Shorty's Lunch

Shorty's Lunch is a historic hot-dog and lunch-counter business based in Washington, Pennsylvania. The restaurant traces its identity to George "Shorty" Contorakes, who operated Everybody's Lunch on West Chestnut Street from 1924 to 1932 before purchasing the Try Me Lunch at 34 West Chestnut Street and renaming it Shorty's Lunch. The name referred to Contorakes's nickname and his height of approximately five feet four inches. In 1938, Peter Alexas joined Contorakes as a partner, beginning the Alexas family's long association with the business. Ownership later included Contorakes's son John G. Contorakes, who remained connected with the restaurant until his death in 2001. The business developed around an inexpensive, highly specialized menu rather than broad restaurant diversification. Its signature order is an Albert's frank topped with the restaurant's chili sauce, mustard, and onions. French fries with gravy and hot beef dinners are among the other recognizable offerings. The chili sauce is a central part of the brand's reputation: each batch reportedly takes several hours to prepare, and the restaurant's customers have historically mailed the sauce to relatives serving overseas, including American soldiers in England, Germany, Japan, and Vietnam. The main location has been reported to sell several hundred hot dogs per day, reflecting the importance of repeat local trade rather than a national chain model. Shorty's is also defined by continuity of place. Its Washington restaurant retains wooden booths, a counter, a prominent storefront, and a grill visible from the street. The interior arrangement is associated with the restaurant's early decades, including eight booths acquired during the 1930s. Although customers commonly believed that the original grill remained in service, the grilltop was replaced with a custom-made steel version after a failure in the 1980s. The replacement was installed discreetly, preserving the impression that the historic cooking setup had never changed. The restaurant's customer base has included local residents, former residents returning during holidays, public figures, judges, and entertainers. Its unusually durable customer loyalty has been cited by local newspapers and an entrepreneurship professor at Washington & Jefferson College as an example of a distinctive small-business model. Shorty's has also participated in community fundraising, including support associated with Pittsburgh children's health care and fundraising sales of restaurant photographs for the Citizens Library in Washington. Shorty's faced a major preservation challenge in the early 2000s when the proposed Crossroads redevelopment project called for demolition of buildings in downtown Washington, including the structure containing the original restaurant. The Alexas family opposed relocation and helped organize a petition that gathered 23,860 signatures. The campaign became a local symbol of resistance to redevelopment and helped reinforce Shorty's identity as a community landmark. The redevelopment threat also encouraged the family to consider additional locations. After a Washington Mall site was slated for conversion into a strip-shopping development, the family opened a replacement location in Canton Township. The available reference material also describes franchising or expansion discussions involving other western Pennsylvania communities, although it does not establish that all proposed sites opened. Shorty's Lunch remains best understood as a place-based regional restaurant brand rather than an internationally scaled food company. Its value lies in a combination of recognizable menu items, a closely held family operating history, a preserved diner environment, and emotional ties among generations of customers.

Shorty's Lunch developed from George Contorakes's earlier Washington, Pennsylvania lunch-counter business. Contorakes operated Everybody's Lunch from 1924 until 1932, when he acquired the Try Me Lunch at 34 West Chestnut Street. He renamed the establishment Shorty's Lunch, using the nickname associated with his short stature. The business initially operated as a small, practical lunch counter serving local customers. In 1938, Peter Alexas entered into partnership with Contorakes. This marked the beginning of the Alexas family's multigenerational connection with Shorty's. Contorakes's son, John G. Contorakes, subsequently held an ownership interest and remained associated with the business until his death in 2001. The restaurant originally operated around the clock, and during its first decade reportedly did not even lock its doors. World War II labor shortages led to reduced operating hours. The Washington restaurant's physical character became one of its principal assets. Its wooden booths, counter, storefront, and street-facing grill created a distinctive lunch-counter environment. Eight original booths purchased used during the 1930s remained part of the interior's identity. The cooking equipment also acquired near-mythic status among customers. Although many believed the grill was still the original one, a malfunction in the 1980s required installation of a custom steel replacement. The work was carried out quietly, preserving the restaurant's appearance and continuity. Shorty's menu concentrated on inexpensive hot dogs and lunch-counter dishes. The best-known item is an Albert's frank served with house chili sauce, mustard, and onions. Gravy fries and hot beef dinners are also associated with the restaurant. Its chili sauce became a particularly important part of the brand, with preparation reported to take roughly four hours for a batch of several gallons. Customers have valued the sauce sufficiently to send it to relatives, including American military personnel stationed overseas. The restaurant's reported daily hot-dog volume demonstrates the strength of its habitual local trade. Over time, Shorty's gained a reputation extending beyond ordinary restaurant patronage. Former Washington residents reportedly returned during holidays to eat at the restaurant, while local commentary treated its customer loyalty as unusually strong. Its clientele has been described as spanning social groups, from judges to entertainers. The restaurant also developed a community role through fundraising, including an association with the Free Care Fund at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and sales of Shorty's photographs benefiting the Citizens Library. The most significant modern challenge documented for the business came from downtown redevelopment. In 2003, the Crossroads Project proposed a large-scale redevelopment involving commercial space, housing, and parking. The plan required the removal of several buildings through eminent domain, including the building occupied by Shorty's. The Alexas family declined offers of relocation assistance and rallied support for keeping the restaurant at its established address. A petition collected 23,860 signatures, and local political figures supported the preservation effort. The controversy made Shorty's a visible example of a small independent business defending its historic premises against redevelopment. The family also pursued geographic expansion as a way to reduce dependence on threatened sites. After the Washington Mall owners required the restaurant to leave a location affected by planned redevelopment, the family established a Canton Township location. Reference material further records efforts to explore additional sites and possible franchising in western Pennsylvania, but it does not confirm that every proposed expansion was completed. Shorty's has therefore remained a regional restaurant whose brand equity comes from authenticity and memory. Its signature food, family stewardship, old-fashioned interior, and resistance to redevelopment have made it a local landmark. The business is notable less for scale than for the unusual strength of its place-based identity and repeat-customer relationships.

• 2006

  Lynn Swann makes a campaign stop

  [1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann visits Shorty's during the election campaign.

• 2004

  Canton Township location is established

  [1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  The Alexas family builds a Canton Township location after a Washington Mall site is affected by redevelopment plans.

• 2003

  Restaurant threatened by Crossroads redevelopment

  [1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  A proposed downtown Washington redevelopment project places the original Shorty's building at risk of demolition, prompting a large preservation campaign.

• 2001

  John G. Contorakes dies

  [1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  John G. Contorakes, a family owner associated with Shorty's, dies.

• 1993

  Recognized for charitable fundraising

  [1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  Shorty's is recognized by the Observer-Reporter for fundraising connected with the Free Care Fund at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

• 1980

  Historic grilltop is replaced

  [1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  After the original grilltop malfunctions, a custom steel replacement is installed discreetly.

• 1938

  Peter Alexas joins the business

  [1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  Peter Alexas becomes a partner, beginning the Alexas family's long-term association with the restaurant.

• 1932

  Try Me Lunch is renamed Shorty's Lunch

  [1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  Contorakes purchases the Try Me Lunch at 34 West Chestnut Street and renames it Shorty's Lunch.

• 1924

  George Contorakes begins operating Everybody's Lunch

  [1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  George Contorakes operates Everybody's Lunch on West Chestnut Street in Washington, Pennsylvania, establishing the business background from which Shorty's Lunch later emerged.

A traditional, affordable, highly local hot-dog lunch counter positioned around continuity, distinctive chili sauce, and community heritage rather than menu breadth or national scale.

• Hot dog

  Albert's frank

  Shorty's signature frankfurter is served with the restaurant's chili sauce, mustard, and onions. It is the central menu item around which the restaurant's reputation as a traditional hot-dog counter has been built.

• Sauce and topping

  Shorty's chili sauce

  The house chili sauce is one of Shorty's most distinctive offerings. Preparation reportedly takes approximately four hours for a batch of several gallons, and the sauce has developed a following among former residents and customers who have sent it to relatives overseas.

• Side dish

  French fries with gravy

  French fries topped with gravy are a characteristic side dish at Shorty's and complement the restaurant's inexpensive lunch-counter menu.

• Entrée

  Hot beef dinner

  The hot beef dinner is among the restaurant's more substantial traditional meals and was described in reference material as its most expensive menu item at the time reported.

• 2003Save Shorty's preservation petition

  Washington, Pennsylvania

  The Alexas family and supporters campaigned against the proposed demolition of Shorty's original building as part of the Crossroads redevelopment project. The effort collected 23,860 petition signatures and received support from local officials.

  Outcome. The redevelopment plan's effort to remove Shorty's appears to have stalled in the available reference material, allowing the original location to remain associated with the brand.

  Source
• 1993Free Care Fund fundraising

  Western Pennsylvania

  Shorty's was recognized for fundraising associated with the Free Care Fund at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

  Outcome. The restaurant received recognition from the Observer-Reporter.

  Source
• Citizens Library photography fundraiser

  Washington, Pennsylvania

  Photographs of Shorty's were sold to raise money for the Citizens Library in Washington.

  Source

• 2004

  Open a Canton Township locationStrategy

  Background

  A Washington Mall location was affected by plans to redevelop the mall as a strip-shopping center.

  Action taken

  The Alexas family built another Shorty's location in Canton Township.

  Aftermath

  The business expanded beyond its original Washington site while retaining its regional focus.

  Source

• 2003

  Refuse relocation during redevelopment pressureStrategy

  Background

  The Crossroads Project proposed redevelopment that would have required demolition of the building containing the original Shorty's location.

  Action taken

  The Alexas family rejected relocation assistance and supported a petition campaign to preserve the restaurant at its established site.

  Aftermath

  The preservation effort attracted substantial local support and the proposed removal of Shorty's appears to have stalled.

  Source

• 1932

  Adopt the Shorty's Lunch nameStrategy

  Background

  After acquiring the Try Me Lunch, George Contorakes sought a name tied to his established nickname.

  Action taken

  The business was renamed Shorty's Lunch.

  Aftermath

  The name became the foundation of the restaurant's long-running local identity.

  Source

• 2006

  Lynn Swann visits Shorty's during Pennsylvania gubernatorial campaign[1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign

  Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann used Shorty's Lunch as a campaign stop during the 2006 Pennsylvania election.

• 2004

  Shorty's opens a Canton Township location[1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  After the Washington Mall site was expected to be displaced by redevelopment into a strip-shopping center, the Alexas family built another location in Canton Township.

• 2003

  Shorty's Lunch becomes a focus of downtown redevelopment opposition[1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  A proposed Crossroads redevelopment project threatened the building housing Shorty's original Washington location. The Alexas family opposed moving and organized community support for preserving the restaurant in place.

• 2003

  Community petition seeks to save Shorty's original location[1]Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Opposition to the proposed demolition reportedly produced a petition with 23,860 signatures, exceeding the population of Washington at the time and making the restaurant a prominent local preservation cause.

1. 1Shorty's Lunchen.wikipedia.org