Framed or unframed, desk size to sofa size, printed by us in Arizona and Alabama since 2007. Explore now.
Shorpy is funded by you. Patreon contributors get an ad-free experience.
Learn more.
UPDATE: Restaurant ID thanks to tterrace.
June 7, 1943. "Restaurant soda fountain, Sausalito, California." Anyone got a nickel? 8x10 acetate negative, photographer unknown. View full size.
Back in the 60s I worked at a local gas station near my school. We had an old retired guy who ran errands and such for the owner. He wore one of these and whenever everyone else was busy, he would answer the phone in the office. Of course, he had to hold the receiver upside down so the ear piece was over his shirt pocket while the microphone end (and the cord) were sticking up.
You can imagine the hilarity that ensued when customers would try to help him by gently turning the thing right side up and placing it up to his ear! They got the ugliest looks from him as he turned it back around and apologized to the caller for the interruption.
A light switch? Wow. That light must be drawing some serious Amps and Volts.
I do wonder. Was there anything rationed in the US during the war? Except maybe gasoline for private use? And even that rationing was probably more symbolic than real? Many places like that in Europe would have required food coupons for many dishes, or even not having meats, dairy or sugary stuff on the menu in the first place.
[Note the sign re Coca-Cola (i.e., sugar) rationing. Ration coupons for meat and other foods were all part of the war effort, although you'd use them at the grocery store, not in a restaurant. In addition to gasoline rationing (which was most certainly not "symbolic"), the sale of tires and manufacture of automobiles, radios, appliances, etc. for civilian use were suspended. - Dave]
"Due to Coca-Cola rationing we are compelled at times to substitute other colas."
Edit: Ah, thanks. "Ersatz" in the US as well? ;-) Well, Ersatz Coke definitely beat Ersatz coffee, Ersatz gasoline, Ersatz honey, Ersatz butter (vulgo margarine), Ersatz whatever. The US did have the edge, in everything (not just General Motors). I recall my relatives to recollect that my oldest uncle (b. 1927) actually sent home the odd package of canned foodstuffs while he was an American PoW in Belgium in late 1945. Seems he hit it up right with the US Army sargent he was working for.
Vacuum tubes had been made quite small by that time, about the diameter of a large pencil, with wire leads. A hearing aid could be somewhat larger than a pack of cigarettes.
That's not camera by the cactus, it's a light switch. Probably for an outdoor sign or exterior lighting of some kind.
What does the older gentleman have in his ear? Transistors weren't invented until 1948 so any kind of hearing aide aid would be at least the size of one of the juke box remote terminals.
[Hearing aids used small vacuum tubes. Below, an ad from 1942. - Dave]
Hat holders. My church had these. Grandpa always said no one wanted to use them much because of the nice crease you could get in the brim of your hat.
I love the spring loaded hat holder clips on the back of the seats. My church growing up had these.
This could easily have been a Saturday Evening Post cover.
I know nothing of California weather, but is it cold enough in Sausalito on June 7th for coats and gloves?
[If the fog's in. -tterrace]
A few crackers added to soupy chili stiffens it up. A lot of crackers can double the volume of you chili if you're short on money and hungry.
Anyone know the deal on the doomahikees on the back of each stool? Some kind of hat holder possibly?
I presume the clips on the backs of the seats were for men to put their hats? Obviously, no one saw the need for them.
Nobody is taking advantage of the hat clips on the back of each stool. The two young men in the foreground wouldn't be caught dead wearing a hat or cap.
The waitress left of center and the guy in the hat look so much like a Norman Rockwell painting, that it's hard to believe they aren't painted into the photo.
Older man with hearing aid between the two younger guys.
Young guy in the foreground doing a James Dean impression.
Older guy with the gap-toothed smile.
Has anyone mentioned yet that the floor badly needs sweeping?
What a great photo.
What are the latches on the back of the chairs? Too small for coats and I don't think they are for purses! But they look vaguely familiar nonetheless. And what's the security camera doing by the cactus? I also notice that the cigarettes on the floor are unfiltered?
Can anybody explain to me that metal button thing on the back of the seats? It’s too flat to be a coat hook.
OK, I give up. Chili and something (on the back wall) for two bits. I'll be darned if I can decipher what the something is.
[Someone here has never had diner chili! - Dave]
That's a Wurlitzer Model 24 against the back wall. It was a 1937 model, so a bit out of date by 1943. It probably started life in a swanky nightspot and worked its way down the ladder as new models were given prime placement.
Sausalito News, March 28, 1940
Centrally located at 639 Bridgeway Boulevard in Sausalito, Mackey's Creamery, operated by Mr. Herbert Legge, offers a unique environment for the enjoyment of your lunches and fountain drinks.
Everyone knows that a cool, refreshing soda accompanied with a tasty sandwich goes far toward making the day brighter.
Herbert Legge, at Mackey's Creamery, has done much in making many people happier by his pleasant and appreciable service in the serving of fine sodas, all fountain drinks and lunches.
Mr. Legge is widely known in Sausalito, and through the excellence of his service, his establishment has become the meeting place for many friends and parties.
Such a service to the people of Sausalito deserves thanks, and we sincerely hope that a greater congratulatory measure will be brought to light as an increased demand for Mackey's Creamery's fine contribution to community life.
Why have ashtrays when you can use the floor!
It still looks like a great place for a burger though.
Where are the ashtrays -- this IS 1943, isn't it?
On Shorpy:
Today’s Top 5