Crown Candy Kitchen
Crown Candy Kitchen is a fast food restaurant, Ice [cream parlor|ice cream fountain], and candy store located on St. Louis Avenue in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri.
This St. Louis landmark is the oldest operating soda fountain in the metropolitan area, and one of the oldest in the country. The restaurant has an old-fashioned decor with Coca-Cola memorabilia from the 1930s, an antique cash register, and four-person booths. It offers a simple menu with sandwiches, "Chili, Tamales and Other Hot Stuff" and is known for its desserts, especially its handmade malts and milkshakes. It is a popular lunch destination for office workers in downtown St. Louis. The chocolate is made from decades-old molds, some imported from Holland and Germany.
History
The restaurant was founded in 1913 by two Macedonian immigrants. It was first operated by Harry Karandzieff and his friend Pete Jugaloff, then his son George, and later George's three sons, Andy, Tommy, and Mike Karandzieff.Harry Karandzieff and his friend Pete Jugaloff opened Crown Candy in 1913.
Crown Candy has been making ice cream since 1925.
A fire caused by a space heater damaged the restaurant on December 25, 1983. Some Coca-Cola memorabilia and $2,000 of candy was destroyed.
Business was slowest in the 1970s and picked up in the 1990s.
Crown Candy switched from Coca-Cola to Pepsi in 1999.
George Karandzieff died in hospice on Easter Sunday of 2005 after his sons finished up their work at Crown Candy, with Easter being their busiest time of year.