.
There was a plastic tray which you pushed along the shelf and in front of you, the bain marie full of steaming hot, plain (by today's standard) but nutritious food, served by the matronly ladies in their white coats, always offering a large dollop of gravy or sauce.
[Photo from News Ltd.]
Cheers - John
Used to go regularly with my mother in Brisbane when I was a kid !!
Pie, mashed potatoes, gravy, and then......
Jelly and cream.
Magic.
Defiantly bought back memories. School holidays we used to get a spider. A glass of lime soft drink with a scoop of ice cream in it.
Why it was called a spider, will never know.
Cheers Pete
Gday...
Try this site Peter .... My 2nd best friend Mr Google tells me everything
http://moomilk1.hubpages.com/hub/Why-a-Spider-an-ice-cream-float-is-called-a-Spider
Cheers - John
My gran took us to the pictures and lunch at Coles Cafeteria every Christmas holiday. 4 of us and sometimes 5 cousins as well. Sometimes gramps would meet us after the first movie and send gran home and he would take us to a second movie. 3 luckys in one day.
Thanks for the reminder John.