A Love Letter to the Cafeterias of Old Los Angeles

Join Esotouric, L.A.’s most eclectic sightseeing tour company, with our very special guest Robert Clinton of the Clifton’s Cafeteria family, for a virtual exploration of L.A.’s most charming, inventive and affordable historic dining destinations. Drawing on original research into Clifford Clinton’s papers at UCLA Special Collections, the Clinton family’s personal archives and years of obsessive sleuthing, Esotouric’s love letter to the Cafeterias of Old Los Angeles will surprise, delight, educate and amuse you.

Your hosts Kim Cooper and Richard Schave are native Angelenos who have a deep love of cafeteria culture, having grown up enjoying the family-friendly fare in the waning days of the great cafeteria age. For some years before the Clinton family sold the business, they hosted a free monthly cultural salon series upstairs at Clifton’s Cafeteria on Broadway, and later upstairs at the former Schaber’s Cafeteria (Les Noces du Figaro).

Tune in for a full tray of vintage cafeteria philosophy, architecture and lore, with a virtual plate of multicolored confetti jello on the side.

Southern California has long been where innovation happens, especially in the kitchen. In this program, we taking a long and loving look back at the cafeterias that once dotted the Southland, from legendary venues like Clifton’s, Schaber’s and Boos Brothers to quirky gems like Finney’s (formerly the Dutch Chocolate Shop), Beadle’s, Mission and Ontra (pronounced en-TRAY).

Offering wholesome home cooking that a customer could see before paying, and a wider variety of vegetables and salads than many Midwestern transplants had ever seen in one place, 20th century cafeterias helped to shape California’s famously healthy diet, while providing good fellowship, good value and free entertainment to their devoted patrons.

Without hovering waitstaff eager to flip a table to increase their tips, cafeterias became the de facto private clubhouses for regular folks who gathered in affinity groups, among them lonely hearts clubs, the Sierra Club and The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, a group of fans, professional writers and rocket scientists that met at the newly opened Clifton’s Cafeteria in the mid-1930s. And did we mention the unexpected connections to pre-Stonewall gay culture and the Beat Generation?

This webinar is an illustrated lecture packed with rare photos that will bring Los Angeles’ cafeteria history to life. And you’ll find the look of an Esotouric webinar is a little different than your standard dry Zoom session, with lively interactive graphics courtesy of the mmhmm app.

So, tune in and discover the incredible history of Los Angeles, with the couple whose passion for the city is infectious.

Rights and permissions: By attending an Esotouric webinar, you acknowledge that the entirety of the presentation is copyrighted, and no portion of the video or text may be reproduced in any fashion.