Until very recently I thought John Wanamaker’s in Philadelphia had the first in-store restaurant in the U.S. Several scholars have insisted this is true, with the exception of a Macy’s historian who claimed R. H. Macy was first, in May 1878. Wanamaker’s, I’ve discovered, did not install eating facilities until September of 1879 when it enticed a local caterer, Alice Weldon, to run her restaurant inside The Grand Depot, as the store was known then. Weldon, a confectioner born in Ireland, operated a popular oyster-plus-ice-cream café near the store (it sounds like an odd combination but such places were once common). Every day all the shoppers would vacate the store to go eat at Alice’s, so Wanamaker reasoned he had to have her on his side. For about six years she ran the forerunner of The Dairy, an eatery the store created in 1883, one year after installing a soda fountain (another department store first claimed by Wanamaker’s).
The better known restaurant in the Philadelphia store was the Grand Crystal Tea Room which opened on the 8th floor of the new Wanamaker’s completed in 1911. Immense and filled with chandeliers, it was modeled on the tea room in the Philadelphia mansion of Robert Morris, a financier of the American Revolution. Also on the 8th floor, speedily reached by 24 direct-service elevators, were a number of private dining rooms, a men-only tea room, and the store’s ultra-modern kitchens. The Grand Crystal Tea Room survived the demise of Wanamaker’s and the tenure of its successor but finally closed in 1995 and is now a private banquet hall.
The New York City Wanamaker’s, opened in 1896 in the old A. T. Stewart store and closed in 1954, was also well supplied with esteemed eating places. A 1900 menu shows a full complement of delectable lunch choices, including blue points, cream of new asparagus soup, and lamb with mint sauce. The store’s tea room advertised ca. 1908 that its tea was “specially imported,” and prided itself on its “quaint service.” In 1940 the store operated three eating places on the 9th floor: the main restaurant, Green Shutters; a more casual Side Walk Café; and a Men’s Grill decorated with antique French tapestries.
© Jan Whitaker, 2008
It's great to hear from readers and I take time to answer queries. I can't always find what you are looking for, but I do appreciate getting thank yous no matter what the outcome.
Restaurant-ing through history 
The Wanamaker’s in Wilmington is where I grew up! Literally, we were there every weekend. My grandmother would treat me to lunch in the Tea Room, where I would always have their Black Walnut cake. Does anyone know where I can find the recipe or a bakery that makes it? It was spectacular!! Was it a Federal bakery cake? Wanamaker’s was a classy department store.
Hi! Enjoyed reading more about Wanamakers fabulous store. Growing up on the West Coast, I never heard of it until a few years ago when a I purchased a vintage “Wanamaker” sewing machine to add to my collection. Through my research about the machine, I learned some of the fascinating history of the department store. What a different time that was! Thank you for this wonderful article.
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I remember going to have assorted tea sandwiches for lunch with my mother at John Wanamaker’s in Philadelphia in the 70’s. It was a ritual. My mother is turning 90 and I am looking for recipes and or menu for the assorted sandwiches that were served. We would often go to the lower level to the cafe. I can’t remember the name. Does anyone know how I can find this? I have searched google.
I remember a café or someplace in the lower level of wanamakers but I remember them having something near the el platform maybe where you could get a hot dog and soft ice cream called the wanna frost…. Does anyone remember that.?
I too remember the lower level, which only had counter eating. I have been trying to recreate their open-face grilled cheese. Miss those times!
I have a plate from Wanamaker’s printed in a beautiful 1900-1910 design, with the MacIntosh MacMurdo Rose design on it. It is also monogrammed with a capital “V”. Would anyone know what that “V” stood for? The name of the specific dining room??
My father was the manager of the Crystal Tea Room at Wanamaker’s before the war. He wore a tux in the evening. He always joked that he got married in his work clothes. I have a creamer/sugar set from the tea room, black exterior white interior. “Meet me under the Eagle”
I know of a number of restaurants and tea rooms at the New York and Philadelphia Wanamaker stores, such as The Crystal Tea Room, The Dairy, The Rendezvous, The Orange Tea Room, and La Fontaine, but I don’t know of any beginning with V.
My father was the manager of the Crystal Tea Room in the late 1930’s. He had to leave because he was drafted into WWII. He wore a morning coat at lunch time, and a tuxedo in the evening. He always joked with my mother that he got married in his work clothes. I have a tea set from there, black with white interior.
Fabulous. Hard to imagine today, isn’t it?
I love this, thank you so much. I was a frequent eater of chicken salad at The Bird Cage.
Wasn’t the Bird Cage at Lord & Taylor?
My Grandmother took me to the Crystal Tea room at John Wanamakers when I was a kid. I always remembered it fondly. We had a nice selection of finger sandwiches, delicious scones with cream and jam, and of course, hot tea served in nice big tea cups.
My grandmother also took my sisters and I to the Crystal Tea Room in the 1960’s, at Christmas and Easter. At Christmas time they had a giant tree, beautifully decorated and an enormous Easter Egg at Easter. For the latter, I remember you could smell the chocolate and I once asked my grandmother what they did with the egg afterwards and she told me they gave it to orphans. I never did find out what the truth was; however, these are some of my fondest childhood memories. She taught us how to be proper young ladies and I enjoyed being well dressed and dining in this beautiful room. I regret that I am unable to share this experience with my granddaughter.
Whatever happened to the “birdcage” tea room? I can remember being taken there when I was quite young.
Here is the link to that post.
The Birdcage was Lord & Taylor’s dining area.