Stickney’s
at Town & Country in Palo Alto. I remember
the last time I ate there. It was after
my grandfather’s 80th
birthday celebration and I went driving around with my cousins and aunts and
uncles and we stopped at Stickney’s. I
remember sliding into the faux leather booth and admiring that the were still
as good as new. No worse for the wear
after all these years.
It wasn’t a
Lyon’s or Denny’s… it was different-- older and more “vintage”. I barely remember the décor other than the
maroon booths, but I remember the cakes and pies as you entered. And the waitresses that I think had worked
there since it opened in 1953. As a child,
I remember eating there as much as at any other restaurant, but I don’t remember
any particular times but I know I always ordered a burger or the chicken soup. The burgers were delicious, large and
predictable. The barbecue sauce was
super smoky and tangy (more sweet than anything) and the chicken soup had
thick, doughy noodles that made it more like a wet casserole than a soup. And the cakes and pies… oh dear lord the cakes
and pies.
Sometimes a
memory sneaks up on you as you write about something. I remember eating there with Diane before finding
my wedding dress at Nordstrom. I sat on the
burgundy bench annoyed and bemoaning the hideous sights of horrible dresses we’d
been presented with all day. I didn’t
know at the time that after enjoying the usual delicious and gigantic burger,
Norstrom would give me my future bride attire and so all my whining was for
nothing. I also ate a huge slice of
lemon merange pie, without worrying about which hip it would settle into for
the long haul.. ah the joys of being in your 20s.
The history
of Stickney’s is one that goes back to a year before the opening at Town &
Country. Adrian “Red” Stickney and his
wife, Kay, opened Hick’ry House on El Camino Real in Redwood City in 1952. A year later, Stickney’s was the first tenant
in the new Town & Country Village in Palo Alto. Soon there were six Stickney Hick’ry Houses
from San Mateo to San Jose, California.
The only one not on El Camino Real was in Valley Fair, San Jose.
El Camino
Real, for those who are not from here, was called the King’s Highway. It was the only way to travel between San
Francisco and San Jose back in the day.
Along this highway in the years after Red opened the restaurants, his
face could be seen on billboards and on the restaurant signs lining “Restaurant
Row,” the strip of El Camino in Southern Palo Alto, where travelers would need
to “fill up” and over a mile and a half
from Stanford University (thereby allowing alcohol to be served). Here is where you’d find the old Palo Alto
staples—Rickey’s Studio Inn, Rick’s Swiss Chalet, Dinah’s Shack, Ming’s, Villa
Lafayette, Rudolpho’s, and drive-ins such as John Barnes Drive-In, the Carousel
and Bonander’s.
Stickney’s
also was known for their support of Stanford University’s athletes. Chuck Taylor, Stanford coach (yes, the Chuck
Taylor of shoe fame), was a close friend of Mr. Stickney. Mr. Stickney had been a great athlete, but
had to quit when he had to go to work for himself. He had a big heart for athletes, often
employing them so they they could work for meals and extra cash. He sponsored a number of scholarships and
Little League teams, as well.
But the best thing ever about Stickney’s was that it was at
that Town & Country restaurant that my dad had his first job. For one
day. He was about 15 or so and he was
hired on as a bus boy along at the recommendation by a friend, who already
worked there. If I had been better
prepared, I would have found the friend’s name before writing this, but I’m not
sure I ever wrote it down. Hopefully,
one my my aunts or uncle will be able to fill this in.
Dad was
learning the ropes and his friend said, “Harry!
Follow me!” Dad followed him to
the men’s room and the kid poured his apron on the sink top and a bunch of
money came tumbling out. “Look! I got all their tips!” Just then, Red walked in and caught them. He fired them both on the spot.
“You just
can steal the waitresses’ tips and expect them to not notice!”
Dad told
that story every time we ate there and I relished it each time. Miss you, Dad.
Sources:
- http://www.emeraldlake.com/portfolio/011800.html
- https://stanforddailyarchive.com/cgi-bin/stanford?a=d&d=stanford19820115-01.2.31&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------#
- http://www.paloaltohistory.org/restaurant-row.php
- https://www.flickr.com/photos/31411679@N08/5704979780
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/StanfordHistory/?fref=nf
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