Manufacturer: Bauscher China Company
User: Wayand's Brewing Company and Restaurant
Date of tip tray: 1912
Notes: Christian Weyand (1826-1898), a native of the Lorraine region in eastern France, emigrated to the United States when he was 21, settling in the Buffalo area of New York. He was originally a shoemaker, but when he was 40, he co-founded the Main Street Brewery in 1866, along with a partner, John Schetter, who he eventually bought out in 1873. Almost from the brewery's inception, Christian and his wife Magdalene operated a restaurant in connection with it.
In 1890, the brewery was incorporated as the Christian Weyand Brewing Co. After his two sons, John and Charles, joined him at the brewery in the early 1890s, they expanded the capacity of the brewery to more than 1 million barrels per year and built an ice house as a storage facility that still stands today (after being incorporated into the Trico windshield wiper plant).
In 1898, both Christian and Magdalena died. However, in 1901, their sons built a new building for the restaurant located at Main and Goodell. In 1914, the decision was made to remodel and expand it. From an article in the Buffalo Sunday Morning News, dated Oct. 4, 1914: "Buffalo has one of the finest, and most sanitary eating places to be found in this section of the country … after theater diners were amazed at the changes wrought, the excellent service, cuisine and metropolitan orchestra. Both the ladies' and gentlemen's cafes have been entirely remodeled and a large sanitary white enameled kitchen has been added."
Whether John or Charles were involved in this project is not known since an article in the Buffalo Times dated July 13, 1921, states that the brothers died several years after their parents.
The brewery remained in business until it was closed by Prohibition in 1920. The last lessees of the restaurant were Seames & Zeitler, and the restaurant at Main and Goodell was torn down in 1921, to make way for the Ambassador Hotel.
White body tip tray with a dark green stripe and a coin gold pinstripe around the verge of the tray. The two stripes are broken at the top of the tray by the word "Weyand's" in a script font on a slight angle with a ribbon from the "s" underlining half of the word.
For additional info:
Wayand's Brewing Company 2 by Shenango China
Sources:
Gene Thompson, posting in Buffalo, A Toast to the town Facebook page
BrookstonBeerBulletin.com – history
Wikipedia – history of the icehouse built in the 1890s
Buffalo Sunday Morning News, Oct. 4, 1914- story about the restaurant's remodel
Buffalo Times, July 13, 1921 – story about demolition of the restaurant
Contributors:
Doug McIntyre: ID, history, and tip tray photos
Ed Phillips: author
