 | |
| Founded | 1955 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Donald Townsend |
| Products | Steaks |
| Services | Restaurant |
| Website | https://tadssf.com/ |
Tad's Steaks was a chain of low-cost restaurants. The first location, opened in 1955, was at 120 Powell Street in San Francisco.[1] The chain eventually grew to a peak of 28 restaurants, eight of which were in New York.[2] In 2019, the last location in New York closed, leaving just the original San Francisco location[3] which has since relocated to 44 Ellis Street, around the corner from the original location.[4] The chain was founded by Donald Townsend and his brother Neal, who named it after Alan Tadeus Kay, his friend and business partner.[5]
The restaurants were set up with a large cooking area at the front, visible though the front window; Townsend called this the "steak show". The meat, marinated in papaya juice to tenderize the inferior cuts used, was cooked over a type of tile invented by Townsend; it was designed to look like charcoal, but was cleaner and easier to regulate.[5]
Eliminating waiters by having customers take their food to tables on trays saved costs,[5] as did relying on word-of-mouth for publicity instead advertising.[6] In 1957, a meal of a T-bone steak with garlic bread, a baked potato, and a salad cost $1.09.[5] In 1989, entrées ranged from $2.99 to $6.99.[7]
- ^ Locations, SF Film (2022-11-13). "Taking the long way to Tad's (For Tad's Steak House)". San Francisco Film Locations Then & Now. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "Home Of Affordable Meals, Tad's Steaks Closes Famous Times Square Location After 60 Years". CBS New York. 2020-01-05. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ Boone, Ruschell (October 11, 2019). "Say Goodbye to Tad's Broiled Steaks in NYC". NY1. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ^ "Tads Steak House Presentation" (PDF). San Francisco Government. 2017.
- ^ a b c d Martin, Douglas (2000-04-02). "Donald Townsend, Who Founded Tad's Home of the Low-Priced T-Bone, Dies at 91". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "A SPY Guide to the Tad's Steaks of Manhattan". Spy. July 1989. pp. 38–39. Retrieved May 10, 2024 – via Google Books.
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