Sullivan's Coffee Shop, Avalon, Santa Catalina 1941
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This menu for Sullivan’s Coffee Shop in Avalon, Santa Catalina, is dated May 1941 when the idyllic island off the coast of southern California had yet to be affected by WWII.
Tourists and locals alike would have flocked to this establishment that offered breakfasts, a la carte and table d’hote combinations and a Chef’s Special Luncheon for the princely sum of 50c. A Coca Cola cost 5c.
The popular rendezvous for yacht-owners, the rich and famous and day-trippers on budgets, was closed to tourists seven months later in December 1941 following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The island was transformed into a top-secret U.S. Maritime Service and Merchant Marine training base. Thousands of servicemen and women trained there, representing the U.S Maritime Service, U.S Coastguard, U.S Army Signal Corps and the classified Office of Strategic Services (OSS.) T
Tourist hotels like the St. Catherine Hotel and the Hotel Atwater were emptied of their civilian furnishings and used as barracks.
The island’s elegant Casino building, the golf course, and the Chicago Cubs' former spring training facility were all repurposed for maritime and covert operations training. At Toyon Bay, servicemen were trained in jungle combat and espionage.
Local shops and restaurants stayed open and adapted to serving a military clientele. We assume Sullivan’s took advantage of this influx too.
There was a Sullivan’s Department Store in Avalon for many years – we believe it closed in the late 80s. There could be a connection – we will update when we find out.
Santa Catalina Island officially reopened to tourists on March 6, 1946.
Each order includes a print of the interior menu.
All printed in USA.
