Criterion St. Paul
The Criterion Cafe has a schizophrenic history at best – or maybe a case of multiple personalities. Sorting it out won’t be easy but I’ll give it a try.
The first mention of a Criterion Restaurant in St. Paul found in the Minneapolis papers was in the Tribune, June 25, 1885. Proprietors were listed as H. Nachtscheim and Holmes, and the address was 48 East Seventh Street. Later that year Holmes was gone and the restaurant advertised oysters quite enthusiastically.
On June 25, 1895, another Criterion was mentioned, this time at 246 Nicollet. Someone apparently wanted to burn this one down but was foiled. A few days later the firebugs were successful and two firemen died putting out a conflagration at the McDonald building on First Street in Minneapolis.
One man said that the restaurant opened in 1901 as a German restaurant by a man named Schwartz but I couldn’t find that.
The next mentions I found were wantads dated April 1908, for a porter and cook at the Criterion Cafe at 319 Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis (Scandinavian preferred). That establishment opened on May 1, 1908.
After Prohibition ended, the Criterion emerges on November 2, 1934, at its traditional location at 739 University Ave. at Grotto in St. Paul.
In January 1945 the term “Club Criterion” comes into use at the St. Paul location.
Next we see ads for the New Club Criterion, re-opening in December 1945.
But what’s this about Harry’s? Seems Harry Doust, the former owner of Harry’s Cafe in Minneapolis, bought the Club Criterion in September 1947 and began using the name Harry’s for the Criterion, and even duplicated the menu. Harry Doust kept changing the name of the St. Paul restaurant:
- Harry’s Criterion
- Harry’s, Formerly Criterion
- Harry’s Cafe
- Harry’s
Thus we see the photo below, dated January 29, 1948, from the Minnesota Historical Society. What the hey? A lawsuit ensued, and in June 1948, Harry Doust was enjoined from using the name Harry’s. Funny thing was that Doust hadn’t been associated with the St. Paul Harry’s since February 1948. The new owner was Harry Carnes. Oy.
Oh no, it’s not over. In January 1950, Harry Doust bought back the Criterion from Harry Carnes. By July 1950 Doust was back at it, calling the cafe Harry Doust’s Criterion Cafe. At least his name was in small letters. But in June 1951, Harry’s name was definitely above the fold in this recipe/SuperValu ad. Tsk Tsk.
In September 1952 the madness was over when Harry Doust sold the Criterion to a group of investors for $100,000. Ralph W. Jacobs became General Manager – Jacobs had managed several properties, including Harry’s in Minneapolis. After unsuccessfully vying to start restaurants in the western suburbs, including the new Knollwood Shopping Center in St. Louis Park, Doust became connected with Sleizer’s when it was renamed Bowman’s. Doust died in March 1960.
RAY KROC
In 1957 McDonald’s owner Ray Kroc came to Minnesota with an idea to build a McDonald’s franchise in a cold-weather climate. The first franchise in Minnesota opened in September 1957 in Roseville. The second franchise was owned by Jim Zien, the owner of the Criterion. Kroc spent a lot of time at the Criterion and fell for the lovely organ player, Joan Smith. Kroc and Smith eventually married in 1969, and Smith’s ex-husband became a McDonald’s franchise holder in South Dakota.
From 1960 to 1969, Dick Clausen played organ and piano in the dining room.
Tom Marver provided this lovely memoir:
I grew up at the Criterion during the ’50s and ’60s. Besides their fantastic popovers, they were famous for their Criterion salad. The Criterion was owned by the Sandler family and Mickey was the parking lot attendant who could converse with you in Yiddish. When you would walk in the restaurant their was a lobster tank by the entrance. As a kid, I would sometimes sit on Joan’s lap when she played the organ (when she wasn’t at the piano in the bar) and that is how I learned to play my Hammond B-3 organ. The Criterion was much more than just a Saint Paul supper club, it was an institution. ❤️❤️
1955 Postcard courtesy Minnesota Historical Society
Matchbook posted on Facebook by Ron Ciccone
1960 ad courtesy Minnesota Historical Society
1973 ad courtesy Bob Murphy
END OF THE ST. PAUL CRITERION
The Criterion suffered a major fire on March 19, 1978, starting in the basement at about 3:48 pm. 65 firefighters fought the blaze – no one was injured. At the time the owner of the restaurant was Robert Sandler and his mother Bernice owned the building. They had owned and operated it since about 1962. The building suffered about $100,000 in damage. Sandler decided not to rebuild.
Photo of fire posted on Facebook by Rick Schlosser
The report of the fire revealed that “The Parlor” had seating for 220, and there were three private rooms that sat 90 people. One of these rooms had a private entrance from the outside that made meeting people not married to you more discreet.
Facebookers remember the lobster, crab, and especially the popovers that made it a special place.
BLOOMINGTON
Club Criterion
After the fire, the Criterion moved to the Southgate Office Plaza in Bloomington. Ads for staff started on July 30, 1978.
An auction was held on August 30, 1978, at the St. Paul site to liquidate any salable chairs, tables, chandeliers, etc.
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