Uncle Milties Restaurant

 Restaurants, diners, luncheonettes, and lunch counters in some retail shops and pharmacies were prevalent during the 20th century. Many neighborhoods could point to at least one. Here is the story of Uncle Miltie's Restaurant, not the comedian Milton Berle, which operated in the mid to late 20th century.

On August 10, 1956, Miltiades Karapangiotis, also known as Milton Karas, opened Uncle Miltie's Restaurant. The original location of the restaurant was at 383 Main Street, opposite the former Stein's Kiddies World. The space was the former Bert's Spaghetti House, which was in the location from 1954 to 1956. Today, the building no longer exists, due to a fire and health department issues with the building's owner.

Uncle Miltie's Restaurant operated 24 hours a day, except for Monday nights and early Tuesday mornings, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The restaurant occasionally advertised its daily specials, including pot roast, stuffed cabbage, chicken croquettes, and spaghetti dishes. Most often, it relied on the neighborhood to support the business.

By the early 1970s, the operating hours were cut back to early evenings, 2 P.M. on Saturdays, and closed on Sundays.

In 1972, pizza was introduced to the menu, a menu item that was gaining a foothold at various existing or new eateries throughout Holyoke.

On August 21, 1974, the restaurant reopened at 251 Main Street near Appleton. The new dining spot could accommodate more customers. Over $60,000 was spent on making alterations to the building for the restaurant.

In August 1985, Mr. Karas put the business up for sale. It was advertised for a period without a purchase. In September 1986, help-wanted ads appeared seeking waitstaff. 

The restaurant had been taken over by Jonathan Karas, who operated it until September 1996, when it was again placed for sale. The ads then changed to reflect a piecemeal sale of the contents, such as the equipment, dishes, pots and pans, booths, and other furnishings.

In 1998, a Race Street pub sought a beer and wine license transfer of the unused license, and the real estate was sold to the neighboring New England Etching Company to expand its business.

Citations:

Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations include Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram, and Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican, with publication dates and pages shown.