In early March 1969, about 300 school lunch workers from Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties attended an in- service training at Queensbury High School.
The session included a lecture about “Nutrition and the Type-A Lunch,” a film strip about “Improving Teen-Age Nutrition,” and a demonstration of the new Hobart food cutter.
Joseph’s Open Air Fruit and Vegetable Market • Photo courtesy of The Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library
At the end of the session, Saseen “Doc” Joseph, of Joseph’s Diner on Warren Street in Glens Falls, cooked and served attendees a Lenten fish fry.
Fried breaded haddock, sold by the pound and “cooked while you wait,” was the signature take-out special at Joseph’s Diner from 3 to 6:30 p.m. every Friday, and every afternoon during Lent.
Over the years, a more gourmet style of fish would be added to the menu, served table side in a cast iron skillet instead of to go.
In 1996, chef Jeffrey Joseph, third- generation co-owner, won first place in a national culinary contest for his recipe for Trout Adirondack – trout filets sautéed with peppers and potatoes in a sauce of vermouth and heavy cream, served with corn on the cob.
For nearly 40 years, Joseph’s Diner, later Joseph’s Restaurant, was a popular eatery on the city’s East End, located at the building that now is the Hometown Real Estate office and retail plaza.
“If you’re looking for generous portions of great food at reasonable prices, it’s hard to beat Joseph’s Restaurant in Glens Falls,” Post-Star restaurant reviewer Marcia Corliss Johnson wrote in 1987.
Daily specials in 1970 included ground beef steak, onions, mashed potatoes and gravy for $1 on Nov. 4, hot ham sandwich with mashed potatoes for $1 on Oct. 28, and creamed chip beef with mashed potatoes for $1 on Oct. 6.
$1 dollar then is the equivalent of $6.54 in 2020 dollars.
Joseph’s Diner Ribbon Cutting • Photo courtesy of The Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library
Some from Generation X may remember the annual free Christmas dinners Joseph’s served at the Glens Falls Youth Center in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The diner was a hub for social interaction, and a good place to catch the pulse of the community.
In 1975, Doc Joseph “was curious” whether national polls showing support for a federal “bailout” of New York City reflected local opinion. So he put out a ballot box at the diner at and conducted his own weeklong poll. Of 90 customers that participated, 55 were opposed. Another 30 customers supported it and five were undecided.
“According to Joseph, the poll involved a ‘wide cross-section of people’ ranging from gas station attendants to business executives,” Post-Star reporter Ciff Lee reported at the time.
William and Elizabeth Joseph, parents of Doc, opened the diner, with space initially for just a few stools, on Jan. 25, 1960. The Syrian immigrant couple previously had operated Joseph’s Open-Air Fruit and Vegetable Market on Warren Street since the late 1930s.
Joseph’s Open Air Fruit and Vegetable Market • Photo courtesy of The Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library
Doc and his wife Jean bought the business in 1966, around the time of Doc’s father’s death, and the next year renovated and expanded the building, quadrupling the size of the kitchen and increasing seating to capacity to 60 people.
The renovation cost $7,000 – the equivalent of about $55,000 in 2020 dollars.
Mayor James Donnelly cut the ribbon for the grand reopening on May 20.
Another expansion was undertaken in 1974 when Doc Joseph bought and demolished a former laundromat next door to the restaurant in order to expand seating from 60 to 140 people with a separate room for overflow seating and banquets.
An on-site and off-site catering business was established.
Mayor Robert Cronin and 1st Ward Councilman Thomas Wade were among the first customers served coffee at yet another grand reopening on Dec. 18, 1974.
In 1996 Doc Joseph sold the restaurant to his sons, Jeffrey and William Joseph, but Doc continued to manage the catering aspect of the business. Jeffrey was executive chef and William handled the financial aspect.
The restaurant closed in 1999.
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Sources: The Post-Star Jan. 25, 1960; Nov. 25, 1966; April 14, May 16, 20, 1967; March 14, 1969; Oct. 6, 28, Nov. 4, 1970; Dec. 19, 1974; April 5, 1987; Dec. 31, 1992; Jan. 17, 1996; Jan. 19, 1997; March 2, 1999
MAURY THOMPSON
Maury Thompson was a reporter for The Post-Star for 21 years before he retired in 2017. He now is a freelance writer and documentary film producer specializing in regional history. Thompson is collaborating with Snarky Aardvark Films to produce a documentary about Charles Evans Hughes and the Adirondacks, which is expected to release in September 2020. See the trailer here. Read his full bio here.
