Speaking of family run mom and pop places, when I was growing up we had neighborhood places called 'Luncheonettes' where you could go for a $1.99 full breakfast, lunch and dinner. They were store front 'mini' diners which were mostly known for their breakfast specials and fountain service.
Yes, there was one on practically every block in my old Brooklyn neighborhoods. The difference between a "luncheonette" and a "candy store" was that the former had a grille, and the latter didn't. Coca-Cola practically had an armlock on the business of both. Typically, Coke put two big, round signs over the corners of their windows. We kids used to throw Spaldeens against the signs, which would make a huge, gonging crash like the beginning of a J. Arthur Rank movie. It'd drive the proprietors wild. The soda dispensing machines looked like Evenrude outboard motors. Coke also supplied the luncheonettes with decorative cards that were hung up over the grill, showing the various dishes they'd serve: hamburger, Virginia ham sandwich, etc., each with a Coke logo and a blank circle to fill in the price. The local Mob guy supplied the jukebox.
Ntra la porta tua lu sangu � sparsu, E nun me mporta si ce muoru accisu... E s'iddu muoru e vaju mparadisu Si nun ce truovo a ttia, mancu ce trasu.
It'd drive the proprietors wild. The soda dispensing machines looked like Evenrude outboard motors. Coke also supplied the luncheonettes with decorative cards that were hung up over the grill, showing the various dishes they'd serve: hamburger, Virginia ham sandwich, etc., each with a Coke logo and a blank circle to fill in the price. The local Mob guy supplied the jukebox.