Victoria Station (Restaurant)
Encyclopedia
Victoria Station is a chain of railroad-themed prime rib houses that was at the peak of its popularity in the 1970s
, but filed for bankruptcy in 1986. The company once had some 100 locations in the U.S. and Canada, but the number has dropped to one, in Salem, Massachusetts
. Other locations with the name Victoria Station may be under different management (unverified).
The concept evolved from a Cornell University Hotel School graduate project, according to original owners Bob Freeman, Peter Lee, and Dick Bradley, graduates of the school. Innovative and unique, the first restaurant was located in San Francisco. The Baby Boom generation was coming into their own, and in the early 70's was looking for casual lounges and restaurants to adopt as their own. The theme of the restaurant is loosely based on London's Victoria Station. Antique English railway artifacts provided the decor inside, but the exteriors were composed of American Railway cars, primarily boxcars, with a signature Caboose placed in front. On the "entry platform" to each restaurant was an iconic London-style phone booth. Prime rib was the featured item on a limited menu that included steaks, barbecued beef ribs, and shrimp done in a variation of scampi style known as "Shrimp Victoria" Most of the restaurants used authentic railway cars for dining areas. (often boxcar
s or caboose
s). The chain flourished, often flamboyantly, in the 1970s, as recounted in a memoir Prime Rib and Boxcars:Whatever Happened to Victoria Station? by former Victoria Station corporate marketing manager Tom Blake. The company was among the first restaurant companies to offer its employees stock options and an ESOP program. Many early employees of the company saw their shares soar from a dollar a share to fourteen. This created an espirit de corps that accounted for the upbeat tone in most of the units. Many feel its peak was the culmination of a joint venture with Universal Studios that resulted in Victoria Station Universal City, a landmark on the "hill" near where Citywalk now stands. At its peak the Universal City location was among the highest grossing restaurants in the nation.
Virginia Gardens, Florida
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, but filed for bankruptcy in 1986. The company once had some 100 locations in the U.S. and Canada, but the number has dropped to one, in Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
. Other locations with the name Victoria Station may be under different management (unverified).
The concept evolved from a Cornell University Hotel School graduate project, according to original owners Bob Freeman, Peter Lee, and Dick Bradley, graduates of the school. Innovative and unique, the first restaurant was located in San Francisco. The Baby Boom generation was coming into their own, and in the early 70's was looking for casual lounges and restaurants to adopt as their own. The theme of the restaurant is loosely based on London's Victoria Station. Antique English railway artifacts provided the decor inside, but the exteriors were composed of American Railway cars, primarily boxcars, with a signature Caboose placed in front. On the "entry platform" to each restaurant was an iconic London-style phone booth. Prime rib was the featured item on a limited menu that included steaks, barbecued beef ribs, and shrimp done in a variation of scampi style known as "Shrimp Victoria" Most of the restaurants used authentic railway cars for dining areas. (often boxcar
Boxcar
A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...
s or caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
s). The chain flourished, often flamboyantly, in the 1970s, as recounted in a memoir Prime Rib and Boxcars:Whatever Happened to Victoria Station? by former Victoria Station corporate marketing manager Tom Blake. The company was among the first restaurant companies to offer its employees stock options and an ESOP program. Many early employees of the company saw their shares soar from a dollar a share to fourteen. This created an espirit de corps that accounted for the upbeat tone in most of the units. Many feel its peak was the culmination of a joint venture with Universal Studios that resulted in Victoria Station Universal City, a landmark on the "hill" near where Citywalk now stands. At its peak the Universal City location was among the highest grossing restaurants in the nation.
Known locations in the U.S.
The following locations in the U.S. are known to have at one time housed a Victoria Station restaurant:- Arlington, TXArlington, TexasArlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
(now demolished) - Alexandria, VAAlexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
(demolished - Public StoragePublic StoragePublic Storage , a real estate investment trust , is one of the largest self-storage companies in the United States with headquarters in Glendale, CA.Public Storage built its first self-storage facility in 1972...
now on site) - Atlanta, GAAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta 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...
(there were at least three, all now demolished. One was near Cumberland Mall, one near Northlake Mall, and another on Piedmont, just south of Lindbergh) - Austin, TXAustin, TexasAustin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
(now houses a Papadeaux's) - Birmingham, ALBirmingham, AlabamaBirmingham 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...
(opened 1975 on Morris Avenue, now a former nightclub) - Bloomington, MNBloomington, MinnesotaBloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...
(now an Olive GardenOlive GardenOlive Garden is an American restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine. It is a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc., which is headquartered in an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, near Orlando. Olive Garden operates more than 730 locations globally.- History :The...
restaurant) - Boston, MA (Located near South Station, now demolished, old photo at http://www.graflex.org/klotz/gallery/4x5/vs-1.jpg
- Burlingame, CABurlingame, CaliforniaBurlingame is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame. It is renowned for its many surviving examples of Victorian architecture, its affluence, and...
(now Kincaid's Bayhouse) - Burlington, MABurlington, MassachusettsBurlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,498 at the 2010 census.- History :It is believed that Burlington takes its name from the English town of Bridlington, however this has never been confirmed....
(Closed in 2005, demolished in 2006) - Casselberry, FLCasselberry, FloridaCasselberry is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. The population was 22,629 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2009, the city had a population of 24,792...
(on Fernwood Blvd) - Charlotte, NCCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte 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...
- Cherry Hill, NJ (Was on Rte. 70, now demolished, site of a BMW dealership)
- Cincinnati, OHCincinnati, OhioCincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
(the downtown and east locations are both demolished) - Columbus, OHColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
(Was on Hwy 161, now demolished) - Darien, CTDarien, ConnecticutDarien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
(building still standing, but the rail cars removed, now a Bertucci's) - DallasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
/Fort Worth, TXFort Worth, TexasFort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and... - Denver, CODenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
(demolished) - East Brunswick, NJ (on Rt. 18 same lot as Brunswick Square MallBrunswick Square MallBrunswick Square is a single story shopping center located in East Brunswick Township, New Jersey at the intersection of Route 18 and Rues Lane. The mall is owned by Simon Property Group, Inc...
; now an Olive GardenOlive GardenOlive Garden is an American restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine. It is a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc., which is headquartered in an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, near Orlando. Olive Garden operates more than 730 locations globally.- History :The...
restaurant. Rail cars were removed. No original structure remains. Unknown where rail cars went. - Fairfax, VAFairfax, VirginiaThe City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
(demolished; CVS/pharmacyCVS CorporationCVS Pharmacy, or simply CVS, is the second largest pharmacy chain in the United States , with over 7,000 stores in 41 states and Puerto Rico...
now on site; next door to an Outback SteakhouseOutback SteakhouseOutback Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain based in Tampa, Florida with over 1200 locations in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was founded in February 1988 in Tampa by Bob Basham, Chris T...
) - Framingham, MAFramingham, MassachusettsFramingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
- Ft. Lauderdale, FL (corner of E. Cypress Creek (NE 62nd St.) & Dixie Hwy, demolished, unknown disposition of caboose & boxcars)
- Gaithersburg, MDGaithersburg, MarylandGaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...
(now a Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse; burned March 10, 2005/reopened February, 2006) - Golden, COGolden, ColoradoThe City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
- Honolulu, HIHonolulu, HawaiiHonolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
(on Kapiolani Blvd. in WaikikiWaikikiWaikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
; demolished) - Houston, TXHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
(now a Droubi's Imports) - Indianapolis, INIndianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
(opened 1973 @ 7279 N.Keystone Ave, demolished 1988) - Jacksonville, FLJacksonville, FloridaJacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
(Demolished, date unknown) - Kansas City, MOKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
- King of Prussia, PAKing of Prussia, PennsylvaniaKing of Prussia is a census-designated place in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 19,936. The community took its name in the 18th century from a local tavern named the King of Prussia Inn, which was named after...
(later became "Bonkers" then eventually demolished. McDonalds now stands on this site.) - Knoxville, TNKnoxville, TennesseeFounded 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...
- Latham,NYLatham, New YorkLatham is a hamlet in Albany County, New York, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 9 in the town of Colonie, a dense suburb north of Albany.-History:...
- Los Angeles, CALos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
(including one in Hollywood just outside of Universal StudiosUniversal StudiosUniversal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
) - Louisville, KYLouisville, KentuckyLouisville 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...
- Macon, GAMacon, GeorgiaMacon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
(Macon MallMacon MallMacon Mall is a two level, regional shopping mall located in Macon, Georgia. The mall features Macy's, Belk, JCPenney and Sears as its anchor stores, as well as a two level food court.-History:...
) - Marin, CA (LarkspurLarkspur, CaliforniaLarkspur is a city in Marin County, California, United States. Larkspur is located south of San Rafael, at an elevation of . As of the 2010 Census, the city's population was 11,926. Larkspur is located north of San Francisco near Mount Tamalpais. Larkspur's Police Department is shared with that...
) (Demolished, date unknown) - Maumee, OHMaumee, OhioMaumee is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Toledo along the Maumee River. The population was 14,286 at the 2010 census. Maumee was also declared an All-America City by the National Civic League in June 2006.-Geography:...
- Memphis, TNMemphis, TennesseeMemphis 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....
- Miami, FLMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
(inside Dadeland MallDadeland MallDadeland Mall is a large enclosed shopping mall located in the Miami suburb of Kendall, Florida, in the Dadeland district. The mall, originally developed by the Joseph Meyerhoff Company of Baltimore, opened October 1, 1962 as a , open-air complex of sixty stores and services...
, demolished in the early 1990s, now a Victoria's SecretVictoria's SecretVictoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
) - Monroeville, PennsylvaniaMonroeville, PennsylvaniaMonroeville is a home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located about east of the city of Pittsburgh, Monroeville is a bustling suburb with mixed residential and commercial developments...
(Building still in existence; has had multiple occupants since closing) - New Orleans, LANew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
- Newport Beach, CANewport Beach, CaliforniaNewport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
- Niles, ILNiles, IllinoisNiles is a village in Maine and Niles Townships, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The 2010 population from the U.S. Census Bureau is 29,803.The current mayor of Niles is Robert M. Callero.-History:Niles was first settled in 1827....
(now a Russian restaurant called "Moscow Nights") - North Miami Beach, FLNorth Miami Beach, FloridaNorth Miami Beach is a Miami suburban city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named Fulford in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the United States Coast Guard, the city was incorporated in 1927 as Fulford, but was renamed North Miami Beach in 1931. The population was...
- Northbrook, ILNorthbrook, IllinoisNorthbrook is a village located at the northern edge of Cook County, Illinois, which is also a North Shore suburb of Chicago. The population was 33,170 at the 2010 census....
(Across from Peacock Palace and Holiday Inn, site now a National Pride self car wash) - Northridge, CA
- Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
(Closed. Once a part of the former Jack London Village, the rust-colored caboose was still on-site in 2000). Building still stands in 2010, complete with boxcars and caboose, but is empty. Had been the site for Niman Ranch administrative offices. - Philadelphia, PAPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
(demolished) - Pittsburgh, PAPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
- Phoenix, AZPhoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
- Portland, ORPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
(demolished, caboose saved and relocated) - Reno, NVReno, NevadaReno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
(now an Olive GardenOlive GardenOlive Garden is an American restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine. It is a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc., which is headquartered in an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, near Orlando. Olive Garden operates more than 730 locations globally.- History :The...
restaurant) - Richmond, VARichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
(Currently the home of Northstar Academy, a private K-12 school serving special needs children, railroad cars still on the premises and are used as classrooms.) - Rocky River, OHRocky River, OhioRocky River is an affluent western suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, United States located in Cuyahoga County approximately nine miles west of Public Square in downtown Cleveland. The city is named for the river that forms its eastern border...
- Roseville, CaliforniaRoseville, California-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Roseville had a population of 118,788. The population density was 3,279.4 people per square mile...
(Closed, but bldgs remain as of Jan 2008) - Roseville, MNRoseville, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 33,690 people, 14,598 households, and 8,598 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,543.9 people per square mile . There were 14,917 housing units at an average density of 1,126.4 per square mile...
- Sacramento, CASacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
- Salem, MassachusettsSalem, MassachusettsSalem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
(still run by Victoria Station, Inc.) - Salt Lake City, UTSalt Lake City, UtahSalt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
- San Antonio, TXSan Antonio, TexasSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
- San Diego, CASan Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
(Train cars moved to another city, location now a Del Taco, next door to In Cahoots, formerly Confetti's) - San Francisco, CASan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
(Original location, demolished after the quake of 1989) - Schaumburg, ILSchaumburg, IllinoisSchaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
- Seattle, WASeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
- Southfield, MISouthfield, MichiganAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.04% is water. The main branch of the River Rouge runs through Southfield. The city is bounded to the south by Eight Mile Road, its western border is Inkster Road, and to the east it is bounded by Greenfield Road...
(later became "Bonkers" then eventually demolished) - St. Louis, MOSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
- Sunnyvale, CASunnyvale, CaliforniaSunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
(Now a Vietnamese soup restaurant) - Tahoe City, CATahoe City, CaliforniaTahoe City is an unincorporated community in Placer County, California. Tahoe City is located on Lake Tahoe, southeast of Donner Pass. It lies at an elevation of 6250 feet ....
- Tampa, FLTampa, FloridaTampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
- Torrance, CATorrance, CaliforniaTorrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
(previously incorrectly listed as demolished-as of April 2007 location operating as the South Bay Grill, 23805 Hawthorne Bl, Torrance CA 90505. Boxcars and caboose are intact with building)(demolished as of mid 2010) - Tulsa, OKTulsa, OklahomaTulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
(decorative train water tower still standing in 2011) - Universal City, CAUniversal City, CaliforniaUniversal City is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, that encompasses the 415 acre property of Universal Studios...
- Vancouver, WAVancouver, WashingtonVancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
- Villa Park, CAVilla Park, CaliforniaVilla Park is a city in northern Orange County, California, near and surrounded by the City of Orange, and close to Anaheim Hills, that incorporated in 1962. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 5,812, down from 5,999 at the 2000 census, achieving the status of the smallest city in...
- Villa Park, ILVilla Park, IllinoisVilla Park is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County, Illinois. The population was 22,075 at the 2000 census. A special census in 2003 set the population at 22,517...
- Virginia Beach, VAVirginia Beach, VirginiaVirginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
- Wauwatosa, WIWauwatosa, WisconsinWauwatosa is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States, and was incorporated on May 27, 1897. As of the 2006 census estimate, the city's population was 44,798. Wauwatosa is located immediately west of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is a part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area...
- Wayne, NJWayne, New JerseyWayne is a Township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, located less than from midtown Manhattan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 54,069....
(now a market research facility) - West Covina, CAWest Covina, CaliforniaWest Covina is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. Located some east of Downtown Los Angeles in the eastern San Gabriel Valley, it is a mostly middle class suburb of Los Angeles...
- West Palm Beach, FLWest Palm Beach, FloridaWest Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
(Located on Palm Beach Lakes Blvd @ I-95 (Demolished) now Olive Garden) - Whippany, NJWhippany, New JerseyWhippany is an unincorporated area located within Hanover Township in Morris County, New Jersey. Whippany's name is derived from the Whippanong Native Americans, a tribe that once inhabited the area...
(now a restaurant off Rt. 10 that still maintains an RR theme) - White Plains, NYWhite Plains, New YorkWhite Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
- Willow Grove, PAWillow Grove, PennsylvaniaWillow Grove is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 15,726 at the 2010 census. It is located in Abington Township and Upper Moreland Township...
(later Boston Sea PartyBoston sea partyBoston Sea Party was a chain of seafood restaurants that started around 1976 during the U.S. Bicentennial. . It is unclear when the chain finally closed for good, although articles seem to indicate the last restaurants open were in the late 90s or early 2000's...
, directly adjacent to Pennsylvania TurnpikePennsylvania TurnpikeThe Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...
interchange, formerly Exit 27, now Exit 343. Demolished, now site of Courtyard by MarriottCourtyard by MarriottCourtyard by Marriott is a brand of hotels owned by Marriott International. Courtyard by Marriott is designed for business travelers but also accommodates to families. Its rooms feature large desks, couches, free broadband Internet access, and "big" breakfasts. The majority of locations have... - Woodland Hills, CA (later became "Bonkers" then eventually demolished)
- Yonkers,NY, ( Boxcars are offices for a Sanitation Company)
Virginia Gardens, Florida
Worldwide Locations
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada (demolished)
- Malaysia
- Tokyo, Japan (still running under the name Victoria Station)
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada (demolished)
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (now closed)
- Yokohama, Japan (now closed)
- Osaka, Japan (now closed)
- Kobe, Japan (named "Central Station" which was Victoria Station's chain, now closed)
- Paris, France
- Sapporo, Japan- complete with Big Boy statues
External links
- History and pictures of Victoria Station
- A book titled Prime Rib and Boxcars: Whatever Happened to Victoria Station? (ISBN 0972796622)
- Other restaurant named Victoria Station in Townsend, TN and Perth, Australia.
- The Old Spaghetti Factory and Spaghetti Warehouse are two chains with a theme similar to that of Victoria Station
- Crowne Plaza Hotel in Indianapolis has sleeping rooms constructed of real Pullman train cars
- Barstow Station, a mini-mall in Barstow, CaliforniaBarstow, CaliforniaBarstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
at 34.891308°N 116.999052°W is made up partly of old passenger cars - Another list of restaurants with train themes
- Victoria Station Employee Reunion on MySpace.com
- An article that recalls the great beef ribs at Victoria Station]