The Civil Rights Movement and Mary Mac's Tea Room

**Mary Mac's Tea Room and the Atlanta Civil Rights Movement** By Elizabeth Vaughan (set:$favorable_outcome to false) [[Play]] [[Bibliography]]

Post World War II, Atlanta, Georgia experienced segregation, racial discrimination and gender discrimination that lasted through the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s. Women were not allowed to hold certain jobs or go to certain places without escorts. In most public places, African Americans were not allowed to mingle with whites. Inequity was the norm. In those times, those who were brave and took chances made great strides in changing the status quo for the betterment of all people. As you play this game, explore the lives of some of the real people who lived in Atlanta from the 1940s all the way to the turn of the century. Decide how you would react if faced with the same decisions they were offered during the course of their lives. Click on Mary McKenzie to begin. [[Mary McKenzie]]

Bibliography “About Us.” //Mary Mac's//, Mary Mac's, 2015, www.marymacs.com/about-us. Nygren, Marie. “How Mom Began at Mary Mac's.” //Serenbe Style and Soul//, Serenbe Style and Soul,2013, www.serenbestyleandsoul.com/category/margaret-lupo-marie-nygren/. Nygren, Mary. “My Life in the '60s.” //Serenbe Style and Soul//, 2013, www.serenbestyleandsoul.com/my-life-in-the-60s/. Reese, Krista. "Lady be Good." Georgia Trend, vol. 33, no. 7, 2018, pp. 8081. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2016344592?accountid=11107 Shirreffs, Allison. "ACVB HALL OF FAME: Margaret Lupo, Lupo Set Table, Trends with Southern Style." //Atlanta Business Chronicle//, vol. 27, no. 23, 2004. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/235198855?accountid=11107. Yates, Hollis. “‘EVERYONE HAD A PLACE AT HER TABLES’: WOMEN RESTAURANT OWNERS OF ‘MEAT & THREES’ IN GEORGIA, 1940-1960.” University of Georgia, //Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia//, 2007, pp. 25-27, 56–71. [[Play]]

The year is 1945 and Mary McKenzie has just lost her naval husband to World War II. She needs to find some way to provide for herself. She wants to open her own restaurant. However, in 1945, this is defined as "man's work". If she opens a restaurant, she will receive scorn and intense community pressure to close. If she doesn't, she will lose a chance to do something that makes her truly happy. Maybe there is a compromise? What should Mary do? [[Open a restaurant]] [[Don't open a restaurant]] [[Find a compromise]]

No one will go to Mary's business. She suspects Rich (owner of Rich's Department Store), with his segregated Magnolia Room and "men only" Cockerel Grill, is behind it. With so much pressure and negative backlash, she worries how long she will be able to remain open. [[Continue]]

Mary Mckenzie fades into the crowds of history. Unhappily, she works as a short order cook in a greasy male-operated restaurant. She becomes another nameless woman swept under the rug in this time of American sexism. [[End Game]]

Men will not accept a woman as a restaurant owner, but the title "tea room" seems to appease them. Other women have opened so-called "tea rooms" where they serve the same kind of food as full-service restaurants without the fear of community dissent. As an added bonus, women are "allowed" to go to these tea rooms without escorts, giving them more freedom and independence. This compromise gives both owners and patrons more flexibility and makes a move in the right direction for positive social change. [[Open Mary Mac's Tea Room]]

(if:$favorable_outcome is true) [Congratualations! You have completed the game! Would you like to play again? [[Restart Game]] [[The Real Story of Mary Mac's Tea Room]]] (if:$favorable_outcome is false) [Sorry, it didn't work out. Would you like to play again? [[Restart Game]] [[The Real Story of Mary Mac's Tea Room]]]

Rich's Department Store eventually faces extreme pressure to make changes after college students stage sit-ins in his Magnolia Room in 1960 and 1961, but by then it's too late for Mary Mckenzie. [[End Game]]

Mary she needs to decide what kind of food she wants to serve. In the past, she has taken inspiration from African American subsistence farming and the commonly associated "meat-and-threes" form of cooking. However, this is “lower” in class than a tea room is expected to serve. Mary needs to decide between menues of fried chicken, potlikker, and cornbread (where she caters to the masses, but runs the risk of losing profit because of it) or cucumber sandwiches, tea, trifle and seafood salads (where she caters for profit but loses connections to her heritage). What kind of menu should Mary create? [[Southern Comfort Food]] [[Specialized Upper-Class Food]]

Mary's food garners loyal customers and raving reviews. Now Mary must decide, as a white woman in the American South (prior to the 1960s), whether to segregate her restaurant. Choosing to segregate Mary Mac's is expected. Society expects business owners to offer preferential treatment to those of their same race. Those who choose not to segregate their establishments therefore run the risk of losing both white and black customers. Still, much of the food that Mary serves comes from black recipes and practices, should she deny her food's history for the sake of saving face? What should Mary do? [[Segregate]] [[Choose not to segregate]]

Mary Mac's Tea Room remains popular with its white patrons. Mary hires black kitchen workers, but white customers are used to this hierarchial structure. The food more than anything keeps people coming back for more. [[Keep Going]]

Mary Mac's becomes a place of truly strong community. People leave their differences at the door as they enter a place that feels like home. Mary makes no judgements about her patrons and requests her customers do the same. Mary hires both blacks and whites and, though she never puts a black waitperson on the floor, people appreciate her open-mindedness. [[Next]]

The restaurant is very successful. Mary continually tries to keep her eye out for extra hands. One day, she comes across Margaret Lupo, a woman who already operates her own business, Margaret's Tray Shop. The two women move in similar circles until Margaret's restaurant goes out of business. Mary wants to help Margaret, but she worries about offering a "lower" position than Margaret is used to. Additionally, Margaret is divorced with a young child who will need to stay in the restaurant during working hours. What should Mary do? [[Hire Margaret]] [[Don't hire Margaret]]

Mary hires Margaret and the two women work very well together. Going into the 1960s, Mary considers moving to Florida with her new husband, but feels torn between her homegrown business and her newfound love. Part of Mary feels it is time for her to retire, but the other part worries about the new "family" she has created with her business. Margaret offers to take control of the business, but Mary is still unsure. What should Mary do? [[Move to Florida]] [[Stay at Mary Mac's]]

Mary regrets that she cannot help her friend, but she feels she would insult Margaret if she offered her a position at Mary Mac's. Business continues as usual for Mary and when she decides to retire in 1962, she leaves her restaurant to Susan, one of her long-time servers, in the hopes that Susan will uphold the traditions of Mary Mac's. [[New Management]]

Under new management, Mary Mac's flounders. The customers who remained so loyal to the business in the past, now reveal how much they miss Mary McKenzie's large and welcoming personality. The task of filling those shoes proves too much to bear for Susan. Even some of the lifetime workers quit their jobs because working for Susan can't compare to working for Mary Mckenzie. This forces Susan to close the doors of Mary Mac's permanently. [[End Game]]

Margaret has learned a lot from Mary and the people are willing to give her a shot. Now that Margaret owns the restaurant, she can make changes, including changing the restaurant’s policies. Under her management, she must decide, whether to segregate. Non-segregated, Margaret will keep many of her loyal customers and maintain a very positive relationship with staff, but she will keep feeling the community pressure of a segregated South. Segregated, Margaret may lose some of her customers, but could gain others while lessening the negative community pressure. What decision should Margaret make? [[Segregated]] [[Non-Segregated]]

Mary continues to work as long as she is able. She feels saddened that she has lost a second chance at love, but she continues to brighten the lives of her staff and customers. When she eventually retires, she decides to close down the restaurant as well. She trusts that her workers are competent to find work elsewhere, she just feels too strongly attached to the restaurant to ever see anyone else running it. [[End Game]]

The 1960s are not kind to Mary Mac's Tea Room. The efforts of Margaret Lupo are not enough to keep a segregated restaurant open for very long. Amidst protest and new legislation, Margaret is forced to say goodbye to her second tea room and try to start another chapter in her life. [[End Game]]

Margaret keeps her loyal customers and the respect of both her patrons and her staff. Inspired, Margaret now wants to make even more inclusive changes. She could add a children's menu for families, but that would mean extra work for the kitchen staff. She could incorporate communal tables for people who don’t want to eat alone, but that would mean more work for the servers with no guarantee people would use these tables. She could begin serving alcohol, but that would take away from Mary Mac’s history as a tea room and could place limits on the customers. Which option should Margaret try? [[Kid's Menu]] [[Communal Tables]] [[Serve Alcohol]]

Mary hires Margaret and the two women work very well together. Margaret appreciates the style of the tea room and learns many new things under Mary's tutelage. Going into the 1960s, Mary considers moving to Florida with her new husband. Mary feels torn between her homegrown business and her newfound love. Part of Mary feels it is time for her to retire, but the other part worries about the new "family" she has created with her business. Margaret offers to take control of the business, but Mary is still unsure. What should Mary do? [[Keep working]] [[Move on]]

Mary continues to work while she is able. She feels saddened that she has lost a second chance at love, but she continues to brighten the lives of her staff and customers. When she eventually retires, she decides to close the restaurant as well. She trusts that her workers are competent to find work elsewhere, but she feels too strongly attached to the restaurant to ever see anyone else running it. [[End Game]]

The people are willing to give Margaret a shot. Now that Margaret owns the restaurant, she can make changes, including changing the restaurant’s policies. Under her management, she must decide whether to segregate. Mary has been able to keep her business open for this long as a segregated establishment. However, Margaret is unsure whether the changing times will allow the business to remain open without desegregating. By desegregating, Margaret will likely lose many customers, but could gain some new ones. By segregating, Margaret might experience some of the community backlash and protests that have started becoming increasingly more common. How decision should Margaret make? [[Stay Segregated]] [[Become Non-Segregated]]

Margaret makes a smart move and finds much more business comes from people who feel included. Inspired, Margaret now wants to make even more inclusive changes. She could add a children's menu for families, but that would mean extra work for the kitchen staff. She could incorporate communal tables for people who don’t want to eat alone, but that would mean more work for the servers with no guarantee people would use these tables. She could begin serving alcohol, but that would take away from Mary Mac’s history as a tea room and could place limits on the customers. Which option should Margaret try? [[Kid's Menu]] [[Communal Tables]] [[Serve Alcohol]]

A kid's menu is something that doesn't really exist in this time period. Margaret's change confuses both her staff and her customers. Additionally, as more kids start pouring in and running around unsupervised, Margaret loses both her patience and her business. She closes down Mary Mac's Tea Room and looks to start again elsewhere. [[End Game]]

Communal tables serve to further bring people together. Margaret actively works to keep people coming back. As the 1960s continue to define many new changes and opportunities for people of all genders and all backgrounds, Margaret feels compelled to join the fight. On one hand, she could join some of the many organizations that would give Margaret a voice and allow her to make lasting changes in her community and the world. On the other hand, she could concentrate on her family and business knowing she is already doing good work in the world. What should Margaret do? [[Become more active]] [[Keep doing her work without making any changes]]

Serving alcohol changes Mary Mac's Tea Room from a wonderful escape with a friendly atmosphere into a less inclusive space which doesn't hold true to the history of the tea room. Margaret regrets her decision, but by the time she decides to undo her change she has already lost her most loyal customers. Floundering now to keep the business afloat, Margaret must face the facts and finally close its doors. [[End Game]]

Margaret joins the Central Atlanta Progress, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Advisory Board, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Atlanta Women's Network where she serves while continuing to run Mary Mac’s. After 30 years, Margaret decides to retire and ponders new ownership of Mary Mac’s. She wants to keep the legacy alive, but questions whether to keep that legacy within her own family or not. Margaret's children know both Margaret and the business, but they aren’t as enthusiastic about running it. Margaret has inspired many people to remain at Mary Mac’s their whole careers. She knows that any of them would like to own the business, but she worries about what they might change. What should Margaret do? [[Ask her children]] [[Choose a co-worker]]

Margaret serves her customers faithfully for over 30 years, but eventually the time comes for her to retire. Now she must decide where the restaurant will go from here. Margaret's children have grown up around Mary Mac’s, but they aren’t as enthusiastic about running it. Should Margaret ask one of her kids anyway, since they know her and the business? Margaret has inspired many people to remain at Mary Mac’s their whole careers. She knows that any one of them would be willing to own the business, but would they continue to do things Margaret's way? What should Margaret do? [[Ask her children]] [[Choose a co-worker]]

John Ferrel becomes the new owner of Mary Mac's Tea Room and remains in charge of the restaurant to this day. Though Margaret Lupo died in 1998 at the age of 78, the legacies of both Margaret Lupo and Mary McKenzie live on in the wonderful food, welcoming atmosphere and rich history of Mary Mac's Tea Room. [[End Game]] (set:$favorable_outcome to true)

Margaret's children don't want to take on the responsibilities of running Mary Mac's Tea Room. They give Margaret no choice but to find another owner. She looks to her trusted staff for inspiration. [[Choose a co-worker]]

**Biographical Sketch** Mary Mac’s Tea Room was a female owned, co-racial restaurant during segregation and gender discrimination. To this day, Mary Mac's Tea Room continues to serve "Southern comfort food." Daily, fresh produce comes into the restaurant and the recipes for potlikker, corn bread, fried chicken and collard greens have changed very little over the past 73 years. Mary Mac’s Tea Room was first opened by Mary McKenzie in 1945. She owned and operated it before passing it on to Margaret Lupo (1920-1998) who purchased Mary Mac’s in 1962 worked until she passed it on to John Ferrel (the current owner) in 1998. “Mary Mac’s Tea Room has been a family refuge for decades, to all races, genders and ethnicities across the broad spectrum of life, providing fresh made-from-scratch Southern recipes to comfort the body, uncompromised Southern Hospitality to comfort the soul and an underlying, ever-present spirit of family to comfort the heart,” (Yates, 68). “She [Margaret] went to work for Mary McKensie… A few weeks after starting, Mary announced she was… moving to Florida. “Do you want to buy the place Margaret?” she asked. Thus started mom’s amazing time at the restaurant.” Marie Nygren, daughter of Margaret Lupo. “At a time when segregation was still the prevailing and accepted practice, Margaret’s daughters recall, it was forbidden inside the doors of Mary Mac’s,” (Yates, 68). [[End Game]]

Mary experiences some success early on, just like her neighbor and competitor Frances Virginia (owner and operator of the Frances Virginia Tea Room). However, the location of Mary Mac's Tea Room on Ponce De Leon Avenue makes its business subject to the whims of a neighborhood that seems to constantly be in flux. When lower class people move in and take the place of her normal upper-class patrons, she finds it necessary to retire and close the business. [[End Game]]