Men’s grills were often located in hotels or were set off as special preserves in venues heavily trafficked by women such as tea rooms and department stores. Schrafft’s, Stouffer’s, Mary Elizabeth’s, Marshall Field’s all featured men’s grills. Designed to resemble clubs, they were decorated in Elizabethan or Dutch style with dark wood paneling and sturdy tables and chairs, in stark contrast to the pastel garden look of women’s tea rooms. Women secretly referred to men’s grills as “tea rooms for men.”
There were plenty of grill-type restaurants in the 19th century – when they needed no gender preface because everyone knew they were men’s haunts. But in the 20th, with more women out and about and entering restaurants willy nilly, the words “men’s grill” were used deliberately lest a misguided female might wander in. Policies varied. In some men’s grills absolutely no women were allowed while in others men could bring women guests (see 1966 Schrafft’s ad). But women “alone” were not admitted. Not until the 1970s, that is.
In May 1970 a prominent NYC editor, a woman, walked into Schrafft’s on the corner of 47th Street and Third Avenue with another woman. They noticed that at the back of the restaurant there was a section that looked especially attractive, with more space between tables, tablecloths, and carpeting that cushioned noise. The hostess told them it was the men’s grill and they were not permitted to eat there. They left. The editor sent a letter to Schrafft’s saying that although she was no “stirred-up advocate of Women’s Lib,” she was offended by the restaurant’s policy which, she asserted, was illegal. She received a reply from a Schrafft’s VP who said that the restaurant no longer had a policy of reserving some areas for men. The hostess’s reaction, he said, was due to a breakdown of communication.
Stuffy as they may have been there was much to envy about men’s grills. As a Chicago woman remarked, they had “fast service, good food, and cheaper prices than a comparable restaurant.” She and a woman friend crashed the men’s grill at the Carson, Pirie, Scott department store in Chicago, noting that a male patron there asked the hostess, “Why don’t you throw them out?” They enjoyed their lunch even though their waitress said, “Don’t you know men come here to get away from you?”
The 1964 Civil Rights Law did not mention gender as a basis for discrimination in public accommodations, but after its passage some cities and states enacted laws that forbade it in restaurants and bars. Chicago passed legislation in 1969. McSorley’s ale house in Greenwich Village, with a 116-year tradition of serving men exclusively, gave way in 1970 after the NY city council passed a bill. Even in states without this legislation changing social mores soon brought about new policies. Men’s grills disappeared, to the consternation of some men who, like the lone dissenter on NY’s city council, lamented, “In this troubled world there has to be an oasis in the desert for men.” However, judging from a 1970 comic book, many men disagreed.
© Jan Whitaker, 2010
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 
Somehow I missed this juicy entry….. in the early 1980’s I worked at a (rather exclusive) country club in Arlington, VA that had been around white a while (even then). In addition to the main floor restaurant, there was both a men’s grille, and a ladies’ lunch room closer to the golf course. That seemed to be where the wealthy members and their spouses enjoyed time apart from each other, so I guess that’s why it thrived for so long, not to mention less regulation due to the private setting……. Thanks (belated) for this interesting article.
Thanks, Mark. Comments always welcome!
Love this post. As a resident of New York City during the 50s and 60s, this brings back many memories.
OMG this was still a thing in the 1970s it should still be a thing in 2018. Women in todays society (2018) have women inky clubs, restaurants. Girl scouts are just for girls only now and boy scouts should be for boys only right? no, boy scouts are for girls and boys. EXTREME FEMINISTS NEED TO BE TERMINATED. thank you peace.
Peace? Ha, ha — I assume you are writing satire.
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I’m wondering why they called these restaurants “grill” – did they grill anything there? Grilling in Germany means to make a barbecue.
I don’t think they did much grilling in the department store grills, nor at Schrafft’s, but in earlier decades, especially the 19th century, a grill-restaurant often had a grill which was in sight of the diners. Some eating places went under the name Silver Grill if they happened to have one made of silver. Grilling in the US is often equated with barbecuing although many people would argue they are different processes because barbecuing is much slower.
I just knew that these kind of things still existed in 1970. That’s sad.
Seems your graphics tell the story of a transition from overt discrimination to leering niche marketing. Hooters restaurants are not, need not be, “for men only.”
Good point, Murph! I do love the similarity between the Schrafft’s ad and the comic book cover. Out of the frying pan … But at least the women got a chance to leer/stare back. Aren’t all victories tarnished?
1970?? I’m stunned by this.
Yes, the 60s “revolutions” really didn’t do a whole lot for women.