Historic Houston Cafeterias

[northbeaumont]

I remember two Luby's that have closed. One on Buffalo Speedway and the other in Town and Country. It was located in front of a parking garage for the mall. From what I remember it was always pretty busy. The one on Buffalo Speedway seemed to have a good bit of business also.

Maybe cafeterias in general have "seen their better days." Perhaps they're fated to fade away like roller rinks and drive-in movie theatres.

[SpaceAge]

I remember two Luby's that have closed. One on Buffalo Speedway and the other in Town and Country. It was located in front of a parking garage for the mall. From what I remember it was always pretty busy. The one on Buffalo Speedway seemed to have a good bit of business also.

The Town and Country location is still in operation and very popular.

The Buffalo Speedway location was sold so that HEB can build a new store there. The new HEB center will extend to Bissonnet Avenue. Has anyone ever noticed the large covered swimming pool behind the existing shopping center on that corner? It may have been a spa.

[musicman]

Here you go, and a couple of others.

this building is still there right next door to the lawndale art center on main.

[sevfiv]

this building is still there right next door to the lawndale art center on main.

yep:

[mkultra25]

The Buffalo Speedway location was sold so that HEB can build a new store there. The new HEB center will extend to Bissonnet Avenue.

Wow, right across the street from the Signature Kroger? I can understand wanting to compete with Kroger, but it still seems odd to build an HEB in that location considering that Central Market isn't that far away.

[chrisngrod]

Ah that's good that the Town and Country location is still open. I read online that the Buffalo Speedway location closed because the land was getting too valuable.

[northbeaumont]

Ah that's good that the Town and Country location is still open. I read online that the Buffalo Speedway location closed because the land was getting too valuable.

Land value is something that I'm a pure imbecile at understanding. I read that one of the main reasons why drive-in movie theatres bit the dust was because of rising property values. Maybe someone can enlighten me on what all of that means.

[cowboybud]

Land value is something that I'm a pure imbecile at understanding. I read that one of the main reasons why drive-in movie theatres bit the dust was because of rising property values. Maybe someone can enlighten me on what all of that means.

Same reason why Astroworld closed.

[northbeaumont]

luby's rules here. but there still are a few piccadillys. as for wyatts i cant think of any but i'm sure someone knows of one. they used to be big.

Luby's and Wyatt's did serve good liver & onions and fried fish.

[northbeaumont]

Ah that's good that the Town and Country location is still open. I read online that the Buffalo Speedway location closed because the land was getting too valuable.

On page D3 in today's Houston Chronicle, there's a photo entitled "Not your parents' cafeteria." It says that it's a new Luby's prototype and that there will be 50 of them in the next five years. It looks to me like both a cafeteria and a drugstore soda fountain. Hey, that's pretty good. Sometimes I prefer sitting at a counter or vice-versa.

[sevfiv]

New article in the Chronicle about the ex-Luby's on Buffalo Speedway featuring James Glassman (amnesiahouston.org). I have been to his site before, but it seems to just link out to other ones...

James Glassman hadn't been to a Luby's in ages. Glassman is a project manager at an architecture firm, a restaurant lover, a Web site proprietor. He's way too hip to eat at cafeterias.

But he felt a pang when he realized the Luby's that once stood at 5215 Buffalo Speedway was gone. The building came down in late 2007, and its parking lot and the strip center next door were demolished earlier this month.

If you grew up in Texas, a Luby's Lu Ann Platter prompts a rush of memories that would shame Proust's madeleine, and that Luby's was the one that Glassman considered his. In the '70s and '80s, when his parents fed him Sunday dinners there, Glassman always loaded his tray with the same meal: fried fish, fried okra, macaroni and cheese, and a slice of pecan pie. His brother went for the green Jell-O.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/ar...ay/5901949.html

[robhan]

I played High Schhol Baseball in the late 70's and the team alwys enoyed it when we played teh west side hisd schools because we got to eat a Romano's cafateria.

[Aland11223]

Many times I have eaten there at that Piccadilly on West Bellfort. I also lived right next door to it in the apartments. The food there is still really good, though it does serve a twist of soul food.

[Aland11223]

Many times I have eaten there at that Piccadilly on West Bellfort. I also lived right next door to it in the apartments. The food there is still really good, though it does serve a twist of soul food.

Though my wife and I live in Nashville Tn after moving from those apartments. Here in TN, most of those places never have existed for anyone to know about. They have a chain here called Krystal. They sell these very small hamburgers that are somewhat like another chain called White kastle. Has there ever been a Krystal in Houston?

Edited August 14, 2008 by Aland11223

[Keeley]

I am looking for the dates and locations of some of the closed cafeterias in Houston, and also if anyone ever knew the names of any managers or owners. I am new to the forum, and working on a project about the history of cafeterias, particularly in Texas. I would like to see where some of these places used to be.

Any ideas? Any help is welcome!

Also, any pictures?

[sevfiv]

Just for starters, since all I have access to right now are the 1932-1933 and 1976 directories (have a 1955 at home):

1932-1933:

Allen Cafeteria - 1011 San Jacinto, Allen J. McMillian (owner)

Forum Cafeteria - 816 Main (Bender/San Jacinto hotel), Frank Heim (manager)

Lamar Hotel Cafeteria - Lamar basement, Ruth Heim/Ruby M. Turner (managers)

Memorial Hospital Cafeteria - Smith at Lamar

Post Office Cafeteria - 708 San Jacinto, Mary Mathis (manager)

Rice Hotel Cafeteria - Rice basement, Chas. L. Low (manager), Chas. Mancillas (asst. manager)

Slatten's Cafeteria "Houston's Most Popular Eating Place" - 1115 Rusk, Ralph W. Slatten (owner)

Sunniland Cafeteria - 1616 Pierce, E.C. Allen (manager)

YWCA Cafeteria #1 - 506 San Jacinto, Anabel Collins (director)

#2 - 1320 Rusk, Ida Casselman (director)

colored - 506, 508 Rusk

1976:

Adair's Cafeteria - 3230 W. Fuqua

Alfreda's Cafeteria - 2530 Crawford, 7224 Cullen

Cardet's Cafeteria - 1972 Fairview

Edinger Cafeteria - 2830 Travis

Furrs Cafeterias - 9160 Bellaire, 8351 Long Point, 10950 North Freeway, 7519 Westheimer, 2223 Spencer Highway (Pasadena)

Howard's Cafeteria - 927 3rd (Rosenberg)

L-C Caferia - 825 Travis

Macke Cafeteria - 1455 Lakeside Estate Dr.

Romana Cafeterias - 6223 Bellaire, 5215 Buffalo Speedway, 2730 Fondren, 8440 Gulf Freeway, 11250 Northwest Freeway, 1725 S. Post Oak, 825 Town and Country Village

Texas Cafeteria - 2605 Collingsworth

Wyatt Cafeterias - 1337 W 43rd, 6967 Bellfort, 4423 Griggs, 10054 Long Point, 1015 Meyerland Plaza, 10311 S. Post Oak, 241 Sharpstown Center, 941 N. Shepherd, 4060 Westheimer, 390 W. Little York

Village Cafeteria - 2525 Rice Blvd.

and some pictures:

[sevfiv]

An update to the addresses above -

Romana became Luby's and is still in business at 6223 Bellaire, 5215 Buffalo Speedway (maybe torn down in the last month or so?), 241 Sharpstown Center (used to be Wyatt's), and 2730 Fondren.

Wyatt's is still hanging on at 4423 Griggs, while the 4060 Westheimer location is now a Williams Sonoma, the 941 N. Shepherd is an O'Reilly Auto Parts store, and the 10311 S. Post Oak is a dialysis clinic.

Alfreda's at 7224 Cullen is now listed as 5 Star Stables.

Cardet's cafeteria on Fairview is now Latina Cafe.

Edinger's was in the Hoa Binh Center which was recently torn down to make way for Camden Travis.

Furrs at 7519 Westheimer is now an Office Depot, and the one at 9160 Bellaire is the Diho Square shopping center.

The Village cafeteria is now Buffalo Wild Wings.

[JLWM8609]

I pass by where the Luby's on Buffalo Speedway used to be and I miss it dearly. The food seemed to taste better at that location than it did at the others, and I also liked the architecture of that location, it was not your typical run of the mill Luby's architecture that you see today. I'm glad that the Piccadilly is still around on W. Bellfort, I go there sometimes after church. The fried fish and fried chicken there are truly southern style, and side dishes aren't bad. I think I detect more "down home" seasoning in their cooking than in Luby's cooking. And strangely enough, I live about a mile and a half from the last remaining Wyatt's on Griggs and I haven't been there since I was a baby.

Edited October 24, 2008 by JLWM8609

[Rammer]

If I ever left Texas, it would be Luby's that I would miss the most.

(There's only 5 cities outside Texas that have them: Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Shreveport, Bossier City, Little Rock, and Surprise, AZ.)

Many people around the country don't even know what cafeterias are!

I mostly miss the Piccadilly at Northwest Mall, the Luby's on Shepard, and the Wyatt's on 43rd.

[CampLogan1917]

Allbritton's Cafeteria on Waugh Drive was my all time favorite cafeteria in Houston, Texas. Sonny ran as good a business and restaurant as you'd ever want to imagine. The food was outstanding, the servings were generous, the help all had double digit longevity, the atmosphere was like home and you were never a stranger because Sonny had something nice to say to everyone. Their holiday meals like Thanksgiving was not to be missed with unique dishes like a combination pumpkin pie on top with a mince meat pie on the bottom. It was a sad day on the last day they ever served a meal in Houston on July 4, 1996 because they were truly a Houston Institution and were a throwback to a time when businesses valued their customers and you knew it as a customer!

CampLogan1917

[mkultra25]

Olive Allbritton just passed away less than a week ago:

Chronicle obituary

[sevfiv]

Here's an image of it (with her picture):

[sevfiv]

Also, the Albritton's on Bellaire is the same address as Hunan's in the Braes Heights Shopping Center, and the Waugh location was cleared (where the new Whole Foods will be).

I assume the Albritton's Eats that was on McKinney near Cullen is from the same family? That place is now La Reynera panaderia

http://www.houstondeco.org/1940s/albrittons.html

[marketingwiz]

Foleys Downtown had a great (and cheap!) cafeteria in its basement. Used to meet a friend there for lunch who worked in One Allen Center back in the late 70's. Anyone else eat there?

[Wildcat51]

Piccadilly at Memorial City was always terrific. 

[ggmsmolly]

What about Albritton's Cafeteria that was by West University?

[H0PESTER]

On 3/16/2007 at 4:57 AM, KewpieCleaners said:

I seem to recall that Luby's sold some of their cafeterias fairly early on, and part of the agreement was that Luby's-owned cafeterias could not bear that name where non-Luby's owned cafeterias existed. This is the reason for the "Romana Cafeterias", which were identical to Luby's (even down to the little girl on the logo).

 

They were "Ramada Cafeteria" before Bandera Partners, the parent company of Luby's, bought them. They ruined the cafeterias, changed recipes to cut corners. It was never the same. I miss Ramada.

 

On 3/28/2007 at 10:24 AM, northbeaumont said:

OK, help me out on this one. It sounds as if Luby's bought buildings where other cafeterias once operated. That's how I'm interpreting the part about their agreement not to name those buildings Luby's, which is why they called them Romana. But your first sentence says that Luby's sold some of their cafeterias. What am I missing?

 

[Aberrebi]

Having grown up in Houston in the 60s I have clear memories of my childhood at the cafeterias. The first time I saw a color TV was at weldon's cafeteria. Later on I remember how upscale the Romana cafeteria felt when it opened. I was got the same thing, the fried fish with the macaroni and cheese and they're amazing bread pudding. It's funny how memories from childhood stick with you so long. I'm 66 now.

[Earlydays]

Jetton's was a great cafeteria in the Greenway Plaza area.......

[Leauxbeaux]

I always enjoyed Thornhill's Cafeteria before Picadilly, Wyatt's etc.

 

[NenaE]

On 3/16/2007 at 4:57 AM, KewpieCleaners said:

I seem to recall that Luby's sold some of their cafeterias fairly early on, and part of the agreement was that Luby's-owned cafeterias could not bear that name where non-Luby's owned cafeterias existed. This is the reason for the "Romana Cafeterias", which were identical to Luby's (even down to the little girl on the logo).

I always wondered why the Luby's matchbook covers (8440 Gulf Frwy) had the two names Romana's and Luby's. That was in the late '70's.

The newer Luby's (5300 block of Gulf Frwy, east side) didn't last long. The bldg is stll there, stands empty.