S&W Cafeteria
Encyclopedia
S&W Cafeteria was a Charlotte, North Carolina
-based chain of cafeteria
style restaurants. The chain specialized in low-cost, southern style cookery. Branch locations were located in the Southeastern United States from Washington, D.C. to Atlanta, Georgia.
sergeants together in World War I. The operation originated at Ivey's
department store. Its initial restaurant was located at 100 W. Trade Street in downtown Charlotte. By 1934, when the first Washington, D.C.
location opened, cafeterias were located in Atlanta, Georgia
; Asheville
, Charlotte
, and Raleigh
, North Carolina; Chattanooga
and Knoxville
, Tennessee; and Roanoke, Virginia
. By the early 1950s, locations had opened at Greensboro, North Carolina
and at Pittman Plaza, in Lynchburg, Virginia
. Many of these locations were designed by noted Charlotte-based architect Martin Evans Boyers.
The original cafeterias were located in busy downtown areas, often located near bustling theater and shopping areas. The early locations were quite opulent (designed in Art Deco
style) and were the site of numerous local business and political gatherings. During the 1960s-1970's, as suburban shopping centers opened and downtowns declined, S&W followed the trend by closing their downtown locations. In 1964, 16 locations were in operation. Into the 1990s, the mainstay clientele were the elderly who appreciated the home style meals at low prices.
(D-GA) and Sen. Clyde Hoey (D-NC). During World War II, the cafeteria served up to 9,000 daily. Because of a severe drop in night trade, it closed in May 1964.
Suburban locations operated at Seven Corners Shopping Center
, opening in 1956; Landmark Shopping Center
, opening in 1964; and a 215000 square feet (19,974.2 m²) restaurant at Washington Science Center in Rockville, Maryland
, opening in 1966. A racial ban at the Seven Corners location was lifted in August 1961, after an African official (the mayor of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika
) was refused service and the State Department intervened with a call to S&W owner Frank Sherrill. This location closed in 1976, when the center upgraded. Its closing spurred protests from longtime patrons, largely elderly, 1,000 of whom relied daily on the cafeteria for low-cost meals. The location reopened in 1980, at 155 Hillwood Ave., in nearby Falls Church
; a new $650,000, 13000 square feet (1,207.7 m²) restaurant seating 400. The Falls Church location operated into the 1990s. The Landmark location featured 30 feet (9.1 m) long, 22 feet (6.7 m) high murals and crystal chandeliers, closed in 1986.
style and was designed by architect Douglas Ellington
. In 2007, Steve Moberg purchased and renovated the building and the restaurant S&W Steak and Wine and coffee shop Corner House currently operates at that location.
(in 1959, closed ca. 1980), and at Freedom Village Mall in the 1960s (closed January 1983).
, until the early 1980s. It is a 2-story Art Deco building with a glazed terra cotta exterior and an opulent interior. The area is part of an historic district being actively preserved by the non-profit Knox Heritage. In August 2007, the neighboring Downtown Regal
Riviera opened and is stimulating redevelopment of the neighboring properties.
The S&W on Gay Street was renovated and officially re-opened for business to the public on October 21, 2009 as the S&W Grand Cafe.
The S&W closed its doors on Jan 8, 2011. Statement from their Facebook page:
mens store. That store recently underwent a $2 million renovation. The downtown location moved to 16 Church Avenue, SW, in the former Greyhound
Bus Terminal. The new two-story location featured art deco appointments and breakfast made-to-order for the early downtown crowd. It closed in the 1970s. This location is now the Downtown Sports Club.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
-based chain of cafeteria
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
style restaurants. The chain specialized in low-cost, southern style cookery. Branch locations were located in the Southeastern United States from Washington, D.C. to Atlanta, Georgia.
History
The company was organized in 1920, by Frank Odell Sherrill and Fred Weber who had served as messMess
A mess is the place where military personnel socialise, eat, and live. In some societies this military usage has extended to other disciplined services eateries such as civilian fire fighting and police forces. The root of mess is the Old French mes, "portion of food" A mess (also called a...
sergeants together in World War I. The operation originated at Ivey's
Ivey's
Ivey's , a former department store chain, was acquired by Dillard's, Inc. in 1990. Ivey's was based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was founded in 1900 by Joseph Benjamin Ivey.-History:...
department store. Its initial restaurant was located at 100 W. Trade Street in downtown Charlotte. By 1934, when the first Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
location opened, cafeterias were located in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
; Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, and Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, North Carolina; Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
and Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, Tennessee; and Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
. By the early 1950s, locations had opened at Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
and at Pittman Plaza, in Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
. Many of these locations were designed by noted Charlotte-based architect Martin Evans Boyers.
The original cafeterias were located in busy downtown areas, often located near bustling theater and shopping areas. The early locations were quite opulent (designed in Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style) and were the site of numerous local business and political gatherings. During the 1960s-1970's, as suburban shopping centers opened and downtowns declined, S&W followed the trend by closing their downtown locations. In 1964, 16 locations were in operation. Into the 1990s, the mainstay clientele were the elderly who appreciated the home style meals at low prices.
Washington, D.C.
The first Washington, D.C area location opened downtown in 1934; a 27000 square feet (2,508.4 m²) restaurant in the Washington Building, 1425 G Street, NW at New York Avenue. It was a regular stop for southern congressman, including Sen. Richard RussellRichard Russell, Jr.
Richard Brevard Russell, Jr. was a Democratic Party politician from the southeastern state of Georgia. He served as state governor from 1931 to 1933 and United States senator from 1933 to 1971....
(D-GA) and Sen. Clyde Hoey (D-NC). During World War II, the cafeteria served up to 9,000 daily. Because of a severe drop in night trade, it closed in May 1964.
Suburban locations operated at Seven Corners Shopping Center
Seven Corners Shopping Center
Seven Corners Shopping Center was the first major shopping center to open in suburban Washington, D.C.. It is located in Seven Corners, Fairfax County, Virginia. At its opening in 1956, it was the largest regional shopping center in Virginia...
, opening in 1956; Landmark Shopping Center
Landmark Mall
The Landmark Mall, or Landmark Regional Shopping Center, is located in a triangle formed by Duke Street , Shirley Highway , and Van Dorn Street in Alexandria, Virginia....
, opening in 1964; and a 215000 square feet (19,974.2 m²) restaurant at Washington Science Center in Rockville, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, opening in 1966. A racial ban at the Seven Corners location was lifted in August 1961, after an African official (the mayor of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
) was refused service and the State Department intervened with a call to S&W owner Frank Sherrill. This location closed in 1976, when the center upgraded. Its closing spurred protests from longtime patrons, largely elderly, 1,000 of whom relied daily on the cafeteria for low-cost meals. The location reopened in 1980, at 155 Hillwood Ave., in nearby Falls Church
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
; a new $650,000, 13000 square feet (1,207.7 m²) restaurant seating 400. The Falls Church location operated into the 1990s. The Landmark location featured 30 feet (9.1 m) long, 22 feet (6.7 m) high murals and crystal chandeliers, closed in 1986.
Asheville, North Carolina
The downtown Asheville location opened at 60 Patton Avenue in 1929, and closed in 1974. It is in the Art DecoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style and was designed by architect Douglas Ellington
Douglas Ellington
Douglas D. Ellington was an American architect who is noted for his work in the Art Deco style.Ellington studied architecture at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Ellington was the first American to win the Rougevin prize...
. In 2007, Steve Moberg purchased and renovated the building and the restaurant S&W Steak and Wine and coffee shop Corner House currently operates at that location.
Charlotte, North Carolina
The original S&W operated at 100 W. Trade Street in downtown by Charlotte from 1920 until 1970; it was razed in the mid-1980s. Three suburban Charlotte locations operated at Park Road Shopping Center (in 1958, closed ca. 1980), at Charlottetown MallCharlottetown Mall
Charlottetown Mall was a shopping mall located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The first enclosed shopping mall in the Southeast, it opened in on October 28, 1959. Atlanta's Lenox Square opened two months earlier, but it was an open-air mall at first. The mall was situated on a parcel on the...
(in 1959, closed ca. 1980), and at Freedom Village Mall in the 1960s (closed January 1983).
Knoxville, Tennessee
The downtown S&W opened in 1936, and operated at 516-518 South Gay StreetGay Street (Knoxville)
Gay Street is a street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, that traverses the heart of the city's downtown area. Since its development in the 1790s, Gay Street has served as the city's principal financial and commercial thoroughfare, and has played a primary role in the city's historical and cultural...
, until the early 1980s. It is a 2-story Art Deco building with a glazed terra cotta exterior and an opulent interior. The area is part of an historic district being actively preserved by the non-profit Knox Heritage. In August 2007, the neighboring Downtown Regal
Regal Entertainment Group
Regal Entertainment Group also known as REG is a movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Regal operates the largest and most geographically diverse theater circuit in the United States, consisting of 6,775 screens in 548 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia as of...
Riviera opened and is stimulating redevelopment of the neighboring properties.
The S&W on Gay Street was renovated and officially re-opened for business to the public on October 21, 2009 as the S&W Grand Cafe.
The S&W closed its doors on Jan 8, 2011. Statement from their Facebook page:
We are taking the opportunity during this slow time of the year to determine the future plan for the S&W Grand in 2011. Effective immediately, we will be closed until further notice. We thank everyone for their support over the past year, and remain hopeful to serve you again in the near future.
Roanoke, Virginia
The original S&W operated at 412 S. Jefferson Street. In 1964, that location closed and has since been occupied by Davidson'sDavidson's
Davidson's is a Roanoke, Virginia-based chain of menswear stores. The company was founded in 1910. Its downtown location is at 412 S. Jefferson St., in a former S&W Cafeteria, that it has occupied since 1964. In 2008, the location underwent a $2 million renovation...
mens store. That store recently underwent a $2 million renovation. The downtown location moved to 16 Church Avenue, SW, in the former Greyhound
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
Bus Terminal. The new two-story location featured art deco appointments and breakfast made-to-order for the early downtown crowd. It closed in the 1970s. This location is now the Downtown Sports Club.