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Thelma's Restaurant
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Thelma's        Restaurant,     George and Thelma Hyde at Thelma's Restaurant,  Shore Road  and Somers Avenue. It  was located on the southwest corner  of  the  present
day Mac's Parking lot.
In  the  1940's   a lot   people  ate  breakfast  here  because there was no other place.  Bartenders waiters often stopped here after work.      You could sometimes see them cooking their own breakfast at the grill. Thelma's was open 24 hours a day during  the   summer. I can still hear the dishes rattling.

The home of the "Hamburger Platter":   
Three   hamburger    patties,    French   fries,  coleslaw,   and   vegetable  of  the day.  People  loved  it.    Early 40's price $.75.

If you wanted a soda even Mink* soda, (although not many may remember that brand.) you could help yourself at "The Box", an old Coke red  box  filled with ice, water and soda bottles, with lift-up lids that opened from either side.

I  went   pearl  diving  there (dishwashing),  peeled    potatoes,  diced  onions,   made
hamburgers, plus many other odd jobs. I also parked cars at Mac's when their regular person didn't show up.    What a hot, dusty job!      The parking lot was unpaved, the nights were hot, many customers were intoxicated -- but the money was good.

Somehow I always made it to the beach in the morning.

This town really jumped back then. 


* Mr. Mink had a shop on Shore Road just north of Bethel on the east side where he made the town's famous soda in his garage.          The bottles were clear glass, crudely made -- probably worth a lot of money to collectors by now .   You would see   Mink soda at all of the town's special gatherings.

                                                                                As remembered by Bill Carr.
 

I remember Thelma's very well. When I was in high school, late 40's,  I worked at the Point Tavern washing dishes. I worked from about 3:00 PM to 2:00 AM. After work many  of   us  went  to Thelma's  for  breakfast  or  just   to  visit  with  bartenders  and waitresses  from   other bars and restaurants.   It was like a nightly tradition.    Often my grandmother and I would eat supper there. I remember Mink's (Sodas) also.

                                                                                     Thanks for the memories!
                                                                                                       Ken Murphy

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