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wiki/Clifton’s_Cafeteria. 5 p. Printed Dec. 9. [25 ref]
• Summary: “Clifton’s Cafeteria, once part of a chain of
Clifton’s restaurants, is the oldest surviving cafeteria style
eatery in Los Angeles, California, and the largest public
cafeteria in the world. Founded in 1931 by Clifford Clinton,
the name was created by combining the first half of
‘Clifford’ and the last half of ‘Clinton’ to produce the name
‘Clifton’s.’ The design of the restaurants included exotic
decor and facades that were ‘kitschy and theatrical.’”
“History: The Clinton family’s five generations as
California restaurateurs began when David Harrison Clinton
came to Los Angeles from Missouri in 1888 and purchased
the Southern Hotel and its dining room in downtown Los
Angeles. David’s son Edmond settled in San Francisco,
where he and his wife Gertrude became co-owners of a
group of cafeteria-style restaurants named Dennets.
“Clifford, one of Edmond’s five children, learned the
restaurant trade while working in his father’s restaurants.
Along with 2 partners, he bought his father’s interest in
Dennets. [Note: This investment was profitable enough for
them to leave the operation to managers while they
answered “the call” to be Christian missionaries in China,
self-supported by their restaurants]. Due to differences in
opinion over business practices, Clifford relinquished
ownership to his partners and moved to Los Angeles in
1931.
“Establishing his restaurants during the height of the
Great Depression, and using knowledge gained from
working in his family’s cafeteria chain in San Francisco,
Clinton made a point to never turn anyone away, even if
they had no money, seeking to average only a half-cent
profit per customer. During one 90-day period, 10,000
people ate free before he was able to open an emergency
“Penny Caveteria” in a basement (hence the modified name)
a few blocks away to feed two million patrons during the
next two years.
Contents: 1 History. 2 Fare. 3 Branches. 3.1 Founding
branch: Clifton’s Pacific Seas (1931-1960). 3.2 Surviving
branch: Clifton’s Brookdale (1935). 3.3 Lakewood (1956-
2001). 3.4 West Covina (1958-1978). 3.4.1 The Greenery
(1978-2003). 3.5 Century City (1966-1986). 3.6 Silver
Spoon (1975-1997). 3.7 Woodland Hills. 3.8 Laguna Hills
(1987-1999). 3.9 San Bernardino (1974-1984). 4 Reception.
5 In popular culture. 6 References. 7 External links.
Note: As of Jan. 2011 Clifton’s Cafeteria now has one
location at 648 South Broadway, Los Angeles, California
90014–near W. 7th St. Subway: Pershing Square.
The Introduction states: Clifton’s Brookdale was sold to
nightclub operator Andrew Meieran on September 21, 2010.
Meieran intends to preserve the food and unique atmosphere
of the establishment. Note: This means Brookdale is the last
surviving cafeteria of what once was an 8-store chain.
MEALS FOR MILLIONS, SOY, AND FREEDOM FROM HUNGER 166
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2011
366. Clinton, Donald. 2010. From the life of Clifford E.
Clinton (Interview). SoyaScan Notes. Dec. 19. Compiled by
William Shurtleff of Soyfoods Center.
• Summary: Donald is the youngest son of Clifford and
Nelda Clinton. Clifford’s father, Edmond Jackson (“E.J.”)
Clinton was born on 15 June 1872 and died on 19 Nov.
1944. E.J. Clinton came to California in 1888 at age 16. He
met Gertrude Hall as a fellow student at Los Angeles High
School, which was located at the time on Bunker Hill,
downtown. E.J. and Gertrude were both Salvation Army
officers; Gertrude was active in the Salvation Army Church
Corps (they call their membership or congregation a
“corps”). They are a Christian denomination and people go
to public worship at Salvation Army churches.
They were married in 1895 at a Salvation Army Revival
Meeting in Los Angeles, by the Maude Ballington Booth,
daughter-in-law of Salvation Army founder William Booth
(1829-1912). For the next 5-6 years E.J. and Gertrude were
leaders in Salvation Army work in San Bernardino, San
Louis Obispo, etc. They left the Salvation Army in about
1900-01 as their family was growing and moved to
Berkeley. E.J. took the ferry boat across San Francisco Bay
and back each day as he worked for Dennets–a small chain
(several locations) of restaurants and coffee shops that
existed in San Francisco since about 1900. Not long after
E.J. went to work for Dennets, then took some ownership in
them, and eventually was able to acquire the name.
In 1905, when Dennets was profitable, the family left
on its first trip to China as self-supporting missionaries;
Clifford (age 5) and two or three of his sisters went too.
Clifford was the third child born; he eventually had two
brothers and six sisters. They went to Taimingfu (Chihli
Prov.) in northern China, to work with the Houlding Group,
a missionary group organized by Rev. Horace W. Houlding–
which was not related to the Salvation Army. They stayed in
China for only about one year, until E.J., Clifford’s father,
received a brief notice in April 1906 that his business had
been destroyed; the father quickly returned to San Francisco
alone, only to find that much of San Francisco, as well as
his business, had been destroyed by the earthquake and fire.
E.J. contacted his wife and family in China, and asked them
to return to California because it would take him a few years
to rebuild the family business.
Clifford, only 5-6 years old, returned to the Bay Area
with his mother and sisters. Clifford returned to grammar
school (probably at Washington Elementary School) in
Berkeley where his family lived; where he continued at this
school for the next two years, until about 3rd or 4th grade.
In 1910, with the business again profitable, the entire
family returned to China, but this time to south China and
the area around Canton (Guangzhou), to a city named
Shiuhing (shown on a map in the Dec. 1937 issue of
National Geographic Magazine). Today this city is named
Zhaoqing (pronounced jou-ching; Variant name: Shiuhing;