The Woolworths in London, ON, where I ordered grilled cheese. A little before my time. This location on our main shopping street closed in the 1980s. It moved to another location inside a new upscale downtown mall, but that closed by the late 80s.
The midtown Manhattan Woolworth’s was being liquidated when I visited NYC in August 1997.
All but the Tennessee sausage!
I’m wondering why the memory is so vague! I spent so much time under the “El” and at Green Acres. I’m going to continue look for pictures .
Fun fact - you can sing any one of Emily Dickinson’s poems to this jingle!
These are great photos!
In addition to my love of cooking and food, I have a soft spot for old retail.
There were many places that served food that weren’t restaurants–drug stores, department stores, 5&10s. The whole lunch counter concept seems to have gone out of fashion.
And The Yellow Rose of Texas.
That is one of the weirdest stories I’ve ever heard, and I mean that as a compliment! 
I was so happy to see department store restaurants going strong in Japan in Jan 2020.
Most Toronto department stores don’t have restaurants anymore. There’s a food hall under our Saks / The Bay, and Holts has an upscale restaurant for lunch, as does Nordstrom. Ogilvy in Mtl has a nice small food hall on the lower level, and the Mtl Holts has an upscale café for lunch. That’s about it.
I guess cheap hot dogs at Costco is as close as it gets in most parts of North America. ( I gave up my Costco membership)
Also, hot dog vendors outside Canadian Tire, up here!
Most larger grocery stores have some sort of food court/buffet/coffee stand in my neck of the woods (NYC outer boroughs/Westchester County/Fairfield CT). Maybe this is what’s replacing the lunch counter?
Now that there are so few department stores in the US, especially those with flagship or downtown location, the department store restaurant has pretty much faded away. Sure Bloomingdale’s has 40 Carrots, but it has a limited menu and is a bit pricey for what it is. My local Macy’s has a Starbucks. Not so exciting. Those old menus from the likes of Wanamaker’s and B. Altman really put me in the mood for some Nesselrode pie and a glass of buttermilk!
Regarding Woolworth’s: if you ever find yourself in Bakersfield, CA, there’s one last remaining working Woolworth’s lunch counter. It’s part of an antique store now.
Neat!
I still haven’t tried Nesselrode Pie. There is a recipe in the Molly O’Neill NY Cookbook.
I am craving rum pie and Grasshopper Pie.
Impossible pie used to be popular.
Oooo thanks so much. One pic is worth a thousand words. The lunch counter! #swoon
impossible pie from the bisquick recipes? I used to make those. Savory.
In my hood the mall they built (now dying) killed our downtown in Lansdale Pa including the Grants and Woolworths. In store big grocery store bakeries and florists killed little bakeries and florist shops. Doylestown Pa has a vibrant and beautiful downtown thanks to the powerful merchant association there. Have not been to Neiman Marcus in quite awhile but their restaurant was good. I have heard great things about the restaurant at Nordstrom. My Macys had a decent restaurant that folded quite awhile ago.
Thank you so much. I have been feeling a little beat up of late so this comes at a really good time. I always take “weird” as a compliment. You do realize that story is the tip of the weirdness iceberg right?
Yes!
Apparently american cheese and ranch. Jesse’s ranch is godly. Souderton doesn’t “grok” provolone. Jesse’s Barbecue & Local Market
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Ours all had caraway seeds because they were all rye bread … none of this seedless rye stuff.
