Blue Boar Cafeterias
Encyclopedia
Blue Boar Cafeterias was a chain of cafeteria-style restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky
. The first Blue Boar was opened in 1931. Once a major presence in metro Louisville and still remembered for its old downtown
location on Fourth Avenue near Broadway. During the 1930s, Guion (Guyon) Clement Earle (1870–1940) served as advertising manager. He was the brother-in-law of Frank Kennicott Reilly (1863–1932) owner of the Reilly & Lee publishing firm of Chicago. Mr. Earle was well known to the customers of the Blue Boar Restaurant through the witty jottings he created which appeared on the Blue Boar's menus. A decade earlier Mr. Earle had served as the Superintendent of Loveman, Joseph & Loeb in Birmingham, Alabama, where he published a literary review entitled "The Bookworm".
, and Memphis, Tennessee
, and B&W Cafeterias in Nashville, Tennessee
. Both of those chains have closed, with Blue Boar the remaining remnant of the company. At one point there were 21 open Blue Boar locations in Louisville, Lexington, Memphis, Nashville Little Rock, and Cleveland.
As with its corporate siblings, Blue Boar was a Louisville institution, best known for its flagship location downtown. Its heyday was the 1930s through the 1950s. The company expanded into suburban locations in the 1960s and 1970s, including a location in "The Mall", the first enclosed shopping mall in the state now called Mall St. Matthews
. (This location later moved to Oxmoor Center
, a newer mall just across the Watterson Expressway
.)
There was also a Blue Boar cafeteria located on Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland, Ohio
in the 1930s. It is unclear on whether there was any connection between that location and the Louisville company. According to one source, it was patterned after Louisville's Blue Boar.
outlets and changing lifestyles, the chain went into decline, and gradually closed locations down. Many of its locations were located near locally owned department stores, and faltered after those stores closed. In 1995, the chain closed its last remaining location outside of Louisville, in Lexington's Turfland Mall
and in Clarksville, Indiana
. It also closed the Gardiner Lane Shopping Center Store in 1995, which had been open since 1959. After 1995, only four locations remained open. One of the final locations, in a shopping center at the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Preston Highway, closed in 1999.
The last location in the Louisville area, located in the Southland Terrace shopping center, closed in 2003. Unlike Britling, it stayed with the cafeteria format and did not convert to an all-you-can-eat buffet
format.
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. The first Blue Boar was opened in 1931. Once a major presence in metro Louisville and still remembered for its old downtown
Downtown Louisville
Downtown Louisville is the largest central business district in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the urban hub of the Louisville, Kentucky Metropolitan Area. Its boundaries are the Ohio River to the north, Hancock Street to the east, York and Jacob Streets to the south, and 9th Street to the west...
location on Fourth Avenue near Broadway. During the 1930s, Guion (Guyon) Clement Earle (1870–1940) served as advertising manager. He was the brother-in-law of Frank Kennicott Reilly (1863–1932) owner of the Reilly & Lee publishing firm of Chicago. Mr. Earle was well known to the customers of the Blue Boar Restaurant through the witty jottings he created which appeared on the Blue Boar's menus. A decade earlier Mr. Earle had served as the Superintendent of Loveman, Joseph & Loeb in Birmingham, Alabama, where he published a literary review entitled "The Bookworm".
Early history
The Blue Boar chain shared common ownership with Britling Cafeterias in Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, and Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, and B&W Cafeterias in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Both of those chains have closed, with Blue Boar the remaining remnant of the company. At one point there were 21 open Blue Boar locations in Louisville, Lexington, Memphis, Nashville Little Rock, and Cleveland.
As with its corporate siblings, Blue Boar was a Louisville institution, best known for its flagship location downtown. Its heyday was the 1930s through the 1950s. The company expanded into suburban locations in the 1960s and 1970s, including a location in "The Mall", the first enclosed shopping mall in the state now called Mall St. Matthews
Mall St. Matthews
Mall St. Matthews is a Louisville, Kentucky shopping mall located at 5000 Shelbyville Road in the eastern suburb of St. Matthews.Opened in 1962 and originally named The Mall, it was the first enclosed suburban shopping mall in the state of Kentucky. Located next to the Watterson Expressway, the...
. (This location later moved to Oxmoor Center
Oxmoor Center
Oxmoor Center is a Louisville, Kentucky shopping mall located at 7900 Shelbyville Road in eastern Louisville.Opened in 1971 on the opposing side of the Watterson Expressway from Mall St. Matthews, the mall originally had Shillito's and Stewart Dry Goods as its anchor stores...
, a newer mall just across the Watterson Expressway
Interstate 264 (Kentucky)
The Henry Watterson Expressway, also known as the Georgia Davis Powers/Shawnee Expressway west of US 31W, is one of two Interstate Highways in the United States designated as Interstate 264 . It is 22.93 miles in length, and runs an open circle around central Louisville, Kentucky...
.)
There was also a Blue Boar cafeteria located on Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
in the 1930s. It is unclear on whether there was any connection between that location and the Louisville company. According to one source, it was patterned after Louisville's Blue Boar.
Decline
Facing increased competition from fast foodFast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
outlets and changing lifestyles, the chain went into decline, and gradually closed locations down. Many of its locations were located near locally owned department stores, and faltered after those stores closed. In 1995, the chain closed its last remaining location outside of Louisville, in Lexington's Turfland Mall
Turfland Mall
Turfland Mall was an enclosed shopping mall located in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Opened in 1967 as the first shopping mall in Lexington, the mall is a dead mall comprising fewer than ten stores and restaurants, with The Home Depot and Staples as anchor stores...
and in Clarksville, Indiana
Clarksville, Indiana
Clarksville is a town in Clark County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River as a part of the Louisville Metropolitan area. The population was 21,724 at the 2010 census. The town, once a home site to George Rogers Clark, was founded in 1783 and is the oldest American town in the Northwest...
. It also closed the Gardiner Lane Shopping Center Store in 1995, which had been open since 1959. After 1995, only four locations remained open. One of the final locations, in a shopping center at the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Preston Highway, closed in 1999.
The last location in the Louisville area, located in the Southland Terrace shopping center, closed in 2003. Unlike Britling, it stayed with the cafeteria format and did not convert to an all-you-can-eat buffet
Buffet
A buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners generally serve themselves. Buffets are offered at various places including hotels and many social events...
format.