Wympee Turns 70

1938. FDR was President, the Depression was still going on, and Wympee opened at Wayne and 3rd just east of downtown.

And its still there, with what looks like the original exterior. One of the early versions of a fast food place, made up of white enamel panels, contemporary of early fast food chains like White Caste and White Tower (don't know if Wympee was a chain).

So they had a deal on hamburgers starting at 10 AM today. 70 cents. And they were pretty busy.

They used to have a counter that ran the length of the place, but replaced it with those little booths. Window counter is original.

I remember coming here (and to the nearby White Tower) a lot when I first moved here. I recall the breakfast regulars going behind the counter to help themselves to coffee refills. It was that kind of place. Probably still is.

It's remarkable this place is still in business given that so much has closed (or has been displaced or torn down), and that the exterior is so unchanged. A relic from an earlier era here, when Webster Station saw thousands of factory workers, day and night shifts.