Mel's Tea Room

Comments and faves

1. ★

   Jason W Thompson added this photo to his favorites. (90 months ago)

2. 

   Jason W Thompson (90 months ago | reply)

   What a fabulous find! I used to live above Mel's (the window to the right of the sign) and I've been looking for a photograph of it for a while now. I was also on the board of Struts for a year. I did a little reminiscingon my blog if you're interested. Thanks for the pics.

3. 

   Chris Campbell (90 months ago | reply)

   That's very cool. One of my favourite things about Flickr is how you can find things in an undexpected way and connect through images. I love what you wrote on your blog about mining your past through other people's photos. Eventually large parts of our lives and the places that we've been will be available to us.

4. ★

   roamin added this photo to their favorites. (84 months ago)

5. 

   Noel.Goodwin (78 months ago | reply)

   I lived upstairs at one time. Not above Mel's but next door above Sears (the gray door).

6. 

   tameas001 (39 months ago | reply)

   a little history of Mel's

   Mel's Tea Room is a "diner-style" restaurant also located in the downtown area. The front third of the restaurant resembles a general store, with a variety of confectionary, tobacco, and other sundry goods for sale. To the right of the front door there is also an old-fashioned soda fountain. The middle third is divided into booths in four rows, labelled A, B, C and D from left to right. The rear booths are separated by a small screen partition, behind which one may order beer. The rear third is occupied by kitchen, office and storage space. The menu consists of common diner fare. Popular dishes include the hot sandwich dinners, home-made hamburgers, and the club sandwich. There are also several off-menu items which the insider can order, including home-made soup. The onion rings are also very popular, as are the sundaes and banana splits. Mel's Tea Room was opened in 1919 by Mel Goodwin following the First World War. Subsequently it was owned and operated by his son. Today the business remains in the Goodwin family, presently owned and operated by Roger Goodwin, Mel Goodwin's grandson. It has operated in three positions, all of them on the south side of Bridge Street in downtown Sackville. Mel's is considered one of the key fixtures of downtown Sackville, its neon sign an icon of the community. It has long been a popular hang out and study location for students from both the local high school and Mount Allison University. Some items on the menu even pay tribute to Sackville's past, such as the S.H.S. (Sackville High School, long-since closed) special sundae. The interior remains authentic, as the well-worn but well-loved formica tables indicate. Another unique feature of Mel's is the so-called Mel's Ladies. The women who work at Mel's, in addition to waiting on customers, also serve as cooks, cashiers, and even stoke the coal-fired boiler in the basement. They have also helped make countless Mount Allison students from "away" feel at home in Sackville.

7. ★

   tameas001 added this photo to their favorites. (39 months ago)

8. 

   Chris Campbell (39 months ago | reply)

   @tameas001: Thanks for providing the history of Mel's. It's a great place to go and I was just in there a few weeks ago (but I didn't take any more pictures though).

9. 

   Hot Pepper Dave (37 months ago | reply)

   Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Cafes, Coffee Houses, Burger Joints, Food Carts., and we'd love to have this added to the group!

10. 

    Pamelala (20 months ago | reply)

    Love this photo and I also loved reading about the history of the diner. We had a most excellent plate of onion rings there and the milkshakes are to die for!

    I have a photo of just the sign. Couldn't resist!

11. 

    Chris Campbell (20 months ago | reply)

    @Pamelala: I'm glad that you love the photo. The history of Mel's is fascinating and it's a great place to get real diner food with amazing old-fashioned milkshakes.

12. ★

    Josh Morrissey and Photo Nut 2011 added this photo to their favorites.

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