Garson Menu Collection

The Garson Menu Collection contains menus collected by Otto A. Garson from restaurants, hotels, clubs, trains and other locations throughout the United States and Europe. The collection features standard breakfast, lunch and dinner menus as well as menus for a wide variety of special occasions, including inaugurations, honorary events and anniversaries.

The collection is arranged into three series: GARSON MENUS, ADDITIONAL MENUS, and SUBJECT FILES.

Otto A. Garson's original menu collection comprises the Garson Menus series. While a substantial portion of these menus originate from Chicago and New York, this series also includes menus from other U.S. cities; England, Japan, and France; and finally railway lines and cruise ships. The menus are arranged in chronological order. Restaurant name and location are provided where known. Undated menus are placed at the end and arranged alphabetically.

The Additional Menus series contains menus collected by Charles K. Kenter and shelved with the Otto A. Garson collection, as well as some menus placed with the Garson collection by previous archivists. These are arranged by date where possible.

The final series, "Subject Files," contains correspondence, publicity material, and ephemera relating to Garson's collection. Additional biographical and manuscript material shed light on Garson's career at Armour & Company.