By David Sher
While in school in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s I worked in my dad’s retail store in downtown Birmingham summers and weekends.
We were a small family business so mom worked there also.
We couldn’t all go to lunch at the same time so I usually went with one of my parents.
My favorite restaurant was Joy Young, my dad liked Morrison’s or John’s, but my mom’s first choice was always Britling Cafeteria.
She absolutely loved the place.
There was a Britling Cafeteria across the street on 1st Avenue North so it only took a couple of minutes to walk there.
Mom always chose the same lunch…a salad, chicken, vegetable, roll, and coffee.
When dad had an opportunity to eat with us, he chose a hamburger steak with a pickle on top, salad, vegetable, roll, and iced tea.
Britling was so popular that there were two other locations nearby. There was a Britling on 3rd Avenue North and another on 20th Street a couple of blocks away. Each of these restaurants had its own entry, but shared a common kitchen area. If I remember correctly, the 20th Street location had a balcony overlooking the main floor. The restaurants were always busy.
Tim Hollis, a Birmingham historian wrote, “One would assume that the Britling restaurants were started by someone name Mr. Britling, right? Wrong.
“The first Britling was opened in 1917 by W.B. Johnson, and was reportedly the first cafeteria in the entire South. So, why wasn’t it called Johnson’s? It seems that Johnson was an H.G. Wells fan, and he named his new restaurant after one of that author’s books, ‘Mr. Britling Sees It Through.’
Johnson subsequently moved the Britling Cafeteria to 1913-17 1st Avenue North in 1919. This was the restaurant where my mom and I ate. The grand opening of the new 280-seat location opened on July 11 with 2,000 meals served on the first day.”
But then Johnson had financial problems and Britling was taken over by Birmingham Trust National Bank who recruited John Holcomb Sr., a young automobile dealer, to take charge.
According to BhamWiki, “During the Great Depression Holcomb began a tradition of serving a free hot breakfast to Birmingham’s needy from the main downtown location. He and his family would join other volunteers to prepare and serve the meal. The tradition ended with John Holcomb Jr’s retirement in 1975.
Hollis wrote, “The chain capitalized on its popularity among young children by sponsoring the “Romper Room” program on WAPI-TV. Children who finished a glass of milk during their visit received a specially-marked card which, after it was filled, could be redeemed for a ceramic mug with the Britling logo on one side and Romper Room’s jack-in-the-box on the other.”
The chain opened locations on Highland Avenue, Mountain Brook, and in popular shopping centers such as Eastwood Mall (two locations, one at each end of the mall), Western Hills Mall, Vestavia Hills Mall, Five Points West Shopping City, and in the Hoover Mall.
The three original downtown restaurants closed by the end of the 1970’s and then the others followed.
The Hoover location was converted into an all-you-can-eat buffet, but shut down in the 1980’s.
Birmingham has always been a creative and robust restaurant city.
Britling, the first cafeteria in the South, may not look anything like today’s upscale Birmingham restaurants like Bottega, Helen, Automatic Sea Food, or El Barrio.
But to my mom, Britling was a much needed respite from work—where she could feel at home, eat, relax, and enjoy time with her family.
Editor’s note: Special thanks to Tim Hollis who helped with this column. View his many books which feature Birmingham icons like Loveman’s, Pizitz, and Cousin Cliff.
David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).
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Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. dsher@amsher.com.
Britling’s was one of my family’s favorites, too, David. We ate at the downtown and Highland Av locations most often and then at 5 Points West after it opened, and also Mt. Brook when visiting my grandmother. Thanks for the memories!
Very interesting history to learn more about this city and county during that period of time .
Thanks for sharing!!!
David, I really love what you wrote about the Britling (we Maryland folks learned what to call it, not “Britling’s”). Of all the things we’ve lost in Birmingham since my family got here in the
60s– Terminal Station, Tutwiler Hotel, etc. — my greatest personal sense of loss is for the Britling. It was the first place I wanted to go when I’d come home on visits from college, and when I began to live here permanently it was home away from home. And the food has never been surpassed, I do believe.
Your history suggests that part of its demise was because it over-expanded. The same for Waite’s– another great loss.
Hi. I just looked up Waite’s. Apparently it was both at 2101 7th Avenue South and in English Village. It looks like that was a couple of blocks down from where the Continental Bakery is now.
The original Waite’s was on the corner of 21st South and 7th Avenue South, as you discovered. The decision to open one in Mountain Brook tended to let their long-time and devoted patronage just go to Crestline, where the coffee shop is now. If they were ever in English Village I don’t remember it.
Food fight! Mobile is already sensitive to the question of whether it created the first Mardi Gras instead of New Orleans. (It did.) Now Morrisons vs. Britling as the first cafeteria-style restaurant?Or is it a battle between BhamWiki and the Encyclopedia of Alabama?
https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/morrisons-cafeterias/
Nice, warm story, David. Thanks. Now I’m hungry at 9:38 p.m.
We grew up on the eastern side. Our two go-to cafeterias were the Pioneer in Roebuck and the Pioneer @ Eastwood Mall. Britling was a special treat when we shopped downtown!
Also in the 50s my mother would often take my brother and me to Britling’s. Our go- to venue was the 20th Street location.
Two words on Britling,
Crackling Cornbread!!!
My mother and I used to go to Britling’s on Highland Ave. when I was a kid after my father died. My biggest memory was when we would turn into their parking lot hearing my mother who had not been driving very long and rarely said anything negative, would say, “I hate this parking lot.” In her defense, I wasn’t fond of it either. But once inside, we knew the food would be fantastic. Cafeteria style was what Mama loved. Though I really didn’t understand what was up, Mama was exposing me to different foods that she didn’t have to go to the trouble of cooking. I fell in love with Trout Almondine at Britling’s at age 7 or 8. Best of all though, it was time for us together and relaxed. I was in school, Mama was working. I actually spent more time with my sitter than I did Mama. So I really like this time. I too remember the coffee mugs. I didn’t have just one, I had a set of six.
In 1974, we moved out of South Highlands to Green Springs. Soon after, we found Kopper Kettle, which kept us well fed for many years.
I too miss Cafeteria style restaurants, very much. I still think there is a need for this type of establishment, or the cafeterias still in operation would not be so jammed every night. Birmingham will continue to make it – that is as long as Niki’s West keeps going strong. May she chug along into Infinity and beyond.
My cornbread dressing is mixed up and ready to bake tomorrow for Thanksgiving lunch. Each year as I mix up my dressing, I envision the ready to bake soupy cornbread mixture in those rectangle containers from Britlings Cafeteria hoping mine will some how come close to tasting as good as Britings did. My family visited many of their locations through the years with the downtown (with the balcony)and Vestravia location being our favorites. I always ordered the chopped steak with pickle and gravy and green beans. So delicious and simple. Does anyone else remember this ready to make dressing from the 1970s/80?