The Jucy Lucy

In 1953, a man walked into Matt’s Bar, a neighborhood watering hole in the south side of Minneapolis, and asked the bartender, Matt Bristol, to make him “something special.” Back then many corner taverns were outfitted with tiny flat top grills just behind the bar, alongside the cash register and bottles of booze. Bartenders were expected to mix drinks and flip burgers, and food was offered as a way to nourish the regulars and keep them from heading home for dinner. In some cases the food that bars offered back then was free, used as an incentive for customers to stick around and keep drinking.