Some Noteworthy Events from the Past- Self-Serve Grocery Stores and Salad Bars

September 6th, 1916, the FIRST SELF-SERVE GROCERY STORE , Piggly Wiggly, was opened in Memphis by Clarence Saunders (any relation to Colonel Sanders?). The store was set up to enable shoppers to handpick groceries instead of having a clerk standing behind a counter do it for them.

So that is why Ike Godsey would get the stuff for the Waltons.


WHERE WAS THE FIRST SALAD BAR? If you're like me, you LOVE salad bars. I can sure pile 'em high, especially when you only get one trip. We'll probably never know for sure. However, the National Restaurant Association, in "The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink" says, "In 1971 Chicago restauranteurs Rich Melman and Jerry Orzoff opened a place called R.J. Grunts, which featured a 'salad bar,' a long counter of greens, seasoning, vegetables, and condiments at which the customer arranges his own salad on whim; this became a fixture of medium-priced and family restaurants throughout the United States."

Shoppin' and Eatin' at Salad Bars. These are a Few of My Favorite Things. --RoadDog