# What was the name of Alice's Restaurant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701 "2005-09-15T01:06:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/1 "2005-09-15T01:06:16Z")
“Alice’s Restaurant” is (was) not the name of the restaurant. It’s just the name of the song. That’s why Arlo Guthrie called the song “Alice’s Restaurant”. So what was the name of the restaurant. I vaguely recall reading it in a NYT article this summer, but I can’t for the life of me remember it now, nor can I seem to comb any information about the name from the web – other than the fact that it’s not “Alice’s Restaurant”. It might be mentioned (or shown) in the movie, but I’m not dropping the $5 to rent it when I have the collected wisdom of the SDMB at my fingertips :D. ---
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/2 "2005-09-15T01:11:32Z")
It’s Mel’s Diner ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/3 "2005-09-15T01:14:51Z")
Where are you going that charges 5 to rent old movies? I need to know so I can stay far, far away. Most places these days charge .99-$2.50 or free with the rental of a new movie. As for the restaurant…Alice owned it, but that’s all I know. I’ve never heard it called Mel’s Diner, where did you find that, sj2? I also think it’s worth mentioning that I met Arlo a few months ago. Hell of a nice guy and a great storyteller. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/4 "2005-09-15T01:17:08Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I’ve never heard it called Mel’s Diner, where did you find that, sj2? Mel’s Diner was the name of the restaurant in the TV show “Alice”. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/5 "2005-09-15T01:43:21Z")
> [@](#): > > It was orginally called the" Back Room Rest" because it was the back of the grocery store and in the alley. When Alice bought it, it was Maluphy’s Restaurant… Alice and her husband Ray also owned an old church, which is where they were gonna have Thanksgiving dinner, and Arlo and a friend hauled away a ton of garbage, but the dump was closed, so they ditched it down a hill, and they got arrested for littering, and…after a year, Alice ditched Ray and went to Puerto Rico. These days it’s known as Theresa’s Stockbridge Cafe. This from any of a number of newspapers using Lexis-Nexis. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/6 "2005-09-15T01:51:25Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Mel’s Diner was the name of the restaurant in the TV show “Alice”. Wrong Alice, that was from _Alice doesn’t live here anymore_ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/7 "2005-09-15T01:58:14Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Wrong Alice, that was from _Alice doesn’t live here anymore_ Right Alice, wrong medium - the show came from the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/8 "2005-09-15T02:06:47Z")
In any case, I’m thinking it was a joke, son. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/9 "2005-09-15T02:11:15Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > In any case, I’m thinking it was a joke, son. 😃 I know, but I am sworn to Cecil to fight ignorance regardless of the situation. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/10 "2005-09-15T02:19:10Z")
Moved to CS. - **xash** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/11 "2005-09-15T02:43:28Z")
Perhaps the answer is to be found in the twenty-seven 8x10 color glossy pictures, with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one, explaining what each one was. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/12 "2005-09-15T03:58:26Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Right Alice, wrong medium - the show came from the movie. [Wrong Alice, wrong movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071115/combined). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/13 "2005-09-15T04:01:25Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Perhaps the answer is to be found in the twenty-seven 8x10 color glossy pictures, with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one, explaining what each one was. Or twenty-seven 8×10 black and white glossy pictures, depending on if it’s the song or the movie. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/14 "2005-09-15T04:18:27Z")
I actually ate there once, in the 70’s if I recall correctly, but only for 20 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/15 "2005-09-15T04:29:41Z")
And we were both jumping up and down yelling KILL! KILL! KILL! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/16 "2005-09-15T11:54:07Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > [Wrong Alice, wrong movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071115/combined). From the trivia page: > [@IMDB](#): > > Basis for the television show “Alice”. > The actual restaurant that this movie is based on is located in Phoenix, Arizona at 1747 NW Grand Ave. It is currently called Pat’s Family Restaurant. It was called Mel’s Diner. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/17 "2005-09-15T12:04:15Z")
We’re discussing [Alice Brock from Masachusetts](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064002/combined), not Alice Hyatt from New Mexico (or New Jersey, for that matter). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/18 "2005-09-15T12:09:53Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > We’re discussing [Alice Brock from Masachusetts](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064002/combined), not Alice Hyatt from New Mexico (or New Jersey, for that matter). I was responding to > [@Cisco](#): > > As for the restaurant…Alice owned it, but that’s all I know. I’ve never heard it called Mel’s Diner, where did you find that, sj2? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/19 "2005-09-15T12:12:11Z")
She’s still the “wrong Alice” in terms of this thread. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701/20 "2005-09-15T12:15:33Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > She’s still the “wrong Alice” in terms of this thread. 🙂 True. It’s all **sj2** ’s fault for bringing it up. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-name-of-alices-restaurant/321701.md?page=2)