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Wednesday, March 12, 2008
In New Haven, A Dandy Rescue
Alumni Rally To Save The Yankee Doodle, A Yale Hangout For Decades
THE YANKEE DOODLE has been a New Haven fixture since 1950. (GEORGE MOTZ/ HAMBURGER AMERICA / HANDOUT / March 6, 2008)
By ADRIAN BRUNE Special to The Courant
March 13, 2008
For as much tradition as it touts, New Haven's classic greasy spoon, the Yankee Doodle — a Yale refuge for undergrads in need of a good burger — certainly found a new home in an unexpected place.Hours after Rick Beckwith, the "Doodle"'s heir and owner, posted a handwritten sign that said, "Unfortunately, due to economic times, I regretfully announce today, Jan. 29th, the Doodle is closing its doors for good" at 6 a.m. that morning, he scraped down the grill, cleared out the fridges and wiped down the counters for the last time, expecting his 50-year-old New Haven landmark to remain just a memory.After all, rent had reached an all-time high, and the economy brought more bad business days than good ones. Neighboring chains, such as Au Bon Pain and Gourmet Haven, also started to eat into the Doodle's business, especially as local palates started leaning toward more healthful fare.
Related links
Yankee Doodle Burger Photo
Grilled Glazed Donut Photo
Facebook: Save The Doodle
Unknown to Beckwith, however, an unofficial cadre of Yale alumni took action as soon as they bore witness to the Doodle's fate. Within two days, the Yankee Doodle restaurant officially had a website ( www.thedoodle.com), a presence on myspace.com and its own profile on facebook, the social-networking favorite of many a Yalie.More than a month later, Beckwith is working on a plan to occupy a new home around the corner, hang a refurbished 1950s sign and fire up the charcoals again. "I never dreamed selling a burger to a Yalie would make such a difference," said Beckwith, who knows a grill far more intimately than a keyboard. "There is a massive amount of support. I've had to literally answer 1,000 e-mails."That's because Beckwith family friend Phillip McKee, a Yale alum, created a plan in early January to save the restaurant, known for its annual burger-eating contests — "really, they take place whenever someone issues a challenge," Beckwith said — and its classic soda fountain. For starters, he proposed each of the 12 stools in the restaurant host a sponsor plaque, sold to a Doodle denizen for $2,000, and then he developed special discount cards entitling regulars to a price rebate of up to 50 percent for a donation of $100 to $1,000.The initial marketing push didn't happen quickly enough, however. "It was a sign of the times. The economy as a whole has been suffering dramatically," Beckwith said. Competition also played a part: When the Doodle first opened its doors 50 years ago, Yalies could choose between three other restaurants; a dozen now occupy the Broadway corridor.Ironically, Beckwith's scribbled note on the door kicked off the cyber chain of events. Without his knowledge, several Yalies devised the "Save the Doodle" profile on Facebook, which attracted about 2,600 members in four days, followed by the myspace page. Yale came on board shortly after, offering a plot of the university's highly sought-after retail space. As fast as fries come with an order, the Doodle was resurrected."I appealed to Rick myself, asking him to consider reopening," wrote George Motz, the creator of "Hamburger America," a documentary about America's favorite burger joints and also the name of a book that will be released next month, in a weblog not long after the Doodle shut its doors. "Because of the massive movement to save The Doodle, it just might happen," he wrote before adding that he remains a favorite consumer of the "Dandy Double Doodle."In April 1950, Lewis Beckwith Sr., Rick's grandfather, opened a 10-stool coffee shop on Broadway, naming it Yankee Doodle, after the familiar song. Three years later, he added a few more stools, but ever since, "The Doodle" has maintained the status quo, with Cokes still made from syrup and seltzer, and a cash register that doesn't ring up more than $2 at a time.About eight years ago, Lewis Jr. retired and handed the family business to his son, who has worked with his sister and mother, Pat, ever since to keep place open. Though he plans on maintaining the traditional fare in the new spot, Beckwith said he would also add a few "healthier" options to the menu, hoping to remain competitive with the neighboring establishments."I always appreciated the people who I met over the years, but I never understood the lives the Doodle touched," said Beckwith, who has Doodle fundraising memorabilia — umbrellas, mouse-pads and coffee mugs — back-ordered for months. "It was home for me, and it seems to have been home for a lot of others, too."
More articles
Alumni Rally To Save The Yankee Doodle, A Yale Hangout For Decades
THE YANKEE DOODLE has been a New Haven fixture since 1950. (GEORGE MOTZ/ HAMBURGER AMERICA / HANDOUT / March 6, 2008)
By ADRIAN BRUNE Special to The Courant
March 13, 2008
For as much tradition as it touts, New Haven's classic greasy spoon, the Yankee Doodle — a Yale refuge for undergrads in need of a good burger — certainly found a new home in an unexpected place.Hours after Rick Beckwith, the "Doodle"'s heir and owner, posted a handwritten sign that said, "Unfortunately, due to economic times, I regretfully announce today, Jan. 29th, the Doodle is closing its doors for good" at 6 a.m. that morning, he scraped down the grill, cleared out the fridges and wiped down the counters for the last time, expecting his 50-year-old New Haven landmark to remain just a memory.After all, rent had reached an all-time high, and the economy brought more bad business days than good ones. Neighboring chains, such as Au Bon Pain and Gourmet Haven, also started to eat into the Doodle's business, especially as local palates started leaning toward more healthful fare.
Related links
Yankee Doodle Burger Photo
Grilled Glazed Donut Photo
Facebook: Save The Doodle
Unknown to Beckwith, however, an unofficial cadre of Yale alumni took action as soon as they bore witness to the Doodle's fate. Within two days, the Yankee Doodle restaurant officially had a website ( www.thedoodle.com), a presence on myspace.com and its own profile on facebook, the social-networking favorite of many a Yalie.More than a month later, Beckwith is working on a plan to occupy a new home around the corner, hang a refurbished 1950s sign and fire up the charcoals again. "I never dreamed selling a burger to a Yalie would make such a difference," said Beckwith, who knows a grill far more intimately than a keyboard. "There is a massive amount of support. I've had to literally answer 1,000 e-mails."That's because Beckwith family friend Phillip McKee, a Yale alum, created a plan in early January to save the restaurant, known for its annual burger-eating contests — "really, they take place whenever someone issues a challenge," Beckwith said — and its classic soda fountain. For starters, he proposed each of the 12 stools in the restaurant host a sponsor plaque, sold to a Doodle denizen for $2,000, and then he developed special discount cards entitling regulars to a price rebate of up to 50 percent for a donation of $100 to $1,000.The initial marketing push didn't happen quickly enough, however. "It was a sign of the times. The economy as a whole has been suffering dramatically," Beckwith said. Competition also played a part: When the Doodle first opened its doors 50 years ago, Yalies could choose between three other restaurants; a dozen now occupy the Broadway corridor.Ironically, Beckwith's scribbled note on the door kicked off the cyber chain of events. Without his knowledge, several Yalies devised the "Save the Doodle" profile on Facebook, which attracted about 2,600 members in four days, followed by the myspace page. Yale came on board shortly after, offering a plot of the university's highly sought-after retail space. As fast as fries come with an order, the Doodle was resurrected."I appealed to Rick myself, asking him to consider reopening," wrote George Motz, the creator of "Hamburger America," a documentary about America's favorite burger joints and also the name of a book that will be released next month, in a weblog not long after the Doodle shut its doors. "Because of the massive movement to save The Doodle, it just might happen," he wrote before adding that he remains a favorite consumer of the "Dandy Double Doodle."In April 1950, Lewis Beckwith Sr., Rick's grandfather, opened a 10-stool coffee shop on Broadway, naming it Yankee Doodle, after the familiar song. Three years later, he added a few more stools, but ever since, "The Doodle" has maintained the status quo, with Cokes still made from syrup and seltzer, and a cash register that doesn't ring up more than $2 at a time.About eight years ago, Lewis Jr. retired and handed the family business to his son, who has worked with his sister and mother, Pat, ever since to keep place open. Though he plans on maintaining the traditional fare in the new spot, Beckwith said he would also add a few "healthier" options to the menu, hoping to remain competitive with the neighboring establishments."I always appreciated the people who I met over the years, but I never understood the lives the Doodle touched," said Beckwith, who has Doodle fundraising memorabilia — umbrellas, mouse-pads and coffee mugs — back-ordered for months. "It was home for me, and it seems to have been home for a lot of others, too."
More articles
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