Original restaurant Charles W. Chessar was a New York City
restaurateur who was nicknamed "
Beefsteak Charlie" by Howard Williams, a sports editor for the
New York Morning Telegraph. Chessar opened his first restaurant around 1910, and moved to
50th Street between
Broadway and
Eighth Avenue in 1914, which he operated until 1934. A fire in March 1933 destroyed many of the racing pictures, though some still remain in the family of the subsequent owner, William Soshnick. After Chessar left, his namesake restaurant was owned and operated by William Soshnick, who migrated to the U.S. along with his family to avoid anti-semitic oppression in
Congress Poland. Soshnick was one of five immigrant brothers that eventually owned and operated small markets, butcher shops as well as the White Rose bars in New York City. William Soshnick sold Beefsteak Charlie's upon his retirement in the late 1960s and moved to
Tucson, Arizona. During Soshnick's ownership the restaurant became a popular hangout for jazz musicians in the 1950s and 1960s.
Chain expansion The Beefsteak Charlie's restaurant chain was started in early 1976 by restaurateur Larry Ellman, whose Steak & Brew chain (part of the
Longchamps organization) had filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in fall 1975: Steak & Brew, Inc., was renamed Beefsteak Charlies, Inc., many Steak & Brew locations were converted into Beefsteak Charlie's. As the chain first filed for a trademark on the "Beefsteak Charlie's" name in March 1976, and no prior trademark existed, it appears there was no direct connection to the namesake restaurant which inspired the chain. Early 1980s advertising featured an actor in early 20th century dress playing the role of Beefsteak Charlie, later joined by his nephew "Beefsteak Chuck." Two of the chain's famous indulgent slogans were "I'll feed you like there's no tomorrow" and "You're gonna get spoiled." By 1984, the chain had over 60 locations, primarily on the East Coast. Corporate owner Beefsteak Charlies, Inc., changed its name in 1985 to Lifestyle Restaurants, Inc. In August 1987, the chain was acquired by Bombay Palace Restaurants, via a merger with Lifestyle Restaurants for a reported $8.4 million in stock. At the time of the 1987 merger, the chain had 48 locations, but had closed 20 locations and lost $20 million since 1984. In 2000, franchise restaurant operator
The Riese Organization converted its 45th Street location into
Joe Franklin's Memory Lane Restaurant. A Manhattan location on Eighth Avenue at the Howard Johnson's Plaza hotel closed shortly after
September 11, 2001. Several locations remained until the early 2000s. At least as of March 2003, one "Beefsteak Charlie's" was advertised as being open in
Elmsford, New York, though it is unclear whether the restaurant had any connection to the prior chain, as the chain's trademarks had expired, and a new registration was filed in 2001. In 2009, a new Beefsteak Charlie's opened in the
Westfield Sunrise Mall in
Nassau County, New York, which closed shortly after its opening. == In popular culture ==