Manufacturer: Maddock Pottery
Name of user: Planters Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
Distributor: Albert Pick & Co.
Date of examples: 1911 – 1919

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Notes: When the Planters Hotel opened in Chicago in 1911, it had a restaurant that was called "Planters Restaurant" – no apostrophe – that had a public entrance on the right end of the ground floor. The hotel advertised it as "Chicago's Finest Cabaret." Because it offered musical entertainment, it was popular with the after-theater customers.

In April 1918, rumblings of the upcoming Prohibition laws caused proprietor John Harding to stop selling liquor in the cafe and begin charging a fee for dancing. By September 1918, the former restaurant had been converted into a cafeteria that was open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Maddock Pottery produced Trenton China crested "PLANTERS" (over) "RESTAURANT," with three flanking square ornaments and connecting curved line. The border is a transfer black checkerboard band. It was supplied by Albert Pick & Company of Chicago.

There is another pattern that Maddock, as well as a Germany company, made for the Planters Hotel. It is also shown in IDwiki. The unanswered question is which pattern came first?  The other pattern, by Maddock, lists "San Francisco" as a branch of the Pick company backstamp. Pick opened its San Francisco operation in 1913. The German piece has "15" as part of its back stamp. This suggests that the checkerboard pattern was the first pattern ordered, and the more elaborate decal pattern was ordered on, or after, 1913 as a replacement pattern. Another possibility is that this pattern was ordered when the restaurant was converted to a cafeteria. However, one of the pieces in the service is a celery tray, which is not an item usually used for cafeteria service.

For more info:
Planters Hotel, by Bauscher and Maddock

Sources:
Chicago Tribune, Aug. 31, 1911 – opening
The Inter Ocean, Dec. 15, 1912 – cabaret ad
National Hotel Reporter, April 25, 1918 – stop selling liquor, and fee
National Hotel Reporter, Sept. 25, 1918 – converted to cafeteria
John Chuckman – cafeteria postcard

Contributors:
Larry Paul: author
Paul Trosko: cream photo