House of Plenty: The Rise, Fall, and Revival of Luby's Cafeterias (review)

Abstract

472Southwestern Historical QuarterlyApril system (the interstates) looking back with nostalgia at a quirky highway (Route 66) diat better suits their mentality" (p. 102). Building on the notion diat Route 66 as a culturaljourney has always mattered as much as the destination, Dedek concludes with a study of the road ahead. Specifically , he argues for focused historic preservation efforts, building on successes of state historic preservation offices (including the Texas Historical Commission) and the Route 66 Corridor Act of iggg, as well as private organizations such as the Historic Route 66 Association ofArizona. As an analytical cultural history, Hip to the Trip challenges die reader to consider Route 66 holistically, bodi in the past and in the present. In diat regard, though, it could have benefited from a brief comparative review of other historic national roads such as the Meridian, Dixie Overland, and Lincoln highways. Such a context would have served to strengthen arguments for uniqueness, historical integrity and sustained cultural viability. A series of localized maps, denoting especially die smaller communities mentioned in the book, would also have been beneficial to the general reader. These are only minor limitations, however. Hip to the Trip remains a significant and fresh study of Route 66, contributing to further understanding of how a linear and limited artifact of die automobile era grew in symbolic worth and cultural meaning. As Dedek demonstrates, it remains ajourney important in both destination and interpretation. Texas Historical CommissionDan K Utley House ofPlenty: The Rise, Fall, and Revival ofLuby's Cafeterias. By Carol Dawson and CarolJohnston. (Austin: University ofTexas Press, 2006. Pp. 288. Illustrations, family tree, selected sources, index. ISBN g78-o-2g27o-656-g. $21.00, cloth.) It would be a rare person in the Soudiwest who at sometime or other had not eaten at a Luby's Cafeteria. They were modest places known for good food at reasonable prices and quick service. Inspired in part by die Ford automobile assembly line, Harry Luby opened his first cafeteria in Springfield, Missouri, in 1 g 1 1 . He followed the oil towns and inaugurated his first Texas restaurant in Beaumont in ig2i. The stores were immediate successes and Luby franchised his cafeterias to his large extended family. After establishing eleven places in four states Harry Luby retired at age thirty-nine. A second generation of relatives led by Robert Luby and Charles Johnston took over after World War II and expanded slowly and carefully. "Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered," said Johnston (p. 162). They were careful to train managers in all aspects of the business before letting diem run a cafeteria. Such ajob required a thirteen-hour workday, and Luby's rewarded them with forty percent of the net profit.Johnston explained such generosity: "The advantage ofgiving management a large percentage ofa store's profits should be obvious. You don't have to wake the person up, dress him, and show up to do hisjob for him" (p. 54). Expansion by interlocking partnerships became confusing, however, so Luby's incorporated in ig58 and began to sell common stock in ig73· They continued to grow, mainly through the use ofinternal cash flow, and there existed 100 stores in 2??8Book Reviews473 1987. At this point, however, die older leadership began to retire and newly elected non-food people started to dominate the board of directors. By 1 996 there were 200 Luby's Cafeterias in eleven states, but there were not enough trained managers . The reward system broke down, and the quality of food declined. In 2001 heavily in debt and on the verge of collapse Luby's was taken over by Christopher and Harris Pappas of Houston who closed fifty stores and attempted to restore die quality of service. Carol Dawson, a novelist, and CarolJohnston, the daughter of CharlesJohnston , relate this story of Luby's Cafeterias and the history of the Luby family. It is not a detailed business history; diere is no use ofinternal business records except for annual reports. It is pieced together from interviews and mainly reflects die viewpoint of CarolJohnston. There are no footnotes or endnotes. The writing is smooth and at times dramatic such as with the opening chapter that tells about a...