Tina Lestik

QUINNS MILL & VICTORIA STATION REUNION    PORTLAND, OREGON

PLEASE JOIN US:

When: May 3, 2014

Where: Steve & Amelia's Moore's  **  Philadelphia's Steaks & Hoagies/ 13 Virtues Brewery **

6410 SE Milwaukie Ave. Portland Or. 97202  ** Sellwood Neighborhood **

*** No Host Bar ***   $10.00 Cover for Buffet ***

Please join us to revisit the good old yester-years of Quinns Mill & Victoria Station

Visit with some old friends, share some stories and have some laughs!!

Please pass this invitation on to anyone who who be interested in participating!!!

To RSVP or for more information contact: Tina Lestik at tlestik@msn.com

or Richard Bauder at rbauder@oregonrla.org    503-644-7685

Mike Brownfield

can anyone anwser this question.?

are my V.S. stocks worth anything???

Andy Pratt

HAHAHAHAHA!  Maybe Truelove can handle that question!

Morris Herzberg

If you have stock certificates, they will have some value with collectors. You will need to find a collectors site or club to get knowledgeable of the current values.  Some collect railroad stock certificates and this may interest them.  Others like interesting artwork.  You might find some that have been sold on ebay or similar site to compare with.

Greg Winfield

Any idea's on what a Victoria Station would cost to build today? What did one cost back in the 70's?

Greg

John Overland

I would guess to build a VS in the 70s would be about 360K. This would be just for construction. The land would be added. The management and prep work would be added. Today I think it would cost about 2.25M.

Good luck

Greg Winfield

Thanks John for the info

Greg

Joe McGoff

I started with Victoria Station Restaurant when I was a sophomore at Bellarmine College (now Bellarmine University) in Louisville, KY as a bartender in 1971-1972.  Our OJT took place at the VS’s in Indianapolis, IN and Cincinnati, OH both of which had just recently opened at the time.  Joined their management program sometime later.  Spent a bit of time at the original VS … 150 The Embarcadero San Francisco, CA.  Trained at the Lake Tahoe, CA restaurant.  Assigned to the VS’s in Memphis, TN as Assistant Manager and as General Manager Birmingham, AL.  Also worked in various capacities at VS’s in Schaumberg, IL, Villa Brook, IL, Northbrook, IL and Atlanta, GA.   I was an underwater structural engineer in the oil & gas industry until I was diagnosed with stage 4 throat & larynx cancer in March, 2012.  Currently a 4-year cancer survivor.  May be found on Facebook ….  Joe McGoff Houston, Texas. 

Cheers to All

JM.

Tom Blake (Blake)

To Joe M.

Great news that you are a four-year cancer survivor. You sure worked at and saw a lot of Victoria Station restaurants. If you are interested in a book about Victoria Station titled, "Prime Rib & Boxcars. Whatever Happened to Victoria Station," which I published a few years back, they are available at Amazon.com, or I can mail you a personalized and signed copy for a heck of a lot cheaper--$22.00, including priority mail shipping. Just send me an email at tompblake@gmail.com. Also, visit the website, www.vicsta.com. 

Good to read about your background.

Tom Blake

Author, "Prime Rib & Boxcars. Whatever Happened to Victoria Station?"

Joe McGoff

​I just reviewed the photo section.  Obviously we were all young once.  I wish I had taken and kept more photos.  Will check the archives one or two may show up.  Cheers!~ JM

Greg Winfield

I was wondering if anyone still remembers how to get the cutting yeild percentages of prime rib. I was having a converstation with a friend of mine and said I was wrong so now I am looking to see if anyone remembers.

Andy Pratt

The simple answer is cost divided by sales.  What I can't remember, however, is how they came up with the sales figures since everything was hand-written (at least when I was in the kitchen).  I bet George Mortensen would remember!

Scott Sebastian

There's cooking yield, cutting yield and total yield. Total yield combines cooking and cutting and is the bottom line number. Total ounces served divided by raw weight in ounces.

ie: 17 lb raw rib x 16oz = 272 oz

Oz. served (16 12oz portions) = 192 oz

192 divided by 272 = %70.58 total yield.

John Gardner

Scott has the formula right, but nobody ever got a yield that high on a 109 with fat cap and bones.  We used to weigh each rib before to get a total and then subtract what was left after each shift and total all the gross weight used.  Then we calculated all the portions sold at the end of the shift for Track 1, 2, 3, and combos.  Then multiply by the ideal portion for each, ie 12 oz, 22 oz, etc,  then we divided the sales weight by the cooked net total.  48 to 49% was pretty good.  When we switched to the 112 rib, the yield was more like what Scott shows.  Before the computer was introduced in about 1982 the managers had to compare the paper tickets given to the cooks against the checks the waiters collected the payments with. There was a yield computation sheet every meal.  It was laborious and managers worked long late hours in the early days.

Mike Spadarotto

Hello fellow VSers!  Anyone on here work at the St. Louis location in the mid 1970's?

Patrick Hynes

For many of us, our days and nights at Victoria Station were the most exciting, wild times of our lives.

I'd like to host a reunion of  all VS employees somewhere in Southern California before the end of the year.

Any interest ?

Patrick Hynes T-2, VS-SFO, VS-WOD, VS-DEN, VS-VAN  1973 -1976

Greg Winfield

Had a former vs employeeask me if there was a way to get building plans. Any idea where he might locate them?

Joe McGoff

Greg

In response to your inquiry about obtaining the building plans for the Victoria Station Restaurant.  I would check with the City/County Building Aurthority in the location in which a VS was constructed.  VS would have been required to file these plans with the Municipality or County prior to construction and you could get copies of these plans for a nominal cost.  Most Victoria Stations, particularly the latter ones, were all basically the same prototype.

Good Luck

JM

Greg Winfield

thank you.I will let him know

John Overland

I thought of the city planning departments to find the VS plans, but that is over 40 years ago. You might be luckhy to find them on micro fisch. If any are still alive, I think you might have better luck with the original owners. However, this railroad-concept restaurant could be desighed better. There are many ways to achieve this without the actual railroad cars. ( For example I often see manufactured homes that almost look like a box car. You could custom design a manufacture home into looking like rail road cars.) VS was good for its time, but in todays world it is not going to work.

George Henderson

If you are looking to re-open a train themed VS you could try to buy/lease the last standing VS Station in Roseville CA.This VS was the VS Sacramento restaurant which was moved to Roseville CA and re-opened as a dance club called “The Station.”  I think it has recently closed. It would be far cheaper than trying to build a new one.  

Greg Winfield

John,

I believe this is what my friend wants to do and is wanting me to explore it with him. I will run by him the home manufacturing concept. For some reason he still will probably go with the box cars. 

George,

Not sure he wants to go there to reopen it but I will run it by him. 

I am not sure if he can use the name Victoria Station because the name is still being used up north in maine.

Thank you

George Henderson

Greg, I don’t know what the cost to move it, but it maybe worth since you wouldn’t have to rebuild from scratch. But I hate to say it, but in today’s market it may be very hard to open a VS using the same business model. Since the VS in Salam MA is still operating that may be something you may want to copy. I would think it would be nice to have at least a caboose and 1 car for the theme. You may also talk to the owner of that VS as they may know who owns the naming rights. 

Joe McGoff

I was a college sophmore looking for a way to pay my rent.  I was on my way home from an Economics class at Bellarmine College in Louisvile, KY one afternoon when I came upon what I initially thought was a train wreck.  A couple of boxcars and a caboose sitting on a vacant lot with another boxcar on a flatbed truck and a crane standing by.  There was also a trailer on that vacant lot with a huge banner with "Victoria Station Interviewing Soon".  I had no idea who or what Victoria Station was but interview = job and job = rent money.  They hired me as a bartender.  What else?  ......   After all my Father was Irish/Catholic and my Mother a Lebanese-Jew.  Bartender was a perfect fit for my personailty.  We were young, we were optimistic, energetic, over sexed and overindulged and we worked our asses off and loved it.  As I recall we went to the VS in Indianapolis to train and helped open the Cincinnati VS.  I joined the management team and spent time at 150 the Embarcadero and the Tahoe City training restaurant.  I was assigned as an Assistant Manager in Memphis, TN was then moved to the Chicago area as a "Floating Manager" to fill in for managers in Northbrook, Villa Park,Schaumberg and Indianapolis when needed.  Eventually I was offered the General Manager job in Birmingham, Alabama.  Also assited at Quinn's Mill and the VS in Atlanta occasionally.  Nothing but the best of memories for Victoria Station.  I am now 66 and a 5+ year survivor of stage 4 throat and larynx cancer.  I work part time for the Greater Houston YMCA in Membership Services and work 3 days a week at Home Depot.  Formerly I was an underwater structural engineer in the oil and gas industry but that is no longer an option.  Cheers to All  JM

Tom Blake (Blake)

Joe,

Wow, great VS resume. And an interesting post. Just thought I'd mention I still have new copies of the book, "Prime Rib & Boxcars. Whatever Happened to Victoria Station?" which I wrote a few years back. Will be happy to autograph a copy and snail mail to you (or anyone for that matter). $15 including shipping and tax. (list price is $32.95). Email me at tompblake@gmail.com if interested.

Tom Blake

Dana Point, Ca 92629