Remember When: McGinnis Was A Roast Beef Contender

I don’t know McGinnis’. It was only recently – literally days ago – that I ever heard of the apparently fabled Sheepshead Bay restaurant, but tales of the roast beef and “fisherman’s breakfast” have been circling my head ever since.

Still, in my brief search, I can’t find much information about the establishment. Its opening in Sheepshead Bay, its location – all a mystery to me. I do know they had a Times Square spot (pictured above) at 48th and Broadway in October, 1938 – which then closed in the 60s. So the Sheepshead Bay location must be older than that.

But the rest is a ghost of history. The summation of my knowledge is this: McGinnis of Sheepshead Bay’s fisherman’s breakfast was two fried eggs with French fried potatoes, toast or rolls, and coffee for 50 cents. That’s amazing.

And I found this photo:

So now I’m asking you to help me fill in the blanks. Who was McGinnis? When did this place open? Where was it? When did it close? What was it like? How, pray tell, was that darned roast beef?!