William F. Schrafft—a Bavarian confectioner—founded this candy company in Boston in 1861. He sold gum drops and candy canes. His sons joined the firm, and by 1927, Schrafft’s and Sons had built the largest chocolate and candy production factory in the world, in Charlestown, Massachusetts.
In 1929, the Frank G. Shattuck Company bought Schrafft’s to operate the company’s retail stores. Frank G. Shattuck had been the top salesman for the Schrafft family. The Schrafft’s chain of restaurants began with the goal of promoting candy sales. The dining area or tearoom, with its soda fountain, genteel décor, and feminine touch, quickly became popular. One outlet in 1898 in Boston led to twenty restaurants by 1915, mostly in New York City. Women were hired as cooks, waitresses, and managers, and many women spent their entire careers at Schrafft’s, which provided bonuses and paid vacations.
