Old School Rhode Island Restaurants Gone - But Not Forgotten

Old School Rhode Island Restaurants Gone - But Not Forgotten

William Hurley is helping to preserve Rhode Island's culinary history, with the help of both friends and strangers. 

The owner of McShortagee's Market in Riverside has a unique attraction for customers to peruse - menus of old restaurants in East Providence, and beyond. 

From Asquino's to Crawshaw's to the Crescent Park Inn, Hurley is accumulating a "paper trail" of the offerings of once-popular eateries, which show that back in the day, there were some eye-watering prices. 

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

There was baked stuffed shrimp for $5.25. Broiled sirloin was $2.75. And at that point, coffee was "still ten cents."

As GoLocal first reported, McShortagee's opened this past spring, and along with produce, groceries, and prepared foods, Hurley wanted to feature Riverside lore, and more.

"I try to get people out of 'today.' When you’re here looking at all this stuff, you’re not thinking about the everyday doldrums, the crap that people are arguing on Facebook about," he said. 

 GoLocal spoke with Hurley about how he is accumulating his menu collection - and which "old school" restaurants he is hoping to add to his offerings. 

 

 

Hurley said since McShortagee's opened, customers - both people that he knows, and others he does not - bring in pieces of memorabilia to share with him, which include menus, and more. 

"A lot of them will just be standing in line, waiting for cold cuts or hot weiners and say, you got a second? And they’ll just have like a book of matches from Almacs," said Hurley.

As far as restaurants are concerned, Hurley said each one usually comes with a story. 

"A lot of times, people will say I worked there, or my mother worked there, she saved this, I have no idea why she saved it," said Hurley. "And I see how excited people get to see things like this."

Hurley shared which restaurants' menus he would love to add to his roster. 

"I’m looking for a Wampanoag Diner one, It was a long red building, a total 1950s diner, right down to the sticky floor," said Hurley. "I'm also looking for Horton’s Seafood."

And Hurley said he even welcomes menus from beyond Riverside borders. 

"We even get Barrington people coming in here all the time," he laughed. 

 

 

While Hurley accumulates documentation of eateries' past, he is also establishing his own mark in Riverside.

Hurley talked about what has been popular at McShortagee's since opening. 

"It’s definitely hot weiners — we sometimes will go through 250 a day," said Hurley, of featuring the Rhode Island staple. "The meatloaf dinners are very, very popular, because it comes with two sides, and people are looking for something a little balanced than just a sandwich."

And they’re bringing heat with their very own hot sauce.