Manufacturer: Scammell China
User: Bickford's Cafeterias
Date of plate: 1925-1929
Notes: Bickford's history dates back to 1922, when Samuel Longley Bickford opened his first Bickford's cafeteria. Throughout the next 40 years, Sam, and eventually his son, Harold, worked to expand their cafeteria chain throughout the Northeast and into Florida and California. In 1959, Bickford's, Inc. had two geographical divisions: the North-East Coast Locations and the South East Coast & West Coast Locations (further subdivided into M&M Cafeterias, Inc. and Foster's Lunch System, Ltd.). The company also had two service divisions at that time: the Hayes-Bickford's Lunch System, Inc. and Bickford's National Food Management Service, Inc.
Bickford's and Bickford's Cafeterias were located in New York, Yonkers and Mt. Vernon, NY and Jersey City, NJ, operating under the North-East Coast Locations division.
From the 1960s until 1982, the original Bickford's, Inc. saw a significant decline in business attributed to a rise in labor costs, an increase in the crime rate and a cessation of the night business. The company's legacy continues in 2020 as the Bickford's Grille with three east coast locations in Massachusetts.
White-body plate with back and white checkered border band; topmarked with Bickford's in black script.
For related info:
Bickford's by Scammell China
Bickford's Cafeterias by Sterling China
Hayes-Bickford's Cafeterias by Scammell China
Longley's Cafeteria by Sterling China
Foster's Cafeterias by Scammell China
Foster's Cafeterias 2 by Shenango China
Foster's Cafeterias 3 by Scammell China
Mooo Shops by Sterling China
For additional info:
Bickford's History
Bickford's Wikipedia