Big Spring Cafe
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Big Spring Cafe is a
diner A diner is a type of restaurant found across the United States and Canada, as well as parts of Western Europe and Australia. Diners offer a wide range of cuisine, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a comb ...
in
Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...
. It opened in 1922, and is the oldest restaurant in the city. It is often noted as a landmark in the city and as one of Huntsville's "signature" restaurants. When the original location opened, it served only hamburgers consisting of ground beef, onions, mustard and salt on a roll.


History

The original Big Spring Cafe opened in 1922 at 119 Jefferson Street. It was located in a railroad boxcar near the Big Spring Canal. It then moved to 115 Gallatin Street (where the
Von Braun Center The Von Braun Center (known as Von Braun Civic Center until 1997) is an entertainment complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 9,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama. The original facility debuted in 1975 and has undergone several signi ...
parking garage now stands), and then to
Governors Drive Governors Drive is a major east–west thoroughfare in Huntsville, Alabama. It follows U.S. Route 431 (US-431) in east Huntsville and State Route 53 (SR-53) in west Huntsville. Governors Drive is one of the main entrance points to the city fro ...
in 1970. This location provided 16
bar stool Bar stools are a type of tall stool, often with a foot rest to support the feet. The height and narrowness of bar stools make them suitable for use at bars and high tables in pubs or bars. Before Prohibition in the United States, bar sto ...
s at the counter and two long tables for customers. The family relocated the diner to a newly constructed building about one-half mile west, but still on
Governors Drive Governors Drive is a major east–west thoroughfare in Huntsville, Alabama. It follows U.S. Route 431 (US-431) in east Huntsville and State Route 53 (SR-53) in west Huntsville. Governors Drive is one of the main entrance points to the city fro ...
in April, 2017. Troy Baucom opened the original location in downtown Huntsville in Spring 1922. The restaurant was sold to Hazel Beene in 1946 and, as business left the downtown core for the Memorial Parkway corridor, joined the exodus in 1970. Two years later, Beene turned the restaurant over to her sister and brother-in-law, Doris and Howard Cowley. The Cowleys operated Big Spring Cafe until selling it to their daughter, Pam Milam, in 1992. Citing the age and condition of the current building, Milam announced in March 2008 that she planned to relocate Big Spring Cafe just west on Governors Drive, in "a year or so", taking care to replicate the interior of the cafe in the new location. The move finally happened in April, 2017.


Cuisine

When the original location opened in 1928, it served only
hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...
s consisting of ground beef, salt, mustard, and onions on a roll. The current location, tucked between a
meat market A meat market is, traditionally, a marketplace where meat is sold, often by a butcher. It is a specialized wet market. The term is sometimes used to refer to a meat retail store or butcher's shop, in particular in North America. During the mid ...
and a bait shop, offers both breakfast and lunch six days a week and is closed on Sundays. The menu now includes diner staples including hamburgers, hot dogs, and no-bean chili plus Southern specialties like
Brunswick stew Brunswick stew is a tomato-based stew generally involving local beans, vegetables, and originally small game meat such as squirrel or rabbit, though today often chicken. The exact origin of the stew is disputed. The states of Virginia and Georgia ...
, slaw dogs, and fried bologna biscuits. The diner has its own special language for ordering some items. For example, a "hamburger with cheese" is a ground beef patty with mustard and onions on a square bun while a "cheeseburger" is a ground beef patty plus lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on a round bun. A bowl with equal portions of chili and Brunswick stew is ordered as "half and half" while that mix with slightly more chili is a "60–40".


See also

*
List of hamburger restaurants This is a list of notable hamburger restaurants. A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of one or more cooked patties of ground meat (usually beef) usually placed inside a sliced hamburger bun. Hamburgers are often served with lettuce, bacon, to ...
*
List of Southern restaurants Following is a list of notable restaurants known for serving cuisine of the Southern United States: * Acadia: A New Orleans Bistro, Portland, Oregon, U.S. * Arnold's Country Kitchen, Nashville, Tennessee * Baes Fried Chicken, Portland, Oregon ...
* * *


References

{{reflist, 2, refs= {{cite news , first=Mike , last=Kaylor , work=
The Huntsville Times ''The Huntsville Times'' was a thrice-weekly newspaper published in Huntsville, Alabama. It also served the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The ''Times'' formerly operated as an afternoon paper, but moved to mornin ...
, title=Talking tradition sparks memories , page=F9 , date=October 21, 1993
{{cite news , first=Mike , last=Kaylor , work=
The Huntsville Times ''The Huntsville Times'' was a thrice-weekly newspaper published in Huntsville, Alabama. It also served the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The ''Times'' formerly operated as an afternoon paper, but moved to mornin ...
, title=Tradition continues at simple Governors Drive diner , page=C8 , date=February 15, 1996
{{cite news , first=Mike , last=Marshall , work=
The Huntsville Times ''The Huntsville Times'' was a thrice-weekly newspaper published in Huntsville, Alabama. It also served the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The ''Times'' formerly operated as an afternoon paper, but moved to mornin ...
, title=Another day at the old cafe , page=F1 , date=March 29, 1998
{{cite news , first=Kari , last=Hawkins , work=
The Huntsville Times ''The Huntsville Times'' was a thrice-weekly newspaper published in Huntsville, Alabama. It also served the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The ''Times'' formerly operated as an afternoon paper, but moved to mornin ...
, title=Big Spring the center of an explosive history , page=S17 , date=July 18, 1999
{{cite news , first=Mike , last=Kaylor , work=
The Huntsville Times ''The Huntsville Times'' was a thrice-weekly newspaper published in Huntsville, Alabama. It also served the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The ''Times'' formerly operated as an afternoon paper, but moved to mornin ...
, title=Locally operated restaurants show staying power over two decades , page=C1 , date=May 9, 2002
{{cite news , first=Mike , last=Kaylor , work=
The Huntsville Times ''The Huntsville Times'' was a thrice-weekly newspaper published in Huntsville, Alabama. It also served the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The ''Times'' formerly operated as an afternoon paper, but moved to mornin ...
, title=City's No. 1 greasy spoon plans to move , url=http://blog.al.com/kaylor/2008/03/citys_no_1_greasy_spoon_plans.html , date=March 13, 2008 , accessdate=July 27, 2010 , page=20G
{{cite news , first=Mike , last=Marshall , work=
The Huntsville Times ''The Huntsville Times'' was a thrice-weekly newspaper published in Huntsville, Alabama. It also served the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The ''Times'' formerly operated as an afternoon paper, but moved to mornin ...
, title=Big Spring Cafe celebrates 80 years of good eating , url=http://blog.al.com/go/2008/07/big_spring_cafe_celebrates_80.html , date=July 31, 2008 , accessdate=July 27, 2010 , page=1C
{{cite news , first=Mike , last=Marshall , work=
The Huntsville Times ''The Huntsville Times'' was a thrice-weekly newspaper published in Huntsville, Alabama. It also served the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The ''Times'' formerly operated as an afternoon paper, but moved to mornin ...
, title=Big Spring Cafe: 'We're all in the family in here' , url=http://blog.al.com/huntsville-times-business/2011/08/big_spring_cafe_were_all_in_th.html , date=August 23, 2011 , accessdate=January 6, 2014
Companies based in Huntsville, Alabama Restaurants in Alabama Hamburger restaurants in the United States Restaurants established in 1928 American companies established in 1928 Southern restaurants Tourist attractions in Huntsville, Alabama 1928 establishments in Alabama Diners in the United States