This is something I found in an antique store back in December. It’s a swizzle stick and it says “Math Igler’s Singing Waiters, Chicago”.  […] I went on and did some research and found that there was this place. […] Max Igler was a German immigrant who started this restaurant in 1923, and it was a Barbarian restaurant with singing waiters.”

(Paraphrase:) Eric tells us some of the waiters who worked there had hidden talents such as: Billy Carr, a thrilling bass singer who sang a song about shipwrecks; Sean Welsh, former football player; Bill DeWitt, called the Jolly Green Giant who sang German drinking Songs; and maître de Matt Jr. was a “nationally famous bowler”.

“So then just this last weekend, I was at an antique store in Richfield, IL, and I saw this with Math Igler’s name, a feather in the cap and a paper label. I knew right away who Max Igler was, they had no idea.

This belongs in the Museum of Long Lost Chicago Musical Entertainment

Exhibited by Eric Bartholomew

Transcript edited by Serena Washington