November 23, 2025

By Arthur H. Gunther III

thecolumnrule.com

In the rhythm of the older city, there was the morning and then lunch march of the people to the pre-cursors of Starbucks and fast-food emporiums: Nedicks, Chock full o’Nuts, Bickford’s, Horn & Hardart and a few other quick places to fortify early on and mid-day.

There was commonality in these places. At Nedick’s, behind each of the long line of counter stools would be queues of five or six ready to move forth after the primary patron finished the famous orange drink and maybe the hotdog with special sauce. At Chock full o’Nuts, the beverage was awfully fresh coffee. The commonality was in the mix of people: blue collar, Wall Street stockbroker, student, etc., all in line for simple, relatively affordable fare.

Horn & Hardart offered tables rather than stools, but there could be lines in front of the decorative coffee urns or at the automat pie windows. You shared tables with everyone, including the night traveler who could not sleep. Rarely was there conversation, because this was morning, lunch time and dinner rhythm. You had things to do, places to go; most did. These eateries were way stops for you, punch-list checkoffs for the daily run. You had that in common with many.

In time, competition from newer-style fast-food chains pushed by bigger wallets and catering to customers who enjoy crafted lattes and other specialities with name written on the container helped shutter Nedick’s and others like it. The great silhouette of people of mixed class took on defining hues, some pushed out by price. In a serious way, commonality left too.

The writer is a retired newspaperman, ahgunther@yahoo.com.

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