Schrafft's was a

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

of high-volume moderately priced

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

restaurants connected to the Schrafft's food and candy business of

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. The dining rooms, which had tablecloths at dinner time, and later had separate standing bar areas, were supplemented by fountain service lunch counters, separate rooms in which were displayed for sale Schrafft's branded candy and ice cream, and various items such as wrapped gift baskets of fruit, candy and stuffed toys.

History

Schrafft's was founded by William G. Schrafft as a candy manufacturer in

, but over time the company also became a well-known restaurant. In 1898, Frank G. Shattuck, a salesman for the Schrafft company from

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...

, opened a candy store at

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and West 36th Street in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, New York City. His sister, Jane Shattuck, was largely responsible for the introduction of light lunches into the stores. The first location to serve food was the

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store in 1906. By 1909, Jane introduced meals to the second New York City Schrafft's, at 54 West 23rd Street in the heart of the Ladies' Mile shopping district. By 1927, there were 25 units, mostly in New York City, and by 1928 Schrafft's revenue from lunch sales was a month. Schrafft's was known for an air of gentility typical of the upper-middle-class home. Cooks, supervisors, and even some executives were women. Menus of the 1920s and 1930s included many salads, more desserts than entrees, and vegetable selections such as creamed cauliflower and fried eggplant. Rent cuts in the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

encouraged chain expansion, and by 1937 there were 43 Schrafft's, primarily in the

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, and several others in

and

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. In 1939, '' WPA Guide to New York City'' said Schrafft's had 38 locations in the metropolitan area, serving American home food. At its peak there were about 50 units in greater New York. In the late 1960s the Schrafft's candy company was sold to Helme Products while Pet, Inc. bought the restaurants in 1967 for . Pet made a renewed effort to renovate Schrafft's image, attract men with men-only sections of the restaurants, and diversify by opening a chain of Schrafft's motels. In the 1970s, however, the chain dwindled with most restaurant locations closing within the decade. In 1981, the candy company ceased operations while the few restaurants remaining were in various hands.Whitaker, Jan (August 27, 2008
"When ladies lunched: Schrafft's"
''Restaurant-ing Through History''

References

Notes Bibliography * *Slomanson, Joan Kanel (2006) ''When Everybody Ate at Schrafft's: Memories, Pictures, and Recipes from a Very Special Restaurant Empire''. Fort Lee, New Jersey: Barricade Books. {{ISBN, 1-56980-295-5 1898 establishments in New York (state) American companies established in 1898 Regional restaurant chains in the United States Restaurants established in 1898 Restaurants in Boston Restaurants in New York City Restaurants in New York (state) Restaurants in Philadelphia