Once we had finished visiting with Santa and doing some gift shopping for our family, it was time to head back out into the cold.  If I went to Lazarus with my mother, we would go next door to Kresge's Five and Dime store to have a club sandwich and a coke.  Which was like fine dining to me at the time.

My grandparents never ate out.  My mother was the one who ate at different places. 

Going to the Five and Dime store was always an adventure.  The name of the store comes from the prices that were often charged for items in the store.  Five cents or Ten cents.  Which really wasn't true while I was growing up.  But you could find all types of goods for sale at reasonable prices.  I have always considered these stores to be the front runner of the Dollar Stores.

The lunch counter was always crowded at Kresge's.  We often had to stand and wait for a seat.  Sometimes we would get lucky and manage to get a booth instead of a counter seat.  It was far more comfortable to sit on the red leather seats than at the counter.

Back then, Coke was the major cola.   I can remember the first time we had a club sandwich and a Coke.  It tasted so good! After that-I was hooked on them. 

This was not a self serve situation.  Someone took your order for food.  There were a lot of different items to choose from.  There was always a special for the day.  The usual hamburger and french fry combos.  But the Club Sandwich ruled in my mind!