Watts Restaurant
Watts Restaurant is located at 77 South Main Street in Utica. The restaurant was established in 1912 by Herbert Watts. When it first opened, Watts was known as the Eagle Restaurant, but the name was changed following the election of FDR as president. Herbert Watts, unhappy with FDR and his National Recovery Act with its eagle symbol, changed the name in order to keep from being associated with it.[1]
Watts celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012. To celebrate, the owners ran a special sale offering prices from the early 1900s. During this four-day sale, an iced tea, fountain drink, or coffee was $0.49 and a Velvet ice cream sundae or slice of pie was only $0.99. While some things have changed, such as expanding the space and modernizing the food, the core mission of the restaurant remains the same as when it started: offering customers fresh food and homestyle cooking. Former staff members that served in the restaurant decades ago still go to visit with many of the same people they waited on many years before.[2]
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M.J.
