History
Little information about the beginnings of the Birmingham company is publicly available, except that it was owned by John H. Holcomb of Birmingham. Originally the Birmingham and Memphis cafeterias were one company, but in about 1930 the original Birmingham cafeteria was taken over by First National Bank due to financial hardship, with Holcomb buying the Birmingham operation from the bank. They agreed that the Britling name be continued in both locations. In their heyday, the Britling cafeterias were local institutions in Birmingham and Memphis, particularly the earlier downtown locations. The First Avenue North location in Birmingham was a popular gathering spot in the late 1940s and 1950s, even featuring live music. The Twentieth St. North location featured seating in a balcony overlooking the main floor, and also connected to the Third Avenue North cafeteria; the two downtown Memphis cafeterias were similar. After-church Sunday afternoon lunches at Britling's were a tradition in both cities. One of the downtown Memphis locations is noteworthy not only as a local landmark of its era, but for one of its former employees: Gladys Presley, mother ofReferences
* Zuber, Amy (February 1996) "William & Samuel Childs - pioneer cafeteria operators." Nation's Restaurant News * Hollis, Tim (March 18, 2010) "Britling Cafeterias were part of Birmingham's dining landscape for years." ''Birmingham'' magazine Restaurants in Alabama Restaurants in Tennessee Cafeteria-style restaurants Companies based in Memphis, Tennessee Regional restaurant chains in the United States Defunct restaurant chains in the United States