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Midway Chuck Wagon San Diego History!

Today we'll be talking about the Midway Chuck Wagon that was located in San Diego, California from the years of 1956 up until the 1980s. It was said to be an "all you can eat" buffet style eatery and could be found at 2855 Midway Street. I've had some trouble finding information about this place, but I've dug deep and was able to find some stuff that I wanted to share with you. The owner was Yale Kahn and Kahn was someone that was well known around the San Diego area. Along side the Midway Chuck Wagon, Yale Kahn ran Top's Nightclub, Texas Liquor Houses, the Roaring 20's Nightclub on Fletcher Parkway, a Nightclub in the Clairmont Bowl and Bradley's (restaurant and nightclub). The Midway Chuck Wagon was one of his most popular venues in San Diego and that's because of the Gaslamp Room. The Gaslamp Room was home to performing acts like Louis Prima, Billy Daniels, Shelly Berman, Mort Saul and Dr. Dean along with others. Inside the Midway Chuck Wagon you could find yourself eating in the main dining room, the Longbranch Saloon, Fireside Room, Calico Room and the Gaslamp/Gaslight Room. It was furnished like an old saloon style bar and restaurant that was fitting for any family wanting to take their kids to eat. In 1967, you could get yourself an all you can eat lunch for $1.09, that included beverages and a dessert. NOW imagine that! That must have been absolutely delicious. Around that same time it was about $3.49 for a dinner and then later increased to $3.99. For a college student back then it would have been a lot, but considering it was all you can eat I'm not sure you could go wrong at that point. The restaurant itself was said to have very nice tablecloths and burgundy booths. Along with the food and exciting environment that the Midway Chuck Wagon offered, they also had chips made which most people probably didn't know about. Of which some were recently found and they were found in Las Vegas. The owner's grandpa used to be one of the managers there in the 60s. I'm not 100% sure about the history about these chips and I'm always trying to learn from others, but haven't been able to find any information about how they were given away or who got them. I did read on TheChipBoard that they were possibly given out to performing acts or the movie production crews that were filming around the building. That or they could have been given to guests when they enjoyed themselves or those that stopped in regularly, that's all information I'm still trying to gather, but maybe someone out there knows how they were given out and more information. The Midway Chuck Wagon was a HIT in San Diego and did very well for the time that it was there. I'm sure many have fond memories of visiting the place, eating the food and enjoying the environment with family. I'd love to hear more stories if anyone has any because is just fascinates me and I'm sure it would bring back the good days!

Here's the link:
https://youtu.be/7Od1QYS_Tfc

Messages In This Thread

Midway Chuck Wagon San Diego History!
Very Cool Oscar and Great Find!

Copyright 2022 David Spragg