{"product_id":"tinys-drive-in-san-jose-1950s","title":"Tiny's Drive-In, San Jose 1950s","description":"\u003cp\u003eRestaurateur William ‘Tiny’ Wallace – the nickname came from the restaurateur being six feet four in height and weighing 325 pounds- has often been described as Californian restaurant royalty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe started his illustrious career in the 1920s with Tiny’s Waffle Shops, seen as forerunners to modern coffee shops, and also went on to open Tiny's drive-ins and Biff’s (named after his son.) All told, there were about 40 locations of his outlets in Southern California.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCartoonist George McManus, famous for creating the comic strip Bringing Up Father, designed this menu cover for the Tiny's Drive-In.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis cartoon version of Tiny bears some resemblance to McManus’s famous cartoon character Jiggs. He was a working-class Irish immigrant to the US who won a million dollars in the sweepstakes and reluctantly joined the ranks of the nouveau riche.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe wanted to continue going out on the town with his gang of boisterous, hard-drinking pals but his upwardly mobile wife Maggie had other ideas and brandished her rolling pin to keep her husband in line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe syndicated cartoon series ran for a remarkable 87 years from 1913 till 2000. After McManus died in 1941, other cartoonists continued the stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Tiny's Drive-In in San Jose, California, was a perfect example of Googie-style, the type of futuristic architecture that originated in Southern California and was influenced by car culture, jets, the Space Age and the era of atomic energy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDesigned by famed architect Douglas Honnold, the circular building looked like a spaceship had landed in the middle of town, especially at night when it was  lit up. Some great black and white photos of it still exist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe drive-in opened in 1949 and offered service inside and outside. Servers in roller skates would deliver food to cars parked outside.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLocated at 1205 The Alameda, near the Auditorium Roller Rink. (where it’s likely some of the servers practiced their skating skills) the drive-in was a favorite hangout for locals for decades. In addition to serving great food, there were mini juke boxes on every table and a cocktail lounge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis menu illustration is from the 1950s. We believe the San Jose drive-in closed in 1979, but the building still stands and has three existing tenants including the Five Guys restaurant chain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTiny Naylor died in 1959, but his restaurant chain continued operating until the 1980s. In 2004, Biff Naylor came out of retirement to purchase the Du-Par’s restaurant chain with his chef daughter Jennifer Naylor. The company sold in 2018.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGallery quality Giclée print on natural white, matte, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using Epson Ultrachrome HD archival inks. Custom printed with border for matting and framing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.2;\"\u003eEach order includes a print of the interior menu.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.2;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAll printed in USA.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vintage Menu Art","offers":[{"title":"8.5x11\" Archival Print (Unframed) $25.00","offer_id":57492000309414,"sku":"dxf1790053164613","price":15.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"11x14 Archival Print (Unframed) $30.00","offer_id":57492000342182,"sku":"ewr1790053164614","price":21.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"13x19 Archival Print (Unframed) $40.00","offer_id":57492000374950,"sku":"sjb1790053164615","price":28.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20 Archival Print (Unframed) $55.00","offer_id":57492000407718,"sku":"vjf1790053164616","price":33.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"20x24 Archival Print (Unframed) $85.00","offer_id":57492000440486,"sku":"bla1790053164617","price":56.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x36 Archival Print (Unframed) $135.00","offer_id":57492000473254,"sku":"hgh1790053164618","price":91.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/9133\/8662\/files\/tinys-drive-in-san-jose-1950s_1.webp?v=1790053170","url":"https:\/\/coffeetamper.shop\/products\/tinys-drive-in-san-jose-1950s","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}