Peanut Butter, Elvis, and American Dreams: A Café with a Legacy

Scott: 00:00:35

ding on the deck of a ship in: 1909

stone of American culture. In: 1919

And over the next 120 years, that single city block would witness the entire arc of the American century. It's where soldiers were fed on their way to the front lines of World War II.

It's where a young, nervous Elvis Presley tucked into a back booth to hide.

Scott: 00:01:13

From the screams of fans.

Scott: 00:01:15

until one tragic afternoon in: 1968

Scott: 00:01:27

Had to find its key.

Scott: 00:01:30

We sat down with Jeff, the fourth.

Scott: 00:01:32

Generation of the Zapatos family, to talk.

Scott: 00:01:34

About the Arcade restaurant. From Greek immigrant dreams to Hollywood film sets, this isn't just a story about a diner. It's a story about a family that.

Scott: 00:01:43

Refused to leave when the city grew quiet.

Scott: 00:01:46

And an American dream that is still being served up on a hot plate today. Welcome to Talk with Hip History. I'm your host Scott, here with my wife and historian Jenny.

Jenn: 00:02:00

Hello.

Scott: 00:02:01

On this podcast we give you insights to our history inspired travels, YouTube channel journey and examine history through deeper conversations with the curious, the explorers and the.

Scott: 00:02:10

History lovers out there.

Scott: 00:02:16

All right, Jen, so this one was our second foray into a little bit more documentary style type video. Now if you came for the Elvis topic and some Memphis history, you're definitely going to get that. But this one we did a little bit different.

We did a little bit more interview style which is very almost semi traditional documentary. We're sitting down talking with the main subject and everything like that.

But we got a hold of the owner of the Arcade restaurant here in Memphis, Tennessee. And if you Google Elvis's favorite restaurant, this is the one that tops up that hits the top. Google head. And so we got connected with this family.

I can't. You have to remind me how we got connected with the owner to come make this video.

Jenn: 00:03:03

So this, it's twofold, right? We're really focusing on walk with history, talk with history this year on the American Dream Story, America 250.

,: 1935

But this year was really nice. It was like 60 degrees and great weather. And so I decided, since it's free, I decided to drop the kids off to school early and go and.

And experiences Elvis's 91st birthday, which was amazing.

Scott: 00:03:45

Yeah. So you went to Graceland, and I.

Jenn: 00:03:48

Got free cake and got to see the grave. And I met a fan. I met a Walk With History fan there. She recognized me.

We started talking, and she said she's gonna go over to the arcade restaurant to have a sandwich. Now, I had heard of the Arcade. Scott had taken me to the Lorraine Motel for a birthday a couple years ago to shop in the gift shop.

And we went over to the arcade and had a shake. And I knew it was a historic restaurant in Memphis. I just didn't know all of the history. So I was like, okay, have.

Well, while she was over there, she talked to the owner, and she told the owner what we do. And the owner was very interested in telling his family story.

Scott: 00:04:24

Yeah.

Jenn: 00:04:25

And so she got in touch with me and said, here's his card. Here's his information. He wants to hear from you. So I called him, and he immediately responded. We hit it off. He said, come this weekend.

I'll reserve the Elvis booth for you. I'll give you tons of time. Let's do a whole interview. And his story of the arcade restaurant. It's more than just an Elvis story.

It's a family immigration story. It's a family coming to America and really living the American dream in a town that really does define the history of America.

Memphis, Tennessee, is this crossroads of American history. I always say that. Here's the oldest cafe in this town.

It survived because of the history of the city, and it's been owned by this whole generation of Greek immigrant family here. So it really does. It encompasses all of the themes of Walk with History.

Scott: 00:05:20

Yeah. And it was a. We're summarizing it now. We'll talk about the history and the. The major events that it lived through.

through ellis Island. Right.: 1909

So just a couple years, Ellis island first opened and planted roots down here in Memphis, and we'll talk about how that came about. But Jeff did a fantastic job of kind of walking us through that history and pointing out kind of the.

It's almost like a Like a George Bailey type moment. Right. This restaurant was just there for certain events that happened in our American history.

And you may not have seen it, you may not have heard it, but it played a huge role.

And we're going to talk about what it did and how it survived through the 30s and World War II and its pivotal role in getting soldiers off to war in World War II, and then Martin Luther King and how the city had grown to this bustling metropolis and then it crashed and how it survived and how it's reviving now. And so it was really fascinating. And again, a little bit of. We always talk about a little bit of behind the scenes.

For me, for us, this was our first go at really sitting down, like doing a sit down documentary style. So I'm packing up all my bags and I'm taking the. The good cameras and doing all this stuff and loading up the car.

So it was a whole production and drove down. It's downtown Memphis, right. Not it's like a couple blocks from Beale Street. It's right, right around the corner, couple.

Jenn: 00:06:58

Blocks from Beale street. Right across from the train station, which is very. What's the word I'm looking for? Very apropos.

Scott: 00:07:04

Yeah.

Jenn: 00:07:05

For why it has survived.

Scott: 00:07:06

Yeah.

Jenn: 00:07:07

And for why. Why its location is pretty perfect.

And you wouldn't think of it today because trains aren't as vital to transportation in America as they were in the turn of the century. And all during the war and all during just the 50s and the baby booming area era. But yeah, it was.

What I really appreciated too, Scott, is his demeanor for just welcoming the story, welcoming the storytellers. He was very. He gave us such access and it was really great. He wants his family's history, his family story, the story of Memphis.

He wants more people to know.

Scott: 00:07:47

Yeah. And we probably interviewed him for probably almost an hour, hour and a half straight. Right.

We got about an hour of recording, which is a lot for video, and was able to put together. It's about 20 minutes if you're curious. Obviously it'll be linked in the show notes.

But let's walk through the story of the arcade restaurant which we're pitching to the public as. Right. This is Elvis's favorite restaurant. He would go there all the time, but there's so much more.

Jenn: 00:08:12

Yeah. So Elvis will get your foot in the door and then you'll stay because of the great history and the great food.

So young immigrant Zapatos, Spyros Zapatos, Spiros Zapatos, very Greek name. Right.

He comes through Ellis island and very much in the beginning, when you're coming to a new country, you're looking for your countrymen because you want to build community with people that you know and understand, especially if you're going to learn a new language, you want that protection as you branch out to become an American. And so he finds these Greek communities in New York and Chicago.

And as he's traveling to Chicago to be a part of these Greek communities to get his foot in the door to start his American dream, he ends up in Memphis. Now, he. The great thing about the Arcade restaurant, it's right across the street from the. The central train station of Memphis.

And Memphis is a crossroads for the trains going north and south and east and west in America.

And if you're stopping, as most trains do, to get on and off the different trains that you're heading on and you're hungry for lunch, this is before train stations had places to eat in them. Right across the street was a cafe. And so he's young, he's getting.

He's getting off of the train, and he becomes a part of the Greek community there in Memphis, Tennessee, and he starts working in the restaurant industry. And it's where he learns how to become a cook and cook and do these things that after World War I happens and he joins the war effort.

It's that cooking experience that really gets him his prime job. He becomes head chef of the biggest Navy ship during World War I. And we talked about this. We know this from being in the Navy.

Being a cook allows you a lot of access because you're going to be feeding everybody. Everyone needs to eat.

Scott: 00:10:06

Yeah. You get known by the senior officers.

Jenn: 00:10:08

On the ship because you're serving them and you're sitting with them and they're having long days, and they see this cook who's taking their time to really make good food for them. And they say, tell me about yourself. Tell me about you. Because as an officer, you're really trying to.

You want to know your people, you want to know your men, you want to take a break from all of the. All the war, and you want to really get to know your people.

And so a cook, you really, I know, like the admirals and the high dignitaries are going to be talking with the cooks. And because Mr. Zapatos was so great at cooking, he really made a name for himself on this big ship.

And so he also seemed like a person to me who is really great at making connection.

Scott: 00:10:52

That's a good point. And I'm glad you call that out, because we'll talk about some of what he does within the community a little bit later.

But that just seemed to be part and parcel of what he did.

Jenn: 00:11:01

Yeah, he's not just feeding a person's hunger, he's feeding their soul. Like he's having these conversations. He's part of this American dream. He believes in America.

Think of coming over to America from Greece and then fighting for that cut. Your new country. Right. Willing to fight and die for your new country. So he's feeding people souls. He believes in this dream.

And what high ranking official doesn't want to hear that?

Scott: 00:11:26

Yeah.

Jenn: 00:11:27

So after the war, he comes back to Memphis again. He's at this crossroads. And so he buys that restaurant right across the street from the train station, which was the Paris Cafe at the time.

He buys it. It's a wooden building. He buys the whole building.

Scott: 00:11:42

Yeah, it's cool. They have an old Paris Cafe receipt.

Jenn: 00:11:45

Yes.

Scott: 00:11:46

Kind of like in, behind glass in the back hallway. It's pretty neat.

Jenn: 00:11:49

And he names it the Arcade. Which Arcade? I think it's, I don't think it's that arcade. It's just arcade. Which at the time arcade meant gathering place.

We think of it today as a video game area because of the 80s, but it really means a place where people gather and community happens.

Now, again, he's made these great connections during World War I and he's, people are stopping along the trains and you think of veterans are stopping and they're like, oh, we know Zabato's owns that restaurant across from the train station. Well, then World War II happens and people are going into the war. And if you know anything about World War II, we've talked about Dick Winters.

How are they traveling to their forts? How are they traveling to the shores of New York to be shipped over to Europe?

How are they traveling to California to be shipped to Pacific on trains?

Scott: 00:12:36

Well, and if you think about it too, I want our podcast listeners, picture the United States, right? And then picture where Tennessee is. In that bottom left corner of Tennessee, you're really pretty close to the center of the country. Right.

You're right on the Mississippi right there. So it's a, it's a prime hub. And we, we've talked about it before on this podcast with the railroads and the Civil War and all this stuff.

Like this is a prime location was Memphis and the railroads that went north and south and east and west coming through here. And so it's the, for the, for the war effort.

Everybody leaving come from this area of the United States is going to be traveling through one of these major thoroughfares. And Memphis was a huge thoroughfare, central point at the time.

Jenn: 00:13:19

Exactly. And this is before they're putting lots of men onto planes and flying them.

They would just be done with boot camp and they'd put them all on trains and then get them to where they need to go.

And so because of the relationships that Zabados had made in World War I, and they knew this stop in Memphis, they knew he owned the restaurant across the street. So he was giving World War. He was given World War II rations to feed the soldiers during World War II. Traveling out to where they needed to go.

Scott: 00:13:47

Yeah, they specifically reached out to him and said, hey, we want to give you these rations and we need you to feed the men as they're coming through Memphis.

Jenn: 00:13:55

And so again, here's a man who is great at making connection and communication. So think of all of these young soldiers and the superiors and he's making those connections with everybody.

So the restaurant gets well known for all this. He gets well known for all of this.

He gets well known in, in doing this kind of communication and helping with that effort of just alleviating that part of the story.

And so when World War II is over and all these immigrants are influxing into America because of war torn countries, he's part of this group and it's a big, big organization that helps with that. What's the word I'm looking for? Transition. Yeah, transition from immigrant to American. He's a part of that group that helps with that.

And all the way up to the President of the United States, President Eisenhower.

Scott: 00:14:45

Yeah, there's a cool picture of spirits Patos with.

So he, he became part of root called ahepa A H E P A. I forget what it stands for off the top of my head essentially, but it did what you were talking about. And it had been founded before World War II, but he became a part of it and he helped start a bunch of branches in the greater Memphis area.

with President Eisenhower in: 1953

And I found other pictures of AHEPA leaders during the war meeting with FDR, not him, but other. So this is a big organization and it actually, it's still going on today. It's, it's, it's still alive and well today.

Jenn: 00:15:31

one it. Now we talk about the: 1950

It's a big city. And you get a young man who has recorded this song that has changed the whole face of American music. And he's from Memphis and he loves food.

If you know anything about Elvis Presley, he loves good, wholesome, home cooked southern food. And that's what the arcade restaurant does. And so it's one of his favorite restaurants restaurants in the city now even before he becomes famous.

Scott: 00:16:24

And it makes sense because this, so the, the arcade and, and we'll mention more on this a little bit later. But it was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week from basically essentially when it started for 50 plus years.

And we'll talk about the first time that it actually had to shut its doors. So this was like a hot, this is a hot spot, downtown Memphis. Like everybody was going through here and it was just.

e wall in the restaurant from: 1948

It has that old cars driving around and has the men with their hats and they're all dressed up and the women walking around and it looks like just this bustling metropolis. And it's almost like really? That was Memphis?

Jenn: 00:17:12

Yeah, I mean, and Jeff said it rivaled Chicago. So think about Chicago and New York and, and what's Great, it's open 247 because trains are going 24 7.

And it's the restaurant right across from the train station. So they're there to feed people anytime, any day. And then people who live in Memphis would know that they can go eat there anytime, any day.

Scott: 00:17:33

Including Elvis.

Jenn: 00:17:33

Including Elvis. So he loved the restaurant, he loved the food and think he's there before he becomes famous. He's there after he becomes famous.

So there is a booth there that's associated with Elvis Presley and that is after he becomes famous. Before he became famous, he probably ate everywhere in the restaurant. After he becomes famous.

He likes this back booth that faces a mirror that he can see the front door. And he, his face doesn't face the front door. All you see is the back of his head.

But he can see the front door because he's starting to recognize his impact on the public. And when people start to hear he's at a certain place, people start coming in to see him. And now we've talked about Elvis before.

This is the reason why he moves to Graceland is because so many people were coming to his house and he felt bad, right? He always feels bad about the impact he's making on other people who are just trying to have a sandwich or just trying to eat.

And so when he starts to see his stardom is creating a problem at the restaurant, he can get up and walk right out the back door. It's right beside the back door. He can just. Just grab whatever he's eating or. And just walk out the back door and go.

And so that's why it's the Elvis booth. And now you can reserve it. It has some Elvis memorabilia there. It has his signature there. You can sit where Elvis sat. That's where I sat.

You can eat one of his favorite things to order, which is the peanut butter and banana sandwich, fried. I ate it. You can see my reaction on Instagram.

Scott: 00:19:00

It's so funny because she. So I. I tried it and I actually ate the rest of it after she tried it because she said, did you like it?

I was like, yeah, I've had peanut butter and banana before. And Jen looked at you looked at me like I had horns growing out of my head. And I was like, peanut butter and banana is a pretty common snack, right?

And so if you're listening to this, please shoot us an email and let us know if you've ever just, like, put peanut butter on a plate and scooped your. The banana and the peanut butter. Because for me, growing up, that was a pretty common snack. And so it tasted exactly like that.

So I could see why Elvis ate it. I think the one that we had, they actually put bacon on it as well.

Jenn: 00:19:36

And for me, it was. It's just. It's not sweet. I. I love something sweeter. Cutting the peanut butter.

That's why I like peanut butter and jelly or like peanut butter and honey. The banana just wasn't sweet enough for me. And then the bacon was very salty, so I could see how it could be a good protein snack. Scott is shy.

He's saying he eats it all the time because most people who are working out are going to eat that all the time because of the protein and the quick carb load it's going to give you before you work out. And that's even what Jeff had brought up. Elvis liked it because you're getting hit with all like your protein, your fiber, your fruit all in one.

Scott: 00:20:11

It's a very filling snack.

Jenn: 00:20:13

And so. And I think Elvis had grown up on them, especially when his mother didn't have a lot of means.

She could always make peanut butter and banana sandwich. And so it was just a staple of his life. Now Jeff makes a point to say it's not the only thing he ordered.

He would come in and eat everything on the menu because it's good Southern food.

Scott: 00:20:30

And I like what Jeff said. And he brings up a good point. Because we went there because Elvis ate there. Other people won't go there because Elvis ate there.

Elvis didn't go there because Elvis ate there. Elvis went there because he liked good food. And so I thought that was a great point.

Because people, we get certain locations so associated with famous figures. Sometimes we have to realize before that famous figure became famous and was associated with that spot, it was just a good spot.

And that's what the arcade was.

Jenn: 00:20:57

Yes. And it's super neat. If you're an Elvis fan, you definitely want to go and visit there because it is Memphis's oldest cafe.

It also was Elvis's favorite place to eat and he loved the good food.

Scott: 00:21:10

And inside the restaurant, it still has that 50s hop hop vibe. So it's. It's a fun vibe just to go into and see. And even just looking around, you can see well.

And we'll talk about the other famous movies and actors and actresses that have been there, and we'll talk a little bit about. Bit more about that beyond Elvis.

Jenn: 00:21:27

So this is the 50s. Elvis gets very famous. 56, 58. And then from then on, he's gonna just. His stardom just rises and he will eat there continuously.

And that's why the booth is known for him now, because he's watching the impact he's making. But it's in the 60s that the arcade restaurant really undergoes a lot of historic ups and downs. And if you know it, we've.

If you're a fan of the channel, we've talked a lot about Martin Luther King. We do a lot with racial justice. And the Lorraine Motel is diagonal from the Arcade restaurant.

urant. And at the time in the: 1960

It's an African American hotel or a black hotel, a hotel that caters to the black community. It's an upscale hotel. So you have people like Nat King Cole staying there.

n, but he's there in April of: 1968

,: 1968

And if you know anything about the impact that that assassination had on the city, there was a lot of turmoil that happens. Because of that, rioting will start to happen.

since: 1919

Scott: 00:23:13

Yeah, 50 years.

Jenn: 00:23:15

So they're being asked 50 years later to lock their doors, and they can't find the key.

Scott: 00:23:21

I think he said they don't even have locks on the doors. He mentioned a name, I can't remember, Buddy something or other. And he said they had to go find Buddy so he could put locks on the doors.

Jenn: 00:23:31

Yeah, some famous locksmith in Memphis.

Scott: 00:23:33

Yes, because they literally had one, never closed. So two, of course, if they've never closed, they've never needed locks.

And so In April of: 1968

Jenn: 00:23:47

And they closed. They respond to what's happening in the city. They close.

And if you know anything about what happens after Martin Luther King's widow, Coretta Scott King, will come and finish the march. A lot of the civil rights leaders will come and finish the march. And so they. They are in downtown Memphis marching.

And again, Mr. Sabatos is contacted by the leadership of Memphis, saying, there's all these people here and they need to eat. We have no businesses open for them to eat. So what does Mr. Zapatos do? He unlocks those doors and he.

All of those protesters, all of those people who are there peacefully protesting after the Martin Luther King assassination, he feeds them all at the Arcade restaurant.

Now, unfortunately, what happens, Jeff explained, you have 50,000 people living downtown, and after all of this racial turmoil and everything that's happening in Memphis, it gets down to a population of 700 people living.

Scott: 00:24:44

ght? So we had, like the late: 1940

found a picture in the early: 1970

Jenn: 00:25:10

Three that stayed three. Three food businesses, three restaurants that stayed open. And the Arcade was one of them.

And I said, how do you survive going from 50,000 to 700, how do you stay open? And Jeff made it very clear it probably took a big loss and they probably operated in the deficit probably for years.

And it was really the dream of Mr. Sabatos to support the community, to be a pillar of the community, to help Memphis rebuild. He stayed open.

Scott: 00:25:43

Yeah. And I think at that time it had been not Spiro Zapatos, but Harry Spiro Zapato.

So his son that had taken over and was running the restaurant at that time, because Jeff mentioned his grandfather was really the one that, that stuck it out, right? He kind of kept it stuck up.

And there was a couple other Greek restaurant owners, right, that decided to weather the storm and they, they really stuck around and, and saw it all the way through until I'd say really in the 80s when things started slowly started picking up again.

Jenn: 00:26:13

So, and Scott had alluded to this, it's because this revitalization of Memphis started to happen. Memphis really found its place in American history and, and telling this American history story that a lot of these movies start to get made here.

And it becomes very much on the map. Walking in Memphis, right? Music starts to get made, people start to go, where did Elvis start? And John Grisham writes books about Memphis.

f is still holding on to this: 1940

So you can film a lot of things there that kind of take place in different time periods. That's why it's been used in Walk the Line, it's been used in Great Balls of Fire. So it really is revitalized with this movie film industry.

And if you watch the video, there's a long list of movies that are. That were filmed in the Arcade restaurant and Oscar winning movies. And it's just really amazing to hear that.

Plus you're going to get some famous people from the area. Justin Timberlake is from Memphis. He did a whole photo shoot at the Arcade restaurant.

Sports Illustrated did an entire photo shoot at the Arcade restaurant. So it really is now because of this family, because they've weathered the storm. It now has become a lifeline of American history.

It's vital to American history.

And again, if we're celebrating America 250 and we're telling this story of The American Dream, I would think now fourth generation is running this restaurant, that Mr. Sabato is the original owner, is seeing his American dream come true. So it was really a great place to go and visit again. If you're go.

If you're walking in the door because of Elvis, you're going to stay because of the history and the food, it's going to just become a place you always want to visit in Memphis. It really does appeal to civil rights.

If you're interested in civil rights and what people did to help support that movement, the Arcade restaurant is a part of that. If you're visiting the Lorraine Motel to see the Civil Rights Museum, go over to the Arcade restaurant and support them. They fed the protesters.

If you want to just be immersed in movie memorabilia, sit where Orlando Bloom sat. Sit where Ethan Hawke sat.

Scott: 00:28:31

The counter up front has, like clear Plexiglass and they have all these pictures of these famous actors that have come through there. And so it's like Jake Gyllenhaal. And I'm trying to think of all of them off the top of my head, but there's a ton, right? Watch the video.

Go watch the video and you'll see. But Justin Timberlake's, he has a couple pictures there and there's musicians that have come through there.

I saw a picture of Jack White, Fred Savage, like just a whole range of actors and actresses and famous musicians that have come through here is really cool.

Jenn: 00:28:59

It's really cool. And we were very thankful to have that access and to be able to tell this story.

It really fits in for the themes of Walk With History and the themes of America. We were very fortunate to do that. If you want to visit the Arcade restaurant, it's at 540 S. Main St.

It's open seven days a week, 7am to 3pm There is an Elvis booth. You can reserve it.

I don't know what the specifics are on reserving it, but I would remind our viewers the busy weeks are always Elvis's birthday week and Elvis's death week.

Scott: 00:29:31

Early January, Mid August.

Jenn: 00:29:33

Mid August. And so I would say you probably want to get at least a month out to reserve the booth for that.

Other than that, you probably could reserve a day of or a day before.

But it's a great place to sit and eat great food, be immersed in American history and then just stay for the great atmosphere and the story that it tells.

Scott: 00:29:51

Yeah, and again, thanks to Jeff and his staff there, he's got staff that have been working there for 5, 10, 20 years. So it really is a family environment that he's created there.

Scott: 00:30:02

It's really, really cool.

Scott: 00:30:09

Sitting in that booth where Elvis once sat, you realize that the arcade is more than just a place to get a great breakfast. It's proof of what happens when you stay put.

Through the boom of the 20s and the rations of the 40s, the heartbreak of the 60s and the revitalization of today, the Zapatos family kept the coffee brewing. It's the ultimate American dream. A 19 year old immigrant who didn't just want a job, he wanted to build something that would outlast him.

And here we are four generations later, still hearing his story. Next time you find yourself in Memphis, walk down South Main, head to the corner and find that back door.

Slide into a vinyl booth, order the peanut butter and banana sandwich and take a second to listen. The walls there have been listening for over over 100 years and they've got plenty of stories left to tell.

If you enjoyed this trip to Memphis, be sure to check out our documentary video of the Arcade on our YouTube channel to see Jeff and the restaurant for yourself. We'll talk to you next time.

Jenn: 00:31:08

Thank you.

Scott: 00:31:13

This has been the Walk with History production. Walk With History is created and hosted by me, Scott Benny, episode researched by Jennifer Bank.

Check out the show notes for links and references mentioned in this episode. Talk with History is supported by our community@thehistoryroadtrip.com and eternal thanks go out to our Lifetime members to help keep us going.

Thank you to dougliberty, Larry Myers, Patrick Benny, Gail Cooper, Kristy Coates, Calvin Gifford, Courtney Sineen, Jean Noah, Larry Mitchell, Tony Anderson, Susan Sulas, Bruce Lynch.

Scott: 00:31:52

Make sure you hit that follow button.

Scott: 00:31:53

And that podcast player and we'll talk.

Scott: 00:31:55

To you next time.