Back in the days when downtown Tulsa was The (only) Place To Be, there were plenty of cafes and diners for lunch and breakfast but not so many restaurants, especially one's that were open 24 hours. And really there was only one place to go, to be seen and to see others. I am talking about Bishop's Restaurant of course. I posted this postcard on the THS Facebook page the other day, which was Bishop's Driv-Inn (not to be confused with the restaurant).
Although many remembered this pretty, neon spot that was located on 10th and Boston, the memories and comments always drift back to the other Bishops. THE Bishops that was located at 510 S. Main, in the hub of the city. I thought I would share some of those memories, along with a little bit of history.
I couldn't find out much information on W.W Bishop other than he opened the first Bishop's in 1913 and it was located at 15 E Third St. It was a counter-only cafe/diner back then. That could very well be him on the far right, but I cannot verify that.
Sometime in the early 1920's he upgraded the place and enlarged it. This ad was in a 1927 booklet.
This photo, taken around the same time, shows the new signage in front.
WW. Bishop became partners with J.H. Powers and together they opened a bigger, better full-scale restaurant in a building on Main Street and 5th. The year was 1930. Customers in that era included the likes of William G. Skelly, Josh Cosden, Harry Sinclair and J.Paul Getty. They also opened a Bishop's in Oklahoma City.
Moving along into the next decade, social activities swirled around Bishops; first dates, anniversaries, special occasions or lunch -Bishop's catered to them all. Everyone loved the infamous Brown Derby which came with french fries or onion rings, grilled onions and hot rolls so light they floated away- all for .65 cents in 1948. A steak platter for two was featured for $1.85. What better place to go before or after a movie.
A menu and some other memorabilia found at online auctions:
Counter seating or a booth? The U-shaped counter was huge with red and chrome swivel chairs. The floor was black and white checked. You were always served well by one of the many waitresses employed there.
Wearing a starched cotton uniform, a ruffled apron, small cap and a handkerchief in a little breast pocket, they were always neat as a pin, some having been there many years. For three decades there was no place equal to Bishops.
When the restaurant went to 24-hour service, more than 70 waitresses were employed. New signage out front included the famous Hereford cow's head when a remodel was done in the late 1940's.
A back room now included a "buffeteria" offering. The upstairs of the building was used as a storage area with cowboy and Indian artifacts. Later it was rented out to a competitor, Mike's Restaurant, which in 1951 was the birth place of the Spotlight Club.
Memories shared by Tulsans were mostly about the food- from "best cheeseburgers and fries" to the "best waffles in the world" served on heavy white china that had a green rim on it. The house salad dressing, rum cake and chicken pot pie were other favorites. And hash browns like no other.
My neighbor, a Central grad, fondly remembers going there "with the gang" late one night after a school dance. She said they all ended up dancing outside in the street.
Another memory was of a sign at the front register that read, "We Reserve The Right To Refuse Service To Anyone" which at that time was a reference towards segregation and the unwelcomeness of the black population to eat there. The other Bishop's Restaurant in Oklahoma City was eventually picketed by civil rights activists in 1963 who staged a sit-in.
On Saturday, February 19, 1966 Bishop's Restaurant closed it's doors for good. Plans were to tear down the building and put in one of the infamous parking lots. The Saturday morning regulars along with two favorite waitresses drank a champagne toast to the end of a Tulsa institution.
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Here are some recipes that have been passed along from Bishops:
BROWN DERBY
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
2 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. Mustard
Mix ingredients, adding broth last to give mixture the consistency of soupy meatloaf. Using 1 cup of the mixture for each portion, make thick patties and brown them in oil. Set aside.
SAUCE DIABLO
1 can beef gravy
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 tsp. A1 Sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
1/2 cup catsup
1 Tbsp. Margarine
Boil ingredients together for 2 minutes. Drain the meat patties and put in a baking dish. Cover with Sauce Diablo. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees; longer if desired.
WINE-OIL DRESSING
1 pint garlic-flavored salad oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Put honey and salt in electric blender and blend until creamy.
Add vinegar and lemon juice. On slow speed add salad oil very slowly.
Blend until thick. (The secret is slow blending.)
Garlic-flavored oil: put 3 cloves garlic in a pint of salad
oil and let it stand overnight.
RUM CAKE
Batter:
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/2 C dark rum
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch
tube pan or a 12-cup Bundt pan. Chop nuts and sprinkle evenly
over the bottom of the pan.
Cream 1 cup of the butter and 2 cups of the white sugar together.
Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each one.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and
add alternately with the buttermilk to the egg mixture.
Stir in the vanilla and rum. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour. While cake is baking, prepare glaze.
Glaze:
1 C butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark rum
Melt butter in a saucepan; add water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Allow to cool and stir in rum.
Remove cake from oven, poke holes in it with a fork and pour all of the Rum Butter glaze over cake while still warm. Leave cake in pan for 2 hours before turning over onto serving dish.
Top with whipped cream, if desired.