Bill and Nada's Cafe

The story

Bill McHenry and his wife, Nada, opened the cafe in 1946, a year after they married. It ran 24 hours a day. The decor barely changed after the post-war opening. Nada died in 1961 at 38. Bill remarried and kept the name, which Fox 13 says was intentional, as a tribute to her.

It drew all kinds of patrons, including former governor John Huntsman. Waitress Ruth worked the graveyard shift and greeted the late crowd with 'It's showtime!' The signature dish was calf brains and eggs. There were also orange pancakes, stuffed veal hearts and fried rabbit, and a Big Bill sandwich. Bill chose the songs on the jukebox at each booth, and a spinning wheel could win a free meal. He ran the cafe until August 1999 and it closed after he died. A neighbor later recalled it was torn down, with the sign, bricks and paint all destroyed.

What's There Now

I could not confirm what occupies the site now.

Everything that was here

• 1946–1999

  Bill and Nada's CafeRestaurant

  A 24-hour cafe that served brains and eggs, kept Nada's name for decades after her death, and closed with Bill in 1999.

  See the map in 1947 →

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Nearby history