Interior of the Clover Bar Restaurant- Kress Building

Clover Bar inside S H Kress store in downtown Tampa

Interior of the Clover Bar Restaurant. 1947. Robertson and Fresh.

Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.

While all other department stores had lunch counters, innovators at the S H Kress store downtown put in the Clover Bar. Customers could just walk up to the counter and order (notice there are no stools) and continue shopping. The bar featured Coke products – a bottle of Coca-Cola was a nickel- along with fresh Florida Limeade, orange juice, and a generic chocolate drink for a dime. They also serve hot dogs, hamburgers, and lunch meat sandwiches for 15¢ and a barbeque beef or pork sandwich for 20¢. Jumbo ice cream sandwiches and slices of cake were also there for 10¢.

This picture, taken in 1947, must have been in late March or early April as Easter merchandise is visible and Easter fell on April 6. The photo's title, “Interior of the Clover Bar Restaurant,” suggests this was the interior of a full eatery. However, a close inspection of the print shows the bar was set in the middle of the retail space at Kress, with costume jewelry visible at the far left and other store merchandise recognizable in the mirror's reflection.