There's just one Glass Kitchen left.
Mrs. W's younger daughter Arlene wanted to treat her husband Omar (who's from San Juan, a town near McAllen in the Valley) to a delicious burger and those irresistible greasy french fries. So on Sunday (Feb. 17) Mrs. W and I, her older daughter Annette and Andy and kids, and Arlene and Omar, went there to eat lunch. (Sadly, my own daughter Marie was unable to make it.)
From what little I was able to find online, Glass Kitchen (and here) opened in 1951, so it's been around for a while. Another online reference included a link to a Facebook page.
I recall there being several Glass Kitchen restaurants when I moved to Webb County in 1976. I remember there were restaurants on Saunders Street, Park Street (across from Martin High School), Arkansas Avenue, Guadalupe Street (which recently closed), and the remaining location on Corpus Christi Street at Marcella Avenue, near Memorial Middle School. There could have been others but these are the ones I remember.
Some were bigger than others, with inside and outside ordering windows and inside seating. Others, like the one across from Martin High, were just a kitchen and ordering window with picnic tables outside where one could eat.
Getting back to Sunday, we put two tables together and then ordered while waiting for Annette and Andy. Omar ordered a Big Red, frito pie and a hamburger, and later mooched a few fries from them. I had the large barbecue basket and Dr. Pepper, Mrs. W had beef enchiladas (it came with fries!) and a Sprite, Arlene had a burger and fries and a Coke, and Andy and Annette and kids had the "Family Pack" -- four burgers, giant order of fries and four sodas.
The GK is quite popular! Three times people came in who knew Mrs. W and daughters, so we'd eat a bit, then get up and greet their old friends, then return to eating. For me it was frustrating because all I wanted to do was eat and go home and take a nap before going to work at the newspaper.
I'm told the Corpus Christi Street location was once a popular hangout for high school students. It's reasonably close to Martin High School, and also to the now-closed St. Joseph's Academy (a private school once located at Memorial's site) and Ursuline Academy (now St. Augustine High School). I suppose it was a kind-of real life version of the Happy Days television show (and here).
The restaurant still has covered parking, where at one time I'm told "carhops" (waiters and waitresses) would come out to the cars parked underneath and take orders. Later they'd bring the orders to people in the cars. Now there are windows in the front of the restaurant where people can walk up and place their orders. GK doesn't have a drive-through like many fast-food restaurants.
Anyway, it's a great place to eat, especially if you're craving greasy food that tastes delicious. And, an era ends when the GK eventually closes.
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http://my.hsj.org/Schools/Newspaper/tabid/100/view/frontpage/schoolid/30/articleid/578201/newspaperid/6/The_last_Glass_Kitchen_is_the_end_of_an_era.aspx