William Otto Binder (February 28, 1915 – January 28, 2010) was an American restaurateur and businessman who ran the landmark

Philippe's Philippe's, or "Philippe the Original" ( ) is a restaurant located in downtown Los Angeles, California. The restaurant is well known for continuously operating since 1908, making it one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles. It is also reno ...

restaurant, known as Philippe the Original, downtown Los Angeles for decades. Philippe's, a major destination for locals and tourists, is famous for its French dip sandwiches, which are said to have been invented at Philippe's, and

sawdust Sawdust (or wood dust) is a by-product or waste product of woodworking operations such as sawing, sanding, milling, planing, and routing. It is composed of small chippings of wood. These operations can be performed by woodworking machine ...

covered floors.

Biography

Early life

Bill Binder was born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, on February 28, 1915. His father, a brewer for the

Miller Brewing Company The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the ...

, graduated from the Wahl-Henius Brewing Institute in Chicago. He moved with his family from their home in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

. Binder graduated from Calexico High School in 1933. He enlisted in the

United States Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in 1941, and served during on the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

. He was honorably discharged as a captain in the Marines in 1945, but remained in the

United States Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned p ...

until 1951, when he retired with the rank of major.

Philippe's

In 1944, while still in the Marines, Binder married his wife, Beverly Martin. Her father, David Martin, and uncle, Harry Martin, had purchased Philippe's restaurant in Los Angeles from its founder and original owner, Philippe Mathieu, in 1927. Bill and Beverly had met at Frank's Place, a cafe owned by her father, located directly across the street from the Eastside Brewery, where Binder worked at the time. The couple moved from California to

Hancock, Michigan Hancock is a city in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is across the Keweenaw Waterway from the city of Houghton on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The population was 4,634 at the 2010 census. The Weather Channel has consistently rank ...

, after their wedding, where Binder worked as a brewer. However, after just a few months in

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

they returned to Los Angeles. Binder owned and operated a coffee shop in Los Angeles. After several years, Binder began working with his father-in-law at Philippe's following the death of Harry Martin. The family was forced to leave Philippe's original location on Aliso Street due to the construction of the

Hollywood Freeway The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California (the boundaries of which it does not leave) and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route through the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortcut ...

. They reopened Philippe's at its present location on Alameda Street near

Olvera Street Olvera Street (also ''Calle Olvera'' or ''Placita Olvera'', originally Calle de los Vignes, Vine Street, and Wine Street) is a historic street in downtown Los Angeles, and a part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, the area immediate ...

and

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

in 1951. David Martin persuaded Binder to run Philippe's at its new location. Binder kept the restaurant's menu virtually the same, focusing on its famous French dip sandwiches, which uses roast beef, ham, roast pork, lamb or turkey on a French roll, dipped in

au jus ''Au jus'' () is a French culinary term meaning "with juice". It refers to meat dishes prepared or served together with a light broth or gravy, made from the fluids secreted by the meat as it is cooked. In French cuisine, cooking ''au jus'' is ...

Later life

Bill Binder retired in 1985, turning Philippe's over to his sons, John Binder and Richard Binder, who continue to run the restaurant as of February 2010. The brothers added new menu items, such as salads and turkey sandwiches, after Binder's retirement, though he continued to eat breakfast at Philippe's frequently. Bill Binder died at a nursing facility in Pasadena, California, on January 28, 2010, at the age of 96. He was survived by his sons, John and Richard, who continue to run Philippe's; his daughter, Kathleen Binder Halstead, 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. His wife, Beverly, died in 2001. His memorial service was held at St. Therese Catholic Church in

Alhambra, California Alhambra (, , ; from "Alhambra") is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. It was incorporated on July 11 ...

References

External links

Hidden Los Angeles: RIP – Bill Binder, Philippe’s Patriarch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Binder. Bill 1915 births 2010 deaths Businesspeople from Milwaukee American restaurateurs United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Businesspeople from Los Angeles Businesspeople from Chicago United States Marine Corps reservists United States Marine Corps officers 20th-century American businesspeople Military personnel from Illinois