Roos' Restaurant, Home of the $1, Eight Course Dinner, beginning in 1923.

Max W. Roos was the Assistant Manager at the Blackhawk Restaurant at 139 North Wabash, Chicago. The success of the Blackhawk Restaurant and Grill has inspired its former assistant manager, Max, to decide to have a loop restaurant of his own. 

Consequently, he had leased the entire basement of the Mallers Building (constructed in 1918 in an art-deco style), 5 South Wabash at Madison Street, for ten years at a term rental of $110,000 ($917/month) starting on March 1, 1923. 

Max opened the Roos' Restaurant as soon as the extensive alterations were completed, probably around the end of February 1923. 

The new Restaurant was popularly priced along the lines of the Blackhawk Restaurant. The space just rented was formerly occupied by the Illinois Cafeteria.

CLICK FOR A FULL-SIZE READABLE AD.

Roos' Restaurant even offered a $1 Thanksgiving feast and all dinner choices, all the time, which would cost $17.50 today.

A visual aid.

By Roos' third week in business, a half-page Tribune ad on March 7, 1923, "It's here, my 65¢ Lunch." My $1 dinner has been such a tremendous success I know a similar luncheon will be equally as popular. So, Starting today, I will serve between 11 and 3 o'clock for a 65¢ special luncheon which I believe cannot be duplicated for the same price elsewhere. 

I will give a choice of six entrees. With each choice, I will serve potatoes, one extra vegetable, bread and butter, and your choice of pie, pastry, and ice cream, and your choice of tea, coffee, and milk. The portions will be liberal, and the food will be the same first-class quality you get with my famous $1 dinner. In fact, you will get Roos' Quality and Roos' Service in a wonderful table d'hote lunch at  65¢. March 7, 1923.

Roos' Restaurant offered a $1 Thanksgiving feast which would cost $17.50 today.

IN THE END

November 3, 1925, Chicago Tribune, under the heading of "Petitions in Bankruptcy," Roos' Restaurant Co. claimed involuntary bankruptcy[1]. Creditor Beatrice Creamery Co. claims $1,000 ($17,000 today). 

After 2 years and 8 months in business, Max couldn't come up with $1,000. It took some time for the bankruptcy to be discharged. 

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

---

[1] Involuntary bankruptcy is a legal proceeding through which creditors request that a person or business go bankrupt. Creditors can request involuntary bankruptcy if they think they will not be paid if bankruptcy proceedings don't occur. They must seek a legal requirement to force a debtor to pay their debts. Typically, the debtor is able to pay their debts but chooses not to for some reason. For involuntary bankruptcy to be brought forward, the debtor must have a certain amount of serious debt.

Standard Oil Gas Station, Odell, Illinois on Route 66.

In 1868, John D. Rockefeller formed the Standard Oil Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This was the beginning of the Standard Oil Trust Company, which would soon dominate oil refineries and gas stations around America. 

In 1890, the Standard Oil Company set up its first company in Illinois.

In 1932, a contractor, Patrick O'Donnell, purchased a small parcel of land along Route 66 in Odell, Illinois. There he built a gas station based on a 1916 Standard Oil of Ohio design, commonly known as a domestic-style gas station. 

This "house with canopy" style of the gas station gave customers a comfortable feeling they could associate with home. This association created an atmosphere of trust for commercial and recreational travelers of the day.

The station originally sold Standard Oil products, but after O'Donnell leased the property to others, the station began selling Sinclair and the now famous Phillips 66. 

In the late 1940s, O'Donnell added a two-bay garage to accommodate repair services, which was necessary to stay competitive with the nine other stations that occupied the short stretch of Route 66 through Odell. The gas station was in constant use during the heyday of travel on Route 66. It was a welcomed rest stop for weary travelers and a place for the kids to get out and stretch their legs.

The station sold gasoline until the 1960s and then became an auto body shop until the late 1970s when it closed its doors for good. It fell into disrepair and would have been destroyed had it not been for the town of Odell and the people who loved their gas station. In 1997, the station was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Then, thanks to a collaborative effort, the Illinois Route 66 Association, the Village of Odell, the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office, the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, and Hampton Inn Landmarks restored the station to its former glory. A Standard Oil sign hanging from the roof swings gently in the warm breeze, and an old-fashioned gas pump looks ready to serve the next customer. Although Odell's Standard Oil Gas Station no longer sells gasoline, it has become a welcome center for the Village of Odell. 

The station won the National Historic Route 66 Federation Cyrus Avery Award in 2002 for the year's most outstanding Route 66 preservation project.  

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.