Welcome to the first installment of "Remember When?"a weekly Patch column where I will reflect on the past of Caldwell, West Caldwell and North Caldwell through various aspects of the communities. I was born with the "retro gene"—I've always been fascinated with the past, such as Ancient Rome, 1800s America ... and 1970s West Caldwell.
As a somewhat recent returnee to the greater Caldwells area, when driving around, I tend to wax nostalgic, and if she's present, talk the wife's ear off. She's a born and bred Hobokenite, so it doesn't really deeply resonate with her when I explain that Kinney Shoes once was Chipotle, the tanning place and Game Stop all put together, but it wasn't an immediate switch over—Pizza Hut was in there at some point and more recently—and somewhat ironically—another Mexican-type place ... but before that, I think even a music shop ... you get the idea. Unless you're of like mind, you might rather eat glass than hear about where I bought my back-to-school shoes in 1979 (hint: it starts with a "K").
So now I'm here. With this column, my hope is to entertain by touching upon some of the things in our collective memories and create an interactive, live forum. Feel free to e-mail additional information (including photos) on topics discussed and/or suggestions for others and use the comments feature to contribute as well.
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Past Fast Food
For a relatively quiet suburban town, throughout the last 40 years West Caldwell has hosted an impressive amount of major players in the fast-food industry.
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With its population size, Bloomfield and Passaic avenues running though it, and a nice amount of commercially zoned real estate, it was a natural, if at first surprising, fit. By the 1970s, the town was ahead of the pack with a veritable "who's who" open for business, with one notable exception and a surprising difference. There were all also very successful—this was before super-sizing, "meat is murder," and people being aware of things like salt. This was also a time when the dining rooms in these places were full with dining customers; in fact, none of these local eateries offered drive-thru.
In the "Me Decade," Burger King was here, but it was there, where Taco Bell now is. Today's BK was actually an original Arthur Treacher's, and the fish and chips (ewww) sellers were notable for their unique building facades and signs. Still, it was a quieter place, with few patrons (which perhaps is all relative to the time), and eventually "Arthur" became the "Great Ko-Shing," serving Asian cuisine. Meanwhile the "Marvelous, Magical" Burger King disappeared, only to sometime later reappear in our area in this spot, creating the Mystery of The Two Burger Kings. The first one was a Mecca for kids' parties, second only to a two-way tie of Belle-Aire lanes and The Ground Round, two more departed West Caldwell haunts.
That mini strip mall on Passaic Avenue across from CVS that houses Clevelands wasn't built yet, and there was a free-standing Gino's restaurant in its place. This was a very popular eatery in the '60's and '70's—the Big Mac-attacking "Gino Giant" was a big hit, and all of its rectangular-shaped sandwiches were uniquely wrapped in clear cellophane. In the '80's, Gino's revamped its menu to change with the times but behind-the-scenes business quickly put it out to pasture while still successful. The restaurant is so fondly remembered that just this year it's been announced that Gino's is going to return to the fast-food world. I'm waiting.
It may be surprising, but McDonald's was nowhere to be found in these parts; rather, it was then an exotic treat from the far east of Essex County, where Bloomfield and Belleville raised their arches proudly. The closest one today (Pine Brook) opened up much later on.
Somewhat fast and on the scene were Rustler and Bonanza, two steakhouses—the former was where Panera is today, and the latter where Sam's Bagels now resides, across the street.
Wendy's had not yet entered the picture, but where it sits today was occupied by a place named after someone in "moving pictures."
A Major Star Makes a Personal Appearance in West Caldwell
"King of The Cowboys," Roy Rogers, was of a major radio, television, film and music star in the 1950s—a true multimedia star of his day. Everyone knew his songs ("Happy Trails"), his wife Dale Evans, and of course his sidekick horse, Trigger. In 1968, the Marriott Corp. decided to get in on the fast-food market, which at that time was growing at a fever pitch. Marriott licensed Ol' Roy's name, created a menu and store look around the old-time west—and the rest was history.
While I perhaps like vintage Burger King more (and have the collection to prove it), Roy Rogers was very, very cool. Its rustic, throwback decor was somehow also very '70's/early '80's; Faux and real wood was everywhere and the counter folk wore square-dance style scarves. The "Fixins Bar" was modeled after the appearance of a covered wagon! The whole thing was a bit of a movie set.
My father loved it—he was a kid in the '50's, and he trusted in the name for starters. The "Double R Bar" burger also aroused his affinity. In a marketing move directly opposite of McDonald's, in the '70's, Roy Rogers appealed to parents more than kids ... and of course the little ones had to eat, too! Children were able to join the Buckaroo Club. Once in, you were given an ID card, signifying your status and a vinyl wallet to put it in—it was cool.
In addition to licensing his name, Roy Rogers did some personal appearances at some of his namesake restaurants. At the time, it was surely a good way to get out of the house and do some non-strenuous work, as he was now a bit of an old wrangler.
Around '75-'76, he appeared at the West Caldwell Roy Rogers. My father talked about it weeks in advance. There was perfect weather on the day of the event and a huge crowd had gathered in the back of the place. Roy soon appeared, emerging from a back door in full cowboy regalia. The crowd went wild as he said "hello" to "Trigger"—there was a horse present, too.
Roy Rogers the restaurant lives on today, but is a shadow of its former self.
To this day, I've never met anyone else who was there that day. Do you "remember when" this happened? Were you a member of the Buckaroo Club? If you were, feel free to add a comment, a photo, anything—this column is your column.
That's it for this week—consider yourself past Level 1 in the West Caldwell fast food history primer!
The First Official "Remember When?" Quiz:
Answer the following questions in the comments section below!
1) What was TJ MAXX in the '70's?
2) Blockbuster Video was once a movie theater. What was the name of it?
3) Name the once-popular women's-only gym that was in the Essex Plaza.
Further Reading and Viewing
1) The new Gino's site is impressive—it actually embraces its past, instead of burying it like so many brand re-launches do:
2) More on Roy Rogers, the guy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Rogers#Filmography
3) Roy Rogers the restaurant Wiki—find out how RR, Gino's and Rustler were all connected!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Rogers_Restaurants
4) A 1978 Roy Rogers commercial!
