The Last Remaining Vintage Department Store Lunch Counter Is In California

Jan 10, 2020 by apost team

A lunch counter in Bakersfield offers a blast from the past in the form of a fully functioning Woolworth's luncheonette that folks can still dine at today. Even though the Woolworth's department stores went out of business in 1997, and the lunch counters were demolished or removed, a single one remains in the United States.

The vintage luncheonette is iconic not only for the many relics of the time period, but because of the history-making events that happened at counters during a tumultuous time in the country. During the civil rights era, it was Woolworth's counters that took center stage in the struggle for desegregation, reports Eater LA. Counters were not open to all patrons, so protests in the form of sit-ins were carried out in what was considered an everyday location.

apost.com

While there may have been a Woolworth's counter in just about every town across the country at one point, they quickly faded from the landscape and the only remnants remaining are in the memories of those that ate there or in photographs. The popular dining spots gave shoppers a cheap and quick meal option after their weekly shopping trip to the popular department store.

The last remaining diner surprisingly was preserved and is maintained in good working order so that folks can both visit and enjoy a meal. According to Atlas Obscura, the menu and decor items in the diner have also remained the same, giving patrons the chance to enjoy the same meals everyone loved sitting down to at their favorite spot.

Locals aren't the only ones taking advantage of the chance to step back in time. Eater LA states the restaurant counter has become a tourist destination for visitors from all over the world eager to have the experience of eating at a Woolworth's luncheonette for themselves.

If you want to experience a meal here for yourself, you'll have to travel to Bakersfield, California, to the Five and Dime Antique Mall. There you will find the open kitchen diner, complete with a lunch counter where everyone can sit down to enjoy the busy hustle and bustle of a working luncheonette.

What do you think about this idea? Tell us in the comments and pass this article on to friends and loved ones.