Table Talk
A Blast from the Past Polly Anna Café
A retro atmosphere and classic favorites are a perfect fi t at the Polly Anna Café in Woodward, Okla. Photos by Hayley Leatherwood
By Elaine Warner V
isiting the Polly Anna Café in Woodward, Okla., is a real time- warp experience. It’s still the ‘50s here.
“I’ve talked about remodeling but my cus- tomers say, ‘No, don’t do it,’” owner Lance Williams says.
Little white, hexagonal tiles, accented with the occasional black tile, cover the fl oor. There are no tables, only the counter and stools. The 15 counter stools look like dusty rose marsh- mallows atop metal pedestals. The knee-space is upholstered, too, with rolled and pleated Naugahyde that could grace the hottest custom car. The walls are a pale pastel green beneath a wooden strip painted to match the upholstery. Above the strip, they are a creamy yellow. On a railing above and behind the counter, antique toys, signs and other memorabilia add to the ambiance. The Polly Anna opened in either 1925 or 1928. Lance isn’t sure which. A plaque on the wall gives the earlier date—but the coffee cups say “’28.” The restaurant had at least two own- ers before it was purchased in 1953 by Lance’s dad, Al Williams. The name of the café had been chosen by a contest. Why the name ‘Polly Anna’ won is still a mystery. Perhaps it was named for the heroine of Eleanor H. Porter’s popular 1913 novel Pollyanna. The book was followed by a sequel in 1915 and was turned into a movie starring Mary Pickford in 1920. More Pollyanna books followed, so the name would have been au
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courant. Whatever the reason for the name, Al Williams kept it.
Al was born in Marlow, Okla., but moved to
Woodward as a child. After high school, he joined the army and became a mess sergeant. After leaving the service, he and his wife Jane lived in Virginia where he met Charley Pappe. When the Pappes came to Oklahoma, the Williamses did too.
Pappe had become impressed with an up- and-coming drive-in called the Top Hat in Shawnee, Okla. He approached the owner, Troy Smith, and became the fi rst franchisee with a Top Hat in Woodward. Smith and Pappe had a close working relationship but they dis- covered that someone else had already copy- righted the name Top Hat. So they named their fl edgling company “Sonic.” In addition to the Top Hat, Pappe had pur-
chased the Polly Anna. He then sold it to his friend Al. Jane worked in the restaurant with Al and, over the years, all fi ve of their children pitched in. Lance started at age 10 doing dishes. At that time, the restaurant closed at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
“Dad wanted to go to my high school base-
ball games,” Lance says. When Lance’s older brother Lyndon bought the restaurant from his father, he added dinner hours. Lance went off to Oklahoma State University (OSU) and graduated with a degree in hotel and restaurant management. He planned to go into country club management but instead, received a request from an uncle to move to Houston to work with his restaurant chain.
Owner Lance Williams WATCH!
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“Table Talk” video shows service with a smile.
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