April | 2009 | AHA Media

Rediscovery of White Lunch Restaurant on Hastings

April 1, 2009 ahamedia 17 comments

In the next series of photos Lani Russwurm, local DTES historian, rediscovers and looks into the renovation of a former White Lunch restaurant located at 124 West hastings by Abbott in Vancouver DTES.

Please see Lani Russwurm’s photos and description of White Lunch also: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laniwurm/3387453625/

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Background Information of White Lunch:

A number of White Lunch restaurants operated in the city. Other locations included 865 Granville, 737 West Pender, and 714 West Pender.

The White lunch name reflected a policy of serving and hiring only white people. The civic government of the 1930s reinforced racism in the culinary industry by passing a 1937 ordinance that prohibited white women from working in Chinatown. Whites believed they had a properly appointed place in the Darwinist order and needed to protect white women from “lascivious Orientals.” A delegation of 16 waitresses from 3 restaurants marched to City Hall on September 24, 1937 to protest the ordinance but the mayor refuse them a hearing. Restaurant proprietors had their licenses revoked if they failed to observe the civic ruling.

In 1939, white women were allowed to work in Chinese-owned restaurants that served only “English meals to English customers.” When Vancouver’s white society recognized China as an enemy and victim of the aggressor and an ally of democracy in WWII, racism against Chinese residents began to dissipate. Workers struck at all White Lunch locations on April 27, 1937, demanding higher wages and better working conditions. They won their strike when customers refused to cross the picket line.

Despite the victory, union employees continued to suffer harassment from management. In response to the intense victimization, the Hotel and Restaurant Employees’ Union placed the restaurant chain on its respected “unfair to labour” list. A high-turnover rate and fierce “union-busting” saw the workers fighting for a new contract within six months.

Photo from a White Lunch branch

here

and a beautifully toned Fred Herzog (the photo, not the man) from 1959 is here