Steve's Gay 90's restaurant was located at 5238-40 South Tacoma Way. The restaurant was opened by Steve Pease and John Stanley in 1950 as Steve's Cafe and later changed its name to better fit its decor. Steve's offered a smorgasbord every day (at $1 for lunch) and entertainment in the evening. The restaurant offered cocktails and American food served smorgasbord style for a nominal charge, with dining music and entertainment provided. The Gay Nineties had a smorgasbord table and booths decorated to appear like "surreys with fringe on top." Checked table cloths and wagon wheel chandeliers complete the down home look.
Steve's Gay '90s operated from 1950 to 1977 and was one of Tacoma's most popular night spots. It grew from a 20 person cafe to a huge complex that could seat up to 725 at a time. In the mid fifties, Steve's added to their unique treasure trove an actual cable car, converted to street driving, bought at auction in San Francisco and driven to Tacoma. The Cable Car Room then opened with replicas of Tacoma and San Francisco cable cars as booths in the cocktail lounge. The crowning gem was the Opera House, opened in a mid fifties expansion, furnished with antiques from the South Tacoma mansions and featuring a twice nightly floor show with can can girls, among other performers.
Special thanks to the Tacoma Public Library for the information and some of the text above. You can see nearly 100 images of Steve's from the Library's fantastic image archive here.
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This was my Great Uncle Steve's restaurant. It was actually originally established in 1941, and grew from a small diner into one of the most popular nightspots in western Washington. Steve's entertained & fed everyone from high ranking political figures to the local " working girls" .
I spent many wonderful nights there stuffing my face with bread pudding from the smorgasbord and guzzling Shirley Temples. Sadly, Uncle Steve's business partner "redistributed" restaurant funds in the 1970's, this coupled with the public interest in disco's, Steve's was unable to stay fiscally afloat. My Aunt & Uncle even had to auction off their lovely home & prized collection of carriages. I'm sure there's a great deal more gossip regarding Steve's, but I was only 11 when it closed, and Everyonr who might give me the real scoop has passed away. It was a true gem! Thanks for including it in your blog. I truly enjoyed the trip down memory lane!
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