I love these old advertising postcards. It reminds me of a time when people didn't eat at McDonald's because the damn things were so hard to find. I admit it. I made a huge mistake. Fast food places were just beginning their strangle hold on fast and cheap meals when I was growing up, and back then, I was all for avoiding the local diners, with all their eccentricities in favor of the predictability of the posted menu. I have to say, I'd love to find a chicken fried steak, a bowl of chili, or a piece of cream pie, all cooked from the cook's own personal recipe book, all served by a waitress who would have never offered to super size things for me.
So, I did run a search on Terry's Cafeteria, and I did find a Facebook page with that title, though absent pictures of the building, I suspect it's a nostalgia site as opposed to one operated by an existing restaurant. I found an obituary for Cleo Terry, the owner of the cafeteria. Born in 1919 in Knoxville, Iowa, died 2008, Delaware, Ohio. A 1937 graduate of Piqua High School, he was a World War 2 veteran who served in the Normandy campaign. He was a member of the Disabled Veterans of America, so he didn't come out of the war unscathed. I couldn't find anything on when Terry's first opened it's doors, but it's a fairly safe bet it was after the war.
This card was never mailed. Captioned, "TERRY'S CAFETERIA, 105 E. Greene st., Piqua, Ohio 45356, 1/2 Mile from I-75, West on U.S. 36. Seating Capacity 350. Banquet and Party Rooms. Phone (513) 778-0566 AAA Rated."
