In the early morning hours of Dec. 1, 1953, one of Chattanooga’s landmark restaurants exploded into flames.
The Home Plate, a cafeteria-style eatery at Seventh and Cherry streets that served court juries and downtown workers for much of the 20th century, was nearly destroyed by a gas fire.
News reports in 1953 said the flash fire started in the Home Plate’s kitchen about 5:55 a.m. and quickly spread into the seating area of the restaurant.
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This photograph, taken by Chattanooga News-Free Press photographer Bob Sherrill, shows windows blown out and the inside of the restaurant blackened by smoke.
Only three employees (and no customers) were reportedly inside at the time of the fire, and none were injured, although the head cashier told authorities that the flames spread so quickly that she had to flee without her coat.
Quick work by the Chattanooga Fire Department limited most of the damage to the restaurant itself, although the nearby Evans Jewelry store offered 20% to 50% off fire-damaged merchandise in the days following the fire. The nearby Ace Wallpaper store was spared damage due to the efforts of local firefighters, the Chattanooga Daily Times reported.
By May 1954, about five months after the fire, the Home Plate management was placing classified ads for new employees, and by November of that year, the “New Home Plate” was offering a full Thanksgiving meal for $1 per adult diner (or 60 cents for children).
According to newspaper records, the Home Plate was purchased by longtime owner W.C. Hudlow in the 1920s.
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News reports in the 1930s focused on labor disputes. A group of six waiters quit one day in 1935 after their request for one day off per week, with no corresponding reduction of their weekly pay, was turned down. Their pay reportedly ranged from $14 to $22.50 per week. The Depression era jobs required the waiters to work 12-14 hours per day, seven days a week, according to reports.
In 1984, Hudlow sold the business to a new owner, Lawson Whitaker. It closed in 1987, although it opened again briefly in 1988, rebranded as the “China Home Plate” with an Asian menu.
As the Home Plate, the restaurant had specialized in homestyle vegetables. For decades it attracted big lunch crowds, along with its cross-street neighbor, the original Krystal fast-food restaurant.
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