The What Cheer Restaurant and Oyster House.. by [Menu - Oyster House (St. Louis, Mo.); Buda & Gamble Props.] - 1880

St. Louis, Mo: the restaurant; A. DeBolt & Co. [printer, 1880. Bi-fold menu (21.5 x 14 cm.), [4] pages. Printed menu, with handwritten additions. Publication date from external data. St. Louis' "What Cheer Restaurant" was opened in 1877, at the "Cor. Third and Washington Ave. [Bridge Approach]", a location that appears to have been obliterated with the construction of Interstate 44. The printed Bill of Fare inside lists a hearty fare "Cooked to Oreer (sic)" including Mutton Chops, Beefsteak & Onions, Fried Pigs Feet, Codfish Balls, Sheeps' Tongue, Four Doughnuts, Cocoanut Pie, and Oysters. The oysters were served raw, fried, stewed, broiled, and "Cove Oysters" were offered. The rear panel of the menu offers the "Regular Dinner, 15 Cents" with included items handwritten into the categories. The restaurant has left a bit of a legacy, in the form of trademark litigation that served as a precedent for decades. Within a year or two of opening a restaurant opened across the street named "The New and Original What Cheer Restaurant". The owner, now just Gamble, having split with his partner, sued for trademark infringement and was successful. This was recorded in The Central Law Journal of 1881, vol. 12, page 1xv. Some light wear to edges, otherwise fine.