Schrafft's, New York 1920

Schrafft’s began life as a candy manufacturer and in 1898 one its salesmen, a visionary man called Frank G Shattuck, opened the first store in New York. His sister Jane introduced the concept of light lunches and Schrafft’s developed into a chain of restaurants that was particularly popular with women. This 1920s menu cover, showing an elegantly-clad waitress, perfectly illustrates the genteel image of the restaurants during the Roaring Twenties. In an interview with the New York Times in 2004, Mr Shattuck’s great-grandson Frank said of the restaurant’s refined clientele: “Everyone wore hats and home-made suits. And if you were a lady it was safe to sit at the soda fountain and drink gin from a tea cup.” Schrafft’s expanded steadily throughout the 20s and 30s and its employment policies were also far ahead of its time – it employed many women as cooks, supervisors and executives. At its peak, there were 50 outlets in the greater New York metropolitan area. In the 60s the restaurants and the candy store businesses were sold to separate owners. By the 80s, Schrafft’s had all but disappeared. Courtesy Private Collection. Gallery quality Giclée print on natural white, matte, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using Epson K3 archival inks. Custom printed with border for matting and framing. All printed in USA. Each product is accompanied by a copy of the interior menu where available.