Manufacturer: Maddock Pottery, Syracuse China
User: Cafe McCormick, 18-20 5th St., Minneapolis, Minn.
Distributor: Boutell Bros.
Date of examples: 1911- 1917
Frank McCormick
Notes: Frank McCormick was born in Red Wing, Minnesota, in 1871. When he was 16, he got a job as a bartender and then worked his way up to head bartender at the Nicollet Hotel. He saved his money, and in 1908 McCormick opened his own restaurant at 19 5th Street.
For $100,000, in 1911 he purchased the former Crombie Cafe, at 18-20 5th Street. McCormick spent about $15,000 renovating this four-story building before opening it as Cafe McCormick. He operated it as an upscale restaurant where patrons, dressed in their finest outfits, enjoyed quality meals.
Swiss-born chef Eugene Rerat was in charge of the kitchen, where he prepared turtle soup, brook trout, pheasant and quail as entrees, with Baked Alaska and French pastries for dessert.
Cafe McCormick became the meeting place for actors and entertainers of national repute, as well as sports figures and newspaper people. McCormick made a good deal of money operating his cafe, and he gave much of it away to needy busboys, dishwashers, waiters, and friends.
In 1913, the Cafe McCormick ran into problems with the mayor's office because he served liquor to women. Even though it was considered one of the finest restaurants in the country, he decided to close Cafe McCormick in June 1917, rather than deal with an ordinance that required saloons to close at 10 p.m. and that prohibited serving drinks to females. He continued to operate his bar and wholesale liquor business, which adjoined the restaurant. The closing caused 70 heads of families the loss of their jobs.
On Oct. 24, 1917, The Souchu Inn, a Chinese American cafe, opened in the former Cafe McCormick space.
McCormick went on to become the vice president of Famous Brands Wholesale Liquor Co.
Maddock Pottery made crested Lamberton China for the Cafe McCormick, which is shown in the Maddock pattern book as decal border 7040. The decal crest is in brown and tan with the "C" in drop-out white. "Sine Timore" translates to "Without Fear." Boutell Brothers was the distributor.
A 1912 advertisement for the New England Furniture and Carpet Co. store contains "McCormick Cafe" as a Syracuse China customer, but no example of the Syracuse pattern has been found.
Sources:
Star Tribune, April 12, 1913 – Mayor curbs café drinking
Star Tribune, Aug. 22, 1913 – Theater planned for site
Minneapolis Journal, June 29, 1917 – Closing announcement
Contributors:
Roland Burritt, ID and research
Rodric Coslet, research
Larry Paul, author