Seattle History Through Restaurant Menus
Restaurants, the food they serve, the prices they charge, the buildings they're in and how they change over time tells us a lot about the history of food and culture in a city. Let's go back in time review some options for going out to eat in the Seattle area.
Let's look at three examples and then delve into the cost of going out to eat in Seattle.
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1. Occidental Hotel, Pioneer Square, Seattle (1888)
In 1888 if you went to the Occidental Hotel in Pioneer Square and ordered the Mock Turtle a'l Anglaise off the menu (imitation green turtle soup, menu on right), you would notice that the address was "Seattle, W.T, " with "W.T." short for Washington Territories. On November 11, 1889 Washington became the 42nd state of the Union. The hotel went on to become the Seattle Hotel and was eventually demolished in 1961 to make way for the Sinking Ship parking garage. 2. Harold's Charcoal Broiler, Eastlake, Seattle (1944) In 1944 you could have made your way to Harold's Charcoal Broiler located at 304 Eastlake Avenue for dinner and ordered a hamburger for $0.70 ($10.25 in 2020 dollars). If you head to that location now, you will find...I-5. In the 1950's the construction of I-5 wiped 20,000 parcels from Seattle and the commercial property that was once Harold's Charcoal Broiler. 3. Cantonesia, Greenlake, Seattle (1965) In 1965 you could have gone to Cantonesia's restaurant in Green Lake and ordered the shark fin soup for $3.50 ($28.64 in 2020 dollars). Located at 7850 Green Lake Drive North, the former restaurant is now Duke's Chowder House...and shark fin soup is illegal in Washington State. |
Occidental Hotel Menu from 1888. Menu copyright Seattle Public Library.
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Harold's Charcoal Diner prior to I-5 construction in 1944.
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Present Day.
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Historic Menu Prices
We scraped dozens of historic menus and photos from the Seattle area (1880's to present) for prices for dining out. Main sources of information used include of: University of Washington Menus Library, Seattle Library Special Collections and MOHAI historical photos.
Plotted below are prices for set menu items. Historically in Seattle there was not as much diversity in menu offerings and few ethnic restaurants. Let's look at a Pacific Northwest staple: salmon. In 1870, a whole salmon purchased Ballard cost $0.05, whereas a dozen eggs would set you back $0.75. This was due to the fact that it was hard transport live chickens to the Pacific Northwest. Purchasing a salmon entrée out in 1913 at the New Washington Hotel would set you back $0.75. Fast forward to 1997, and at the Hunt Club a salmon entrée costs $24. In 2022 a salmon entrée at a mid to upper scale restaurant would average $35. Though these prices are drastically different with about a 4,500% increase over the 100+ year period, it's also on par with inflation.
We scraped dozens of historic menus and photos from the Seattle area (1880's to present) for prices for dining out. Main sources of information used include of: University of Washington Menus Library, Seattle Library Special Collections and MOHAI historical photos.
Plotted below are prices for set menu items. Historically in Seattle there was not as much diversity in menu offerings and few ethnic restaurants. Let's look at a Pacific Northwest staple: salmon. In 1870, a whole salmon purchased Ballard cost $0.05, whereas a dozen eggs would set you back $0.75. This was due to the fact that it was hard transport live chickens to the Pacific Northwest. Purchasing a salmon entrée out in 1913 at the New Washington Hotel would set you back $0.75. Fast forward to 1997, and at the Hunt Club a salmon entrée costs $24. In 2022 a salmon entrée at a mid to upper scale restaurant would average $35. Though these prices are drastically different with about a 4,500% increase over the 100+ year period, it's also on par with inflation.