Restaurant Menus & Hospitality Ephemera | Vintage Dining & Bar Paper

The Restaurant Menus & Hospitality Ephemera collection features antique and vintage printed materials and promotional objects created for use in restaurants, bars, hotels, and social dining spaces. At its core are vintage menus—offering a snapshot of culinary trends, pricing, and design—but the collection also includes a wider range of ephemeral items tied to the experience of dining and hospitality.

This collection may include paper placemats, drink coasters, postcards, promotional songbooks, bar programs, and other items produced for short-term use in social settings. While many were discarded after use, surviving examples preserve the atmosphere of restaurants and bars—from casual roadside diners to formal dining rooms—capturing typography, branding, and graphic styles unique to their era.